Patricia Meehan to be Awarded 2013 St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation

Rev. Kevin J. Forsyth, pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Naugatuck, has announced that Archbishop Henry Mansell has accepted his nomination of Patricia Meehan as the church's recipient of the annual St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation.  She will be honored at a ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford on Sunday, April 14 at 3:00pm.

As reported on the website of the Archdiocese,

Archbishop Mansell will congratulate the recipients who were nominated by their pastors for the award. Given annually, the medal of appreciation honors one person or one married couple from a parish who has exemplified faithful service to the parish over a period of several years. Pastors are invited to send in the name of the nominee and reasons for the nomination. Some recipients have opened the church every morning for years, others have volunteered their time in the parish school or have taken care of the sacristy or maintenance needs of the church. Every person has his or her own story of long-term commitment to the life of the parish.

Ms. Meehan has served as the director of St. Vincent Child Care Center, located behind the church on New Haven Road, for 30 years. Father Forsyth tells me that she has been on staff during the tenure of three pastors, ten years for Father Forsyth, fourteen for Father Jeremiah Murasso and six for Father Edmund Nadonly. The medal will therefore be awarded on her 30th anniversary. She is beloved by the staff, parents and the children (ages 3 through 10) who attend, as well as the many graduates of the center.

Ms. Meehan joins previous recipients Stephen Tufanario (’03), Vern Maxwell (’04), Don & Jackie Duman (’05), Winnie Nardello (’06), Jean Rostowsky (’07), George Mason (’08), Barbara Salerno (’09), Helen Phillips (’10), Jack & Dotty Deitelbaum (’11) and Paul Paloski (’12.)