By Jay Sorgi
Special to The Texas Catholic
Every day, in some way, Carlo Cueto joyfully says yes to serving God by serving his Church.
Sometimes, he is serving in church during the daily Mass, which he regularly attends. Leaders and parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Garland seemingly cannot keep up with all the other ways.
“Some things he does, he just looks and sees that something needs to be done. So, then he goes and starts doing it, so I don’t have to worry about it,” said Father Joseph Mehan, who nominated Cueto to receive the 2026 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church.
Cueto is glad to be named for the award, but he does not seek the spotlight for his service, even as he acts as the parish’s Swiss army knife of sorts.
“I received a letter in the mail saying ‘congratulations’ that I was selected as a volunteer for the year,” Cueto said. “I was surprised, because I was not expecting to get an award for doing what I love to do. I just do what I do anonymously.”
Father Mehan said that Cueto’s daughters, and the call to go on a retreat, started his path into a life of service to the parish.
“His daughters, when they were in high school, wanted service hours, so they became altar servers. Then, I encouraged their dad to go on a retreat with the men,” Father Mehan said. “He did. That was sort of the springboard to doing other things.”
“That retreat broke me,” said Cueto, a native of the Philippines who came to Texas through California. “Ever since it happened, I started volunteering at the church; and … one day, I just walked inside at the sacristy and told them, ‘I want to volunteer here every day,’ and that’s what happened.”
His mother instilled that sense of service within him by demonstrating a continual willingness to help people.
“That is what she was showing us when we were growing up,” he said through tears. “Even though we were not rich, she still gave.”
The list of things Cueto does without fanfare seems endless. He serves Mass, schedules liturgical ministers, volunteers as a lector and an usher, greets parishioners, operates the parish’s streaming camera, sets up the adoration chapel, serves at the food pantry, visits the sick and dying, acts on the parish’s safety and security committee, serves as staff on retreats, acts as financial secretary of the parish’s Knights of Columbus council, and responds to anything else that comes up.
Cueto pulls all that off in addition to his full-time job as an accountant; and his involvement is so all-encompassing that sometimes Father Mehan has to tell him to take time off from the parish.
“I’ve encouraged him to take his wife on a trip,” the priest said. “He’s done it. He listens when you say, ‘Hey, take a break.’”
But when loving God through service is Cueto’s priority, he will always find himself back, quietly figuring out different ways he can help the parish that fills his faith life and that of thousands in Garland.
“Love our Lord Jesus Christ first, and do what makes you happy. Be of service to your brothers and sisters,” he said. “Those are my small way of helping my brothers and sisters, and I’m very happy to help.”
Cutline for featured image: Carlo Cueto, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Garland, is pictured at his home in Sunnyvale on March 31. Cueto was named a recipient of the 2026 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church for his quiet, wide-ranging service to his parish and community. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
