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November 22, 2017The Church year ends with the celebration of Christ the King, and next Sunday the Church’s new year starts with Advent. Matthew presents to us the scene of Christ our Lord coming as a king in judgment. This scene is the counterpart of the beatitudes, where the poor and the suffering were called blessed. At the judgment the Lord will ask us: “What have you done for the poor and those who weep?” Jesus shows himself here not only as close to the poor and the humble, but he is himself the gentle, the sick, the persecuted. He asks us: “Have you met me in them?” What do we answer him?
On this Christ the King Sunday, Bishop Hartmayer is celebrating a special Mass at the Cathedral in honor of this year’s Gartland Award winners. This award named after the first Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah is given each year on this Sunday to two people from each parish in recognition of the service they provide to their parishes and communities throughout the Diocese. Our past award winners are:
2000 - Angela Winders
2001 - Deacon Charles J. Hosti
2002 - Robert L. Wheat
2003 - Daniel & Genevieve O'Connor
2004 - Louis & Adele Arcangeli
2005 - Bernard T. & Linda M. Cleary
2006 - Ann M. Powers and Marianna P. Seyden
2007 - Marilyn C. Price
2008 - Deacon Fret Crider
2009 - Kevin Sofa
2010 - Joan Wambold
2011 - Bernard and Patricia Lowenthal
2012 - Tommy Butler and Helen Stevenson
2013 - Lou Cook and Carolyn Jurick
2014 - Hal and Mary Ann Stillings
2015 - Viviane Dubuc
2016 - Jane and Kevin O'Brien
St. Michael the Archangel Parish is proud to announce that Jimmye Lou DiBenedetto and Anne Sheehan Blanco are the 2017 recipients of the Gartland Award from our parish.
Jimmye Lou taught in Catholic schools for 28 years. Currently she is a Eucharistic Minister for daily and weekend Masses, and she is a sacristan for the weekday Masses. She has been a Eucharistic Minister for the Nursing Home and home bound ministry, as well as a lector in the past. She leads the rosary one day a week at daily Mass. She has been a member of the Altar Guild in the past and when the parish had a nursery during Mass she was one of the volunteers. Several years ago she volunteered with the PREP program and helped with the First Communion classes. Jimmye Lou has served in the past as a Girl Scout leader and has been on the parish board at St. James Church. She is married to Louie DiBenedetto (62 years) and they have 4 daughters.
Anne Sheehan Blanco attended St. James Parish for 38 years where she was actively involved on the Parish Council, Home and School Association (VP and Treasurer), Eucharistic Minister, and many other groups. She was involved with the CCD program including the Tiny Tots Program. She taught School at St. James for 15 years. For the last 13 years Anne has made Tybee and St. Michael's her home. She has been on Parish Council and served as Co-President for 5 years. She has also been Co-Chair of the Bereavement Committee, Eucharistic Minister to the Nursing Home and home bound, and currently serves as Liaison to the Charter School. Anne is also a member of the Women's Club. Anne has been married to her husband Odilo for 51 years and they have 4 children.
I’d say these two wonderful women will have some pretty good answers for Christ the King when the time comes to face his judgment. They are a great blessing to our faith community and we offer them our gratitude for their good example.
Fr. Jerry Ragan
