Archbishop encourages CYO award winners to do all for God’s glory
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson shares a moment of celebration with John Bannister, left, Kevin Kirkhoff and Randall Herrman, this year’s recipients of the St. John Bosco Medal, the highest honor the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization gives an individual. (Photo courtesy of Zoe Hawkins)
By John Shaughnessy
It was a night when the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) honored the life of the late Bernadette “Bernie” Price—by naming its Spirit of Youth Award for her in celebration of her 51 years of joyous, give-everything-you-have dedication to serving the CYO and the children and youths of the archdiocese.
It was also a night when Archbishop Charles C. Thompson praised the contributions of Father Robert Gilday, the former pastor of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis, for his longtime service on the CYO’s board of directors.
And during the CYO’s annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis on May 13, the archbishop also used the occasion to honor the award recipients—and encourage them, their families and friends to continue to strive to lead their lives to serve others and to glorify God. (Related: CYO recognition highlights volunteer efforts of adults and youths)
“As we come together, let us be mindful that all that we are, all we are about, is to give glory to God,” the archbishop said at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word part of the ceremony. “As we honor certain people tonight for their achievements, for their witness, for their success, it’s always to glorify God. So, let’s remember to place ourselves before the Lord so we may be, in all things, Christ-centered.”
Archbishop Thompson expanded upon that message in his homily following the preaching of the Gospel—Matthew 18:1-5—during which Christ tells his followers, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).
“Jesus in the Gospel talked about letting the children come to him,” the archbishop noted. “Be not childish. Be childlike. There’s a big difference. We have enough people who are childish, including many adults. Childish is, ‘I’m the center of attention, I’m the center of the world. Everything is about me.’ Childlike is to be humble and recognize our dependence on others.”
We also need to follow the example of Pope Leo XIV who has emphasized bridge-building among people, of leading others to a personal encounter with Christ, the archbishop said, connecting that emphasis to the CYO.
“The whole purpose of CYO is to learn a lot of skills and have a lot of fun, but in the midst of all those skills and fun, it’s building relationships, building character,” he said. “It’s setting deeply those values and principles of our faith.”
He then asked one of the main questions he posed to everyone at the awards ceremony.
“How do we build bridges, how do we open ourselves to encounters, encountering God and one another in Jesus Christ, in true relationship and respect, in solidarity with one another, especially recognizing among us those who are more vulnerable, those who need our attention to lift them up?”
The archbishop provided a path to answering that question.
“Let us be people of grateful hearts so we can build those bridges, so we can continue to be reminded to live fully our character, to continue to
build up one another, not only on the playing field or the court, but wherever we go.”
Near the end of his homily, Archbishop Thompson described Pope Leo XIV as “humble and reserved.”
He then asked, “How do we want to be recognized?
“We want to be recognized as honorable, as bridge-builders, people of dialogue, people of character, people who live our virtues deeply. It’s all about being Christ-like.”†
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