Priests of Integrity Awards

Preamble:
The priestly ideal is best summed up in the words that Georges Bernanos put into the mouth of his main character in his book, the Diary of A Country Priest (1936), "I would have only enough Latin to perform all the sacraments but I would know what made men cry into their pillow at night." Closer to our times, the standards for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award uses the following descriptor: When, at some future date, the High Court of History stands in judgment on each one of us, it will ask, "Were we truly men and women of courage, with the courage to stand up to one's enemies, and the courage, when necessary, to stand up to one's associates."

A Priest of Integrity:

• Is recognized by his immediate circle of faithful Catholics, and by the nominating committee, to have met objective and measurable criteria for nomination for this award.
• Fulfills his calling from God by living his life in the service of others.
• Is marked by a sincere faith, loyal to the vows and promises of the priesthood.
• Speaks and acts his conscience, proclaiming the truth with humility and courage without regard for his own future security.
• Models servant-leadership both in the context of his life and of his ministry.
• Gives credible witness to the truth in both speech and action.
• Strives to promote Christian dignity and the rightful position of the laity in the Church.
• Exemplifies informed, educated, rational and mature obedience to God, His word and the Church.

The nominating committee proposes the following recommendations to the National Representative Council for future selections.

• That the National Representative Council, with input from the Goal 2 Working Group heads, establish a nominating committee for the purpose of discerning PoI recipients at national convocations.
• That the process for nominating a priest for the PoI award be made clear and with ample time to respond--i.e. to whom nominations are sent, criteria, deadlines, etc.
• That the suggested criteria (articulated by the National Support Priest Working Group, which we adhered to in our deliberations) be taken into consideration, along with the support of the regional and national Goal 2 support groups.
• That the process includes contact with Goal 1 supporters (i.e. SNAP and other groups who would know if there were any reason not to make such an award to a particular priest).
• That an award be given at each National gathering.
• That regions establish their local recipients, and not be stingy or limited in the number given!
• That past recipients be given an opportunity to make the presentations, when deemed appropriate.

Recipients of Priest of Integrity award:

2002 - Rev. Thomas P. Doyle O.P, J.C.D.

2004 – Fr. James J. Scahill

2005 – Msgr. Lawrence Breslin

2007– Fr. Richard Reissmann

2007– Msgr. Ken Lasch