Honorary degree for the bishop (above): Bishop Barry C. Knestout was invited to Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, on Saturday, May 11, for the college’s 146th commencement. The bishop celebrated the baccalaureate Mass at the college’s Mary Help of Christians Basilica.
During the commencement ceremony, a surprise honor was announced for Bishop Knestout. The school conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his “generous response to God’s call to serve him as a priest and a bishop, and in recognition of [his] steadfast defense of the dignity of human life.”
Three decades of religious life (below): Sister Mary Mwangi, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes, celebrated the 30th anniversary of her religious profession. Father James Arsenault, pastor of St. Elizabeth, Richmond, celebrated a thanksgiving Mass at St. Elizabeth on Sunday, May 12, followed by a reception in the parish hall.
Sister Mary was born in Kenya and joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes, an international missionary congregation that was founded in France.
Other women religious in the diocese were there for the anniversary, including the Little Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
Eagle Scout’s honor (right): Carter Cichowicz, 15, a sophomore at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School, Powhatan, earned the rank of Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow on May 5. For his Eagle Scout project, he made three live-edge benches along the path to the baseball field at his school, so that parents with young children, as well as elderly spectators, could sit and rest while walking down to the field. Carter worked closely with the owners of a sawmill to create the benches. There’s a plaque on each bench labeled “Troop 832.”
Serving moms and saving babies (below): Members of the Respect Life Ministry at St. Joseph, Hampton, as well as the Knights of Columbus Council 511 in Hampton, participated in the annual Walk 4 Life. This year, it was Saturday, May 11, at Newport News City Park. The event is a fundraiser hosted by Care Net Peninsula, a nonprofit that helps women deal with unplanned pregnancies and choose life for their babies. This year, the team raised $4,625 for Care Net.
