During the celebration of an April 11 Mass at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Edward J. Burns honored recipients of the 2026 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church, recognizing 136 parishioners from 70 parish communities whose acts of faith and service, he said, are essential to the Church’s mission.
Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church
Amalia Macias, a longtime parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish, received the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church this year, recognizing decades of faith-driven service. The honor, presented by Bishop Edward J. Burns, highlights a life shaped by devotion, sacrifice, and a commitment to others.
Despite the age difference of 19 years between the oldest and youngest of Tom and Valerie McCrary’s nine children, there was never a scene, through the years, of squeezing a party of 11 into a pew for Mass. Their volume of attendees on any given Sunday was large enough for Tom to typically leave ahead of the others to secure adequate seating.
Every day, in some way, Carlo Cueto joyfully says yes to serving God by serving his Church.
Before Bishop’s Award recipient Alex Sagcal became an almost ubiquitous figure in his parish, the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church parishioner was a self-described “back pew Catholic.”
Together, Vizcarra and Dávila, originally from Mexico, found the doors open to cultivate their path of service to the Church 15 years ago when they arrived at Blessed Sacrament Parish and met the Missionary Sisters of Charity, who were then serving at that parish in East Dallas.
Brodrick-Tehan said her early life was Catholic through and through, and she has taken that faith formation with her through her whole life.
Since becoming parishioners of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney 23 years ago, Steven and Rita Aguirre have been paying it forward to the community that has become an extension of their own family.
A heavy downpour of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures could not dampen the celebratory spirit on display at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe as Bishop Edward J. Burns honored parish volunteers from throughout the Diocese of Dallas with the 2024 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church during the celebration of a Mass on April 20.
Along with her husband Leon, Anita Kubin serves as a history-keeper of sorts for St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Ennis. The two preserve the legacy of their community through their work on the parish’s cemetery committee.