FALL RIVER — On December 3 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., awarded the Marian Medal to 70 laypersons from parishes throughout diocese.

Bishop da Cunha presents the Marian Medal to Karen Plichta of St. Stanislaus Parish in Fall River. (Photo by Deacon Alan Thadeu)

The award recognizes members of diocesan parishes for dedicated service to the Church. Recipients are nominated by their pastor.

The medals were blessed and presented in the context of Evening Prayer of the Church and Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Made of sterling silver, the Marian Medal is embossed with a Miraculous Medal on one side and the diocesan coat-of-arms on the other.

The video of the 2021 Marian Medal Awards Ceremony has been posted on the diocesan website at fallriverdiocese.org.

The Marian Medal recipients for 2021 are listed below by deanery or area.

Attleboro Deanery

Manuel E. Desourdy, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish, South Attleboro; Malte A. Ebeling, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Attleboro; Charles E. Hopkins, Jr., St. Mary Parish, Mansfield; Judith A. Hurley, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, Seekonk; David J. Iagatta, St. Mary Parish, Norton; Linda Nason, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Seekonk; James Spratt, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Attleboro; and Manju Yoder, Transfiguration of the Lord Parish, North Attleboro.

Cape Cod & Islands Deanery

John F. Bangs, Jr., St. Mary/Our Lady of the Isle Parish, Nantucket; Patricia Benatti, St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Provincetown; Linda Bunker, Corpus Christi Parish, East Sandwich; Elda Carvalho, St. Joseph, Guardian of the Holy Family Parish, East Falmouth; Lucile Cashin, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Wellfleet; Janet Holden, Holy Redeemer Parish, Chatham; Brian Kennedy, Holy Trinity Parish, West Harwich.

Also, Michael Kondracki, Christ the King Parish, Mashpee; Cheryl Lagace, St. Margaret Parish, Buzzards Bay; Nancy E. Nevin, Good Shepherd Parish, Vineyard Haven; Joseph Prioli, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Pocasset; Judith M. Sullivan, St. Pius X Parish, South Yarmouth; Frank Sullivan, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Osterville; Doris Toohill, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Orleans; and Eleanor Ubaldini, Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville.

Fall River Deanery

Alfred Paul Arruda, St. Dominic Parish, Swansea; Pedro Botelho, Espirito Santo Parish, Fall River; Robert Correia, St. John of God Parish, Somerset; Carol Costa, St. Thomas More Parish, Somerset; Linda DeMarco, St. Bernard Parish, Assonet; Filomena Furtado, St. Michael Parish, Fall River; Brenda Gagnon, Holy Trinity Parish, Fall River; Constance Lavoie, St. Joseph Parish, Fall River; Michael Leary, Holy Name Parish, Fall River; William Mathieu, St. Patrick Parish, Somerset; Manuel B. Medeiros, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Fall River.

Also, Mary Michaud, Our Lady of Grace Parish, Westport; Karen Plichta, St. Stanislaus Parish, Fall River; Darlene Richards, St. Louis de France Parish, Swansea; Marshall Ronco, St. John the Baptist Parish, Westport; Alan Silvia, Good Shepherd Parish, Fall River; Angela Stankiewicz, St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish, Fall River; Katheen Ann Sullivan, St .Francis of Assisi  Parish, Swansea; Linda Trahan, St. George Parish Westport; and Liberal Viveiros, Santo Christo Parish, Fall River.

New Bedford Deanery

Susanne Auger, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church, New Bedford; Joseph Booth, St. Mary Parish, Fairhaven; Donald Buckley, Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, New Bedford; Paul Cabral, St. Julie Billiart Parish, Dartmouth; Robert Cattel, St. Rita of Cascia Parish, Marion; Lucy de Oliveira, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, New Bedford; Peter Deterra, St. Joseph Parish, Fairhaven; Jeanne Eagle, St. Anthony Parish, Mattapoisett.

Also, George Gagnon, St. John Neumann Parish, East Freetown; Diana Henry, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, New Bedford; Yvonne Houtman, St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, New Bedford; Annemarie Kerney, St. Mary Parish, Dartmouth; Celia A. Pires, Immaculate Conception Parish, New Bedford; Arlindo A. Rodrigues, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, New Bedford; Diane C. Sleight, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Acushnet; Theresa Tripp, St. Patrick Parish, Wareham; and Richard Wisniewski, St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish, New Bedford.

Taunton Deanery

Alex Alfieri, Holy Cross Parish, Easton; Ruth Andrade, St. Nicholas of Myra Parish, North Dighton; Paul Botelho, Annunciation of the Lord Parish, Taunton; Catherine Cahoon, St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Taunton; Judy Corliss, St. Jude the Apostle Parish, Taunton; Charleen Dahlin, St. Ann Parish, Raynham; Martha Feliciano, St. Anthony Parish, Taunton; Polly Flores, St. Mary Parish, Taunton; Carol Murphy, Holy Family Parish, East Taunton; and David Lee Switzer, Immaculate Conception Parish, Easton.