Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, papal nuncio to the United States, has announced that 15 Catholics in the Diocese of Camden will be conferred papal honors.
Nine will be conferred into The Order of St. Gregory, presented by the Holy See in recognition of outstanding service to the Church. Two other papal honors, the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross and the Benemerenti Medal, will also be awarded for outstanding service by local lay Catholics.
The honors will be presented by Bishop Joseph Galante at a Vespers Prayer Service to be held Sunday, Nov. 4, beginning at 3 p.m. at St. Agnes Church, part of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood.
Those to be conferred as Knights of St. Gregory are:
Reginald Beckett, a leader in the Knights of Columbus in New Jersey. Mr. Beckett, a member of St. Rose of Lima church in Haddon Heights, serves his parish as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and in assisting families in need on Thanksgiving and Christmas. He has served as the New Jersey State Deputy for the Knights of Columbus and was appointed to the Supreme Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus in 2009. Married with two grown daughters, Mr. Beckett has worked 30 years with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Dr. Frank Blee, former director of evangelization and Adult Faith Formation for the diocese. Dr. Blee came to work with the diocese after a long business career. He holds, among other degrees, a doctorate in Systematic Theology from Fordham University in New York. He is a certified addiction counselor and spiritual counselor. Dr. Blee is a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Absecon.
William Campbell, a popular Philadelphia sportscaster, is a native of Atlantic City. Now an occasional commentator on KYW-AM Radio, Mr. Campbell, an active Catholic, is the former play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Warriors and 76ers, Phillies and Eagles.
Frank D’Elia, a long-time parishioner of St. Paul’s Church, Stone Harbor, part of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Avalon, is a retired carpenter who has volunteered his expertise for the church, constructing shrines, balcony and choir rooms.
Mark D’Onofrio served as president of the Diocesan Schools Board and presently serves on the Diocesan Building Commission, among other Catholic organizations. A graduate of Drexel University, he lives in Milmay. He and his wife, Sandy, have been married 36 years and have three children and two grandchildren. Mr. D’Onofrio is the secretary/treasurer of Stanker & Galetto, Inc. He has been the recipient of the Gregor Mendel Award, bestowed annually by St. Augustine Prep to honor outstanding contributions to South Jersey.
William Murray is Chief Financial Officer and Delegate for Temporalities for the Diocese. He serves as treasurer of the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities, secretary/treasurer of the Diocesan Housing Services Corporation and is a member of the Catholic Charities Advisory Board.
Those to be conferred as Ladies of St. Gregory are:
Rita Bernert, executive secretary for all but two bishops of the Diocese. She celebrated her 50th year as an employee in 2008. She is currently an assistant administrator to Bishop Joseph Galante. A member of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood, she is the mother of three and grandmother of three. Active in several Fife and Drum Corps, she is a member of the New Jersey Drum Corps Hall of Fame.
Dr. Christine Kimler is immediate past president of the South Jersey Catholic Medical Association. A member of Christ the Redeemer Church in Atco, she works in family practice in Pitman. She is a graduate of the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford and has served the Diocese as a physician for priests and Religious.
Nancy Rocereto has been an instrumental member of the Diocesan Planning Commission. She has served as a pastoral counselor and has worked with parish communities to assist them adjust to change. She is also a member of the Clinical Advisory Panel that deals with cases of sexual abuse of minors. A licensed clinical social worker, Ms. Rocereto, married for 47 years, is the mother of four and grandmother of five.
Those to be conferred with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice awards are:
Sister Helen Cole, SSJ, who established the Guadalupe Family Services of the Jesuit Urban Team (JUST) in North Camden. She has helped thousands of families and individuals with counseling, social services, violence prevention programs and community education.
John Desparrois, regional coordinator for the Family Service and Community Centers for Catholic Charities in Cumberland and Salem counties. He has been employed by Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Camden since 1989 and also served 10 years as Scoutmaster of Elmer Troop 39 of the Boy Scouts of America in Elmer.
Kevin Hickey is Director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese since 2002. At Catholic Charities, he is Chief Executive Officer for an agency that serves 45,000 people annually. He previously served as director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Memphis.
Deacon Leo McBlain is director of the diocesan Diaconate Office. After retirement from Automatic Data Processing, he came to work for the Diocese in June 2001. His responsibilities include the formation and ministry of the diocese’s permanent deacons. Deacon McBlain is a former president of the National Diaconate Institute for Continuing Education and board member of the National Association of Diaconate Directors. He was ordained a deacon in 1976 and serves at The Catholic Community of Christ Our Light in Cherry Hill. He and his wife, Barbara, have been married for 46 years and have seven children.
Sister Marilyn Vollmer, SSM, is the former Director of the Office of Planning for the Diocese and was instrumental in the parish merger process. She also directed Synods for the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Sister Vollmer now serves as Provincial of the United States-Caribbean Province of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.
Jennifer Dyer, assistant director for Catholic Charities for the Diocese, is to be conferred with the Benemerenti Medal. Ms. Dyer is director of the Division of Parish and Community Ministries of Catholic Charities and works on engaging awareness about social justice issues. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Ms. Dyer was responsible for coordinating parish ministry outreach to the affected regions. Before joining Catholic Charities in 2002, Ms. Dyer worked for Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.