The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women honored 31 young women Oct. 26 at a Golden Rose Mass presided by Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito and followed by a luncheon at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Pastors, youth ministers and directors of religious education are encouraged to nominate girls annually for Golden Rose awards. Nominees must be ages 14-21 who show leadership abilities, display spirituality, are involved in a service project and are practicing Catholics who regularly attend Sunday Mass. The award recipients received a Golden Rose, a pin, certificate and a one-year digital membership in the National Council of Catholic Women.
Following are the 2024 Golden Rose recipients and their parishes: Ava Anicito, St. Anastasia; Regina Barrios, St. Lucie; Miryam Benoit, Holy Spirit; Jessica Bouris, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; Teresa Choxom-Par, Holy Cross, Indiantown; Daelene Decena, Emmanuel; Sophia Devey, St. Clare; Destiny Duran, St. Bernadette; Jeyli Elias, St. Juliana; Jocelyn Escalante, Sacred Heart, Lake Worth; Kendall Gillis, Ascension; Kenia Granados-Romero, St. Mark, Boynton Beach; Elizabeth Theresa Hall, St. Sebastian; Elizabeth Harpring, Holy Cross, Vero Beach.
Also, Rose Mary Hernandez-Hernandez, St. Joseph; Grace Margaret Kanige, St. Lucy; Serena Kolenut, St. Martin de Porres; Erika Martinez, St. Helen; Rebeca Muñoz, St. Rita; Dalia Lucia Ortiz, St. Ann; Mary Katherine Paulk, Holy Family; Rosy Francisco-Perez, St. Luke; Frances Anne Pido, St. John Fisher; Emma Saralegui-Blanco, Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola; Sarah Sausser, St. Jude, Boca Raton; Solange Skeene, Our Lady Queen of the Apostles; Hannah Nicole Springer, St. Jude, Tequesta; Brittney Stern, St. Therese de Lisieux; Emily Tompkins, Holy Redeemer; Kamryn Tullier, St. Andrew; and Smera Udumala, St. Matthew.
“As this program has grown within all the affiliations, in all the parts of our country, the National Council of Catholic Women has begun recognizing a Golden Rose recipient at their convention every year,” said Doreen Recco, DCCW immediate past president, Golden Rose co-chair and emcee at the luncheon. She added the DCCW has the difficult task of “coming up with one young lady we feel should be sent up the rung, so to speak, to see if they could be picked on the national level.”
The nominating committee chose Paulk, of Holy Family in Port St. Lucie, to compete among Golden Rose recipients nationwide. In accepting the honor, she first thanked her parents for raising her in the Catholic faith.
“I’ve gone to church ever since I was little, and that’s probably one of my favorite things to do,” Paulk said. “When I was growing up, I started in the choir. I continued to grow up in the choir. When I was 9, I started altar serving, and then I branched out among my church, serving others, helping with the Knights of Columbus, the CCW with many different events. And I would like to thank the many adults in my church that wanted me to be nominated.”
Recco added about all the nominees: “If these girls are our examples, our church is in good shape.”
At the Mass, Bishop Barbarito reminded the young women that God loves each and every one of them.
“As we celebrate these very fine young women who receive the Golden Rose award today,” he said, “we thank them and ask God’s continued blessings upon them, to live their lives faithfully as God created us to live. To live their lives knowing that God is not a fact. God is a truth, and that God is love. And as we live as God made us, we make this world the place God wants it to be.”
For more information on the Palm Beach Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and parish affiliates, visit https://pbdccw.org or email pbdccw@gmail.com.
