Individuals and corporation to be honored
at Spirit of Service Dinner
By Brandon A. Evans
Six individuals and one corporation will be honored with Spirit of Service Awards at an upcoming annual dinner to recognize the work of those striving to make the world a better place.
The annual Spirit of Service Awards Dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. on April 26 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
The cost of the event is $100 per person, and the funds raised will support the continued success of the many essential Catholic Social Services ( CSS) programs in the archdiocese.
Last year alone, CSS provided food, clothing or material assistance to more than 8,900 people, Christmas assistance to 497 families and professional counseling services to 2,716 individuals as well as care to the elderly, refugees, students and those in need of housing.
James Morris, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, will be the keynote speaker.
Morris is a native of Terre Haute and was a longtime civic leader in Indianapolis.
He served for six years in city government then became the director of community development for Lilly Endow-ment Inc., eventually serving as president of the Indianapolis-based endowment.
In his role with the World Food Program, Morris oversees the world’s largest food-aid organization, which fed 104 million people in 81 countries in 2003.
He and his wife, Jacqueline, have three children and six grandchildren.
Besides the keynote speaker, another highlight of the annual event is recognition of those who will receive Spirit of Service Awards.
Bonnie Schott, a member of St. Roch Parish in Indianapolis, will receive a Spirit of Service Award for her continuing work in clothing the poor, coordinating the donation of items from corporate donors to people and organizations, and her ministry of caring to many people.
Schott grew up on the south side of Indianapolis, and attended Sacred Heart School and later the former Sacred Heart High School.
She still lives on the south side and volunteers at different parishes and schools.
She delivers donations to Roncalli High School, Birthline, St. Elizabeth Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services, the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Christmas Store.
She has chaired parish and school festivals at St. Roch Parish as well as helped with the Christmas Giving Tree, Bible school, bus trips and the altar society.
Schott has also been involved with the distribution of Hallmark donations at St. Roch School since 1978.
She and her husband, Joseph, have nine children and 10 grandchildren.
Mary McClelland, a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Indianapolis, is being honored with a Spirit of Service Award for her 34-plus years of service to St. Mary’s Child Center, her many hours of service to Adult Day Services through A Caring Place and her involvement with her parish.
She graduated from Marian College in 1968 and was hired as a preschool therapist for St. Mary’s Child Center, where she worked until 1975, when she stayed at home with her first child. She continued to volunteer for St. Mary’s.
About seven years ago, at the request of her pastor, Father Jeffrey Godecker, McClelland joined a committee to try to get parish members to volunteer at A Caring Place.
She has also been involved with Christ Renews His Parish, Meals on Wheels, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Caring Community Committee.
She and her husband, Carl, have three children and one grandchild.
Dr. Philomena Dias, a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis, is being honored with a Spirit of Service Award for her dedication to serving low-income people in an inner-city neighborhood.
The Bombay, India, native has lived in Indianapolis for the past 20 years and helped to start New Life in Christ Ministries, an organization that invites people to accept God in their lives and encourages them to participate in a faith community of their choice.
Dias serves on the archdiocesan Evangelization Commission and helps coordinate a new Hispanic Christ Renews His Parish program at St. Monica Parish.
She is also involved in a private medical practice part-time, and was involved in hospital-based practice at Methodist Hospital of Indiana (now Clarian Health Partners) from 1985-2002.
Dias has also been on the Youth Board at St. Luke and St. Monica parishes, was a charter member of the archdiocesan Multicultural Commission and is currently a member of her parish’s Social Outreach Committee.
She has made dozens of community presentations on subjects ranging from teen sexuality, substance abuse, eating disorders and adolescent spirituality.
Ella Wagner, a member of St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis, is being honored with a Spirit of Service Award for her willingness to share her time, talent and treasure for archdiocesan ministries, her parish and the community for more than 30 years.
Wagner served in her career as a nurse in various settings.
She has been honored with the Msgr. Albert Busald Award by the Catholic Youth Organization, and has helped organize parish blood drives since 1979.
Wagner served on the parish council for two terms, and served on the board of the National Council of Catholic Women at the deanery, archdiocesan, provincial and national levels.
She has been on the St. Pius X Bereavement Committee, worked with physically and mentally challenged children, and raised funds for the Salvation Army Community Center, Children’s Guardian Home, St. Mary’s Child Center and the Julian Center.
She has six children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The community service award is being given to J. Albert Smith Jr. and Maribeth Smith, members of St. Luke Parish in Indianapolis.
They are being honored for their extensive volunteer service benefiting families and children of St. Luke Parish and for their commitment to community and civic organizations.
J. Albert Smith is the president of Bank One of Central Indiana and the managing director of J.P. Morgan Private Bank.
He is also the director of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., director of the St. Vincent Foundation and a member of the University of Notre Dame Libraries Council.
He has also been involved in the leadership of the YWCA Advisory Board, Catholic Social Services and his parish’s fund drive to build a new church.
Maribeth Smith is the chairwoman and chief executive officer of Maribeth Smith and Associates, an event consulting and project management firm.
She has been involved in the leadership of United Way of Central Indiana, Goodwill Industries and the St Vincent Foundation.
The couple has three children and eight grandchildren.
The corporate leadership award is being given to Marian Inc., a family-owned business involved in the manufacture and fabrication of flexible, soft material component parts.
The corporation is receiving the award for its exemplary leadership in service to the Church and community through support of educational, social service and spiritual growth initiatives.
Marian Inc. has supported the Catholic Community Foundation, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, Catholic Social Services, Project Exceed, Catholic center-city schools and the United Way.
(For more information about this event or to make reservations, call Tanya Pongracz at 317-236-1447 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1447.) †