By Marnie McAllister, Record Editor
The Archdiocese of Louisville honored 16 men and women, mostly volunteers, Aug. 14 for their contributions to youth ministry.
Dr. Carole Goodwin, director of youth ministry for the Archdiocese of Louisville, said the efforts of the honorees have been invaluable to the work of the archdiocese and its young people.
“They give time, talent and a lot of them give treasure to make sure the programs stay strong,” Goodwin said.
Thirteen men and women were named “Outstanding Parish Volunteers.” These volunteers are nominated by the parishes and ensure that parish youth ministry “is supported and remains vital,” Goodwin said. “They are role models for the young people in their parishes.”
Father Adam Carrico, associate pastor of St. Patrick Church, has also served as a role model and a great supporter of young Catholics, noted Goodwin. For his service, he was selected to receive the archdiocese’s Good Shepherd Award. The award, which was established last year and is only given when there is an outstanding nominee, recognizes “a priest who has given considerable time to his parish youth ministry program and has been a consistent presence to the young people in his parish,” she said.
Father Carrico, who was ordained in December, was nominated by two parishes — St. Gabriel Church, where he served as an associate pastor until recently, and St. Michael Church. Father Carrico led a service trip with youth from St. Michael and St. Gabriel during spring break.
“Some may question why a priest should receive this award before his first year as a priest is complete, but Father Adam has been an asset to youth ministry from the time he was in seminary to the present,” said a nomination by St. Gabriel’s coordinator of youth ministry, Anna Peterson.
Peterson noted that Father Carrico was regularly involved in campus ministry at Bellarmine University during seminary and attended weekly youth group meetings and participated in youth activities at St. Gabriel when he was assigned there.
“Outside of youth ministry programming, Father Adam is a genius at finding extra ways of doing youth ministry,” Peterson said, noting that he arrived at St. Gabriel School early to greet students as they arrived, faithfully attended the students’ sporting events and volunteered as the assistant archery coach.
St. Michael’s youth ministry coordinator, Aaron Frazita, had similar praise for Father Carrico. His nomination said Father Carrico is a “very relatable, authentic priest who serves his community without hesitation.”
Noting the work the St. Michael and St. Gabriel youth groups completed on the spring break mission trip, he said Father Carrico’s “sense of humor and dedication to prove that his hands were not made for just chalices, but also callouses from serving was an incredible witness to our young people of what it means to really be a servant leader.”
During the Aug. 14 event, the archdiocese also presented national awards to two people who work regularly with young people. Chad Bader and Benedictine Sister Sarah Yungwirth received “Companions on the Journey Award,” which is awarded by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. Goodwin selected the award recipients for the honor.
Bader, campus minister at DeSales High School and part-time youth minister at St. Martha Church, was nominated “for his consistent advocacy for and willingness to serve for the past eight years on the annual team for our Christian Leadership Institute (CLI),” Goodwin said.
Sister Yungwirth, associate director of vocations for the archdioceses’s Vocation Office, was nominated “for her leadership and service to our TEC (Teens and 20s Encounter Christ) program and support for nine of our TEC weekends.”
The “Outstanding Parish Volunteers” and the parishes where they serve are:
- Frances Ashbrook, St. Edward Church.
- Michelle Ball, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, Bardstown, Ky.
- David Barnett, St. Albert the Great Church.
- Amy Bartley, St. Margaret Mary Church.
- Katrina Gary, Immaculate Conception, La Grange, Ky.
- Diane Justice, St. Margaret Mary.
- Maria Marchal, St. Frances of Rome Church.
- Katherine Occhibove, Immaculate Conception, La Grange.
- Raymond Ott, St. Michael Church.
- Joe Recktenwald, St. Francis Xavier, Mt. Washington, Ky.
- Cathy and Denis Roux, St. Albert.
- Agnese Smith, St. Michael.
- Dana Steinmetz, St. Francis Xavier, Mt. Washington.
