Liturgy, awards banquet to honor diocesan youths
YOUNGSTOWN — The 24 recipients of the 2008 Eagle of the Cross Award will be recognized during a special liturgy and awards banquet April 23 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 343 Via Mount Carmel.
The banquet is by invitation only; the liturgy will begin at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.
The Diocese of Youngstown’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry said that the Eagle of the Cross, created by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, was introduced to the diocese in 1999 by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin. It is given each year to a group of extraordinary high school juniors and seniors who model the dedication, integrity, values and promise for Church and society.
The award is presented to teens in the six counties of Northeast Ohio that make up the diocese who model Christian discipleship and exemplify the qualities of moral integrity, prayer, good works and Christian leadership in their school and parish communities.
This year’s candidates were chosen from 71 nominations that highlighted parish, school and community involvement of 55 youths.
A maximum of two Eagle of the Cross Awards are presented for each of the six Catholic high schools and each of the six counties of the diocese.
The recipients of the 2008 Eagle of the Cross Award, as well as all of the nominees, are commended for their positive witness to their Catholic Christian faith and the value of youth involvement in parish, school and community.