CHARLESTON —Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap., of Boston, chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, presented three People of Life Awards for lifetime commitment to the pro-life movement on July 28 during the annual Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference.
They went to the Little Sisters of the Poor, Sheila Hopkins and the late George Wesolek.
Over 150 diocesan, state and national Catholic pro-life leaders and guests from across the country attended the private awards dinner held in Charleston and sponsored by the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.
The award recognizes Catholics who have answered the call outlined by Pope John Paul II in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae 1995), dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person. It is bestowed in honor of their significant contributions to the culture of life.
The Little Sisters of the Poor were recognized for their dedication in serving the elderly poor and doing so with integrity in the face of pressure to compromise their principles. The international congregation of women religious currently serves 13,000 elderly poor in 31 countries, with 30 nursing homes/assisted living facilities in the United States.
The HHS mandate would make the sisters facilitate access to abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraceptives in their employee health plan or face punitive fines. Because they serve and hire people who are not Catholic, the Little Sisters are not considered a “religious employer.”
In September 2013, they filed a class-action lawsuit, “Little Sisters of the Poor vs. Sebelius”, to persist in their ministry without having to violate their beliefs.
Sheila Snow Hopkins was honored for her 11 years as director for social concerns and respect life at the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2002 to 2013, where she represented the bishops on issues of human life, dignity and social justice before the legislative and executive branches of government, and public and private sector organizations.
She has served as an advisor to the USCCB’s Committee on Marriage and Family Life from 2003 to 2005, on the boards of the Florida Pregnancy Care Network and the Florida Community Loan Fund, and on Florida’s Commission on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives and the Child Abuse Prevention and Permanency Council.
Over 38 years, Hopkins held many positions with the National Council of Catholic Women and its diocesan and state affiliates in Florida. She will soon be installed as the national council’s president-elect.
George Wesolek was honored posthumously for his decades spent advocating for the unborn and other vulnerable populations. From 1985 until his death at age 70 in April, he served as the director of public policy and social concerns in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
His leadership addressed a spectrum of social issues, including: protection of the unborn, Catholic principles of marriage, refuge for undocumented immigrants, affordable housing, health care access, healing from violence in the streets and alleviation of poverty.
He played a key role in building the West Coast Walk for Life into a major pro-life event. In 2012, he spoke in defense of religious liberty at the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally in San Francisco.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said “the passing of George Wesolek marks the end of a great deal of history in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, not just in terms of length of time but also impact on the mission of the Church.” His wife, Geri Wesolek, and one of their four daughters received the award on his behalf.
Watch the video on www.themiscellany.org.
Read more about Catholics like you by subscribing to The Catholic Miscellany