Begun during the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden’s Disciples of Mercy Awards recognize outstanding individuals and ministries who exemplify mercy by reaching out to those who are poor and vulnerable on a local level here in the Diocese of Camden.
Each year, they are presented at the agency’s largest annual fundraiser, the Justice for All Awards Ceremony, which will be held virtually this year due to the pandemic. In addition to the event’s main honoree, Bishop Dennis Sullivan, they will be honored virtually on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. through Catholic Charities’ Facebook and YouTube accounts.
The Justice for All Awards Ceremony also serves as Catholic Charities’ largest annual fundraiser, with all proceeds used to provide direct assistance to those whom they serve. This year, the need for funding is greater than ever, as the agency continues to respond to those who are poor, and especially those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While there are no tickets this year and all are welcome to watch the broadcast, the agency welcomes donations, sponsorships and participation in the online auction. For all information, visit: www.CatholicCharitiesCamden.org/JFA2020
Below are this year’s Disciples of Mercy honorees:
Ramon Marte, Saint Joseph Pro-Cathedral, Camden
Ramon Marte, an active member of Saint Joseph Pro-Cathedral and Saint Anthony of Padua, has found his vocation in visiting those who are sick, especially those who cannot leave their homes. Every week, he cares for them physically and ensures that they have food and transportation to run errands. He meets their spiritual needs by praying with them and ministering the Eucharist to them.
He also accompanies the elderly in the diocese, especially those who face loneliness and isolation and may not have family members or friends who visit them.
One parishioner noted that her elderly parents, who have fears about leaving their home, look forward to Marte’s multiple visits throughout the week. She said that he has become part of their family by providing her parents with companionship, laughs, assistance with leaving the house and other errands. Like so many others, they are drawn to his humble, compassionate and unassuming nature.
Alice Bakley, Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, Lindenwold
Alice Bakley demonstrates what it means to be a humble servant of her parish and greater community.
At her parish, Bakley heads the Hospitality Ministry and served as a leader during the parish merger, as she welcomed new families into the community. She organizes the parish giving tree, which serves thousands of families in need every year.
Bakley is a lector and a Eucharistic Minister, as she brings Communion to the sick and homebound, and she often functions in the role of a sacristan as she opens and closes the church.
She and her late husband, Bob, started a gift shop in their parish, which she staffs weekend after weekend.
Without ever seeking attention, Bakely has been a shining example of what it means to be deeply involved in Catholic social ministry, both inside and outside of her church.
Marlene Laneader, Church of the Incarnation, Mantua
Marlene Laneader brings the corporal works of mercy to life and leads by example as she puts her faith into action. For the past eight years, she has continually organized collections and drives to meet the needs of the homeless, hungry and marginalized individuals and families in the diocese. She collects food, socks, shoes, blankets and toiletries and gives them directly to the poor.
Eight years ago, Laneader began a group named Friends of Fairview to mobilize and inspire other members of the parish and community to accompany those in need, particularly throughout Camden and at homeless shelters.
In addition to serving the poor, she assists with accompanying individuals who struggle with addiction into rehab and detox facilities.
She has a talent for mobilizing young people and instilling a sense of charity in them, showing them the importance of loving and serving their neighbors.
Jim and Kathy Revelle, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Absecon
Together, Jim and Kathy Revelle have faithfully and ambitiously devoted their time and energy to the leading the parish’s Social Action Committee. After a fellow parishioner retired from this role, notably 2005 Justice for All award winner Mary Graziano, they immediately stepped up to lead the committee’s mission to carry out works of mercy and charity.
The committee leads a number of initiatives such as “Loaves and Fishes” and “Plates for Christ” that feed and serve the hungry in the area.
Jim and Kathy have reached out to other agencies and groups in the area, finding creative ways to serve the vulnerable: from veterans in the area, parents in need of baby supplies and clothing for their children, to the elderly in need of walkers and wheelchairs.
Most recently, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, they recognized the economic and financial hardships that so many of their neighbors were enduring. Jim and Kathy jumped into action, purchasing, receiving donations for, and distributing ShopRite gift cards to families and individuals who are in need of groceries and other basic needs. The duo was able to purchase $5,000 in gift cards in a very short time, thanks to the generosity of their fellow parishioners.
Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Our Lady of Mercy 1655, Saint Joseph Church, Sea Isle City
This group of more than 100 women serve as leaders in every one of their parish’s many ministries, councils, and committees — from ministering to the sick and homebound, to leading the parish’s Emergency Operations group to prepare to serve those affected by any disasters, to hosting health and wellness fairs, among many other initiatives. But the Daughters also prioritize serving the vulnerable and marginalized populations beyond their parish: the homeless, the hungry, the sick and the homebound, those in need of resources to reach self-sufficiency.
They use their time and talents to volunteer with charitable groups like Covenant House, the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, Family Promise, Volunteers in Medicine of South Jersey, Catholic Relief Services, Hospice care, among many others. In addition to their extensive volunteerism, involvement, and leadership with these groups and agencies, the Daughters take on their own initiatives: organizing donation drives for blankets, food, clothing and other essential items and directly distributing them to those in need throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia; “adopting” two children from Central America and providing them with financial support; volunteering in hospice care to accompany the dying; sponsoring scholarships for local Catholic schools.
Court Our Lady of Mercy 1655 of the Catholic Daughters embodies the ministry’s motto, “Charity and Unity,” as well as the call as Catholics to journey to the peripheries of society and serve the marginalized with compassion and dignity.
We are thrilled to honor these Disciples of Mercy, and we hope that you will join us in honoring them by watching the full ceremony to learn more about them and their work!
View the 2020 Justice for All Virtual Awards Ceremony on this webpage, or through Catholic Charities’ social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube!