Catholic School Values awards to honor individuals for achievements
Awards dinner raises tuition assistance to help families throughout the archdiocese
By Brandon A. Evans
The 10th Celebrating Catholic School Values: Career Achievement Awards Dinner will be held on Nov. 8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Paula Corley, James Curtis, Msgr. Lawrence Moran and Thomas Zupancic will receive career achievement awards, and Vincent Caponi will receive the community service award.
The keynote speaker at the event will be George Weigel, a senior follow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Weigel is a Catholic theologian, the author, biographer of the late Pope John Paul II, and one of America’s leading commentators on issues of religious and public life.
Through his understanding of Catholic education and his commitment to the Church, he will demonstrate the importance of the mission of Catholic education.
Weigel’s most recent book, God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church, will be available for purchase as well as his international bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II.
This year’s Celebrating Catholic School Values awards dinner will provide tuition assistance grants to help needy families throughout the archdiocese to send their children to a Catholic school.
More than $2.75 million in such needs-based assistance has been distributed in the last nine years from this event—and the funds have gone to more than 2,500 students.
Each of the honorees at the dinner has made a significant impact on Catholic education in their lifetime.
Paula Corley, a member of St. Matthew Parish in Indianapolis, is receiving a career achievement award.
Corley attended the former St. Rita School in Indianapolis and graduated from Bishop Chatard High School. She received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and certification in supervision from Indiana University-Purdue Univer-sity Indianapolis.
She has served as a teacher in the Title I program at Indianapolis Public School 87, and in 2001 became principal of the school.
While serving at IPS School 87, she helped students at homeless shelters and through social services groups by providing educational resources, clothing and instructional supplies.
Throughout her career, she has led many co-curricular activities with students, including establishing a “Writer’s Fair” and dedicating time to a community outreach and partnership with the Univer-sity of Indianapolis School of Nursing.
Corley has received the IPS School 87 Teacher of the Year Award, the IPS Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award, the Indianapolis Education Association Leadership Award, and the “Excellence in the Area of Education” award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in Indianapolis.
James Curtis, a member of St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis, is receiving a career achievement award.
Curtis attended St. Joan of Arc School in Indian-apolis and graduated from Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, Ill. He also attended Loyola University in New Orleans.
In 1957, he returned to Indianapolis to begin his career at Sheehan Construction Co. Inc., the family business. Today, he is the chairman of the board of the company.
He has spent much time coaching Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) baseball and basketball teams at his parish, and in 1978 was honored with the Msgr. Albert Busald CYO Service Award.
Curtis has served on various boards throughout the years, including the Metropolitan Development Commission and the advisory board for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
In 1988, he was awarded a “Sagamore of the Wabash” by the State of Indiana.
Curtis and his wife, Barbara, have five children and six grandchildren.
Msgr. Lawrence Moran, who retired earlier this year as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Terre Haute, is receiving a career achievement award.
Msgr. Moran attended Our Lady of Lourdes School in Indianapolis and continued his education—for high school, college and theological studies—at Saint Meinrad Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1952 by Archbishop Paul C. Schulte.
Early on, he served as the assistant pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Indianapolis while also serving as a teacher at Cathedral High School.
In 1985, he became pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Terre Haute, and through fundraising and construction efforts helped the parish grow, build a new parish life center and add on to the parish school.
From 1978 to 1990, Msgr. Moran did the sign-on and sign-off for “Focus on Faith,” a Sunday morning television program, and recently was influential in promoting a Catholic radio station in the area (WHOJ) and seeing to the development of John Paul II Catholic High in Terre Haute.
He also started a citywide soup kitchen and has spent the past 30 years supporting people seeking help through Alcoholics Anonymous.
In 1997, he was named a prelate of honor by Pope John Paul II, and has also received a “Sagamore of the Wabash” from the governor of Indiana.
Tom Zupancic, a member of St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg, is receiving a career achievement award.
Zupancic attended the former Holy Trinity School in Indianapolis and graduated from Cathedral High School. He continued his education at the University of Indianapolis.
He ranks 14th in the world among all-time super heavyweights and was a finalist for the 1980 and 1984 USA Greco-Roman Olympic wrestling teams.
He served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 1984 to 1999. He then became the director of business development for the NFL team, and has since been promoted to senior vice president of business development.
Zupancic serves on the boards of the Catholic Youth Organization, Leukemia Society and Speedway Exchange Club as well as serving on the board of trustees for the University of Indianapolis. He also serves on the capital campaign committee at his parish.
He was named the National Football League’s Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 1995 and was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2000. He was awarded a “Sagamore of the Wabash” in 1996, and in 2000 received the Jefferson Award for his commitment to charity.
He has also written a book titled Strength and Conditioning for Football and Then Some.
Zupancic and his wife, Carrie, have three children.
Vincent Caponi, a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis, is receiving the community service award.
Caponi began his education at St. Paul School in Owosso, Mich., and also attended St. Paul High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati and his master’s degree from Central Michigan University.
He served as administrator, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Hospital in Augusta, Ga., chief executive officer of United Memorial Hospital in Greenville, Mich., and assistant administrator of The Memorial Hospital in Owosso, Mich. He began his service to St. Vincent Health in Indianapolis as chief executive officer in 1998 from St. Vincent Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., where he served as president and chief executive officer.
While at St. Vincent Hospital in Birmingham, as part of his commitment to supporting community healthcare needs in the area, Caponi helped start a network of medical homes for the city’s poor. He also created a primary care center with the local public hospital and reopened St. Vincent’s Primary Care Clinic.
Caponi recently visited Honduras with a close friend to work on a Habitat for Humanity project in which two houses were built in one week.
He also serves as a board member of many organizations, including Boy Scouts of Central Indiana, Indiana Hospital Association and Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis. For the archdiocese, he has co-chaired the annual Spirit of Service event to benefit social services; he is a past chair of the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) board of trustees and is chair of the CCF board development committee.
He received the St. Mary Louise Award from St. Joseph Hospital in Augusta, which is presented to an individual within St. Joseph Hospital that moves the organization forward by focusing on the mission, vision and values of the organization.
Caponi and his wife, Robyn, have three children.
(For table or ticket information, call Jolinda Moore at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis at 317-236-1462 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1462, or e-mail jmoore@archindy.org.) †