Bishop Thompson Celebrates Brute Honorees

During his homily Nov. 17 at the annual Brute’ Awards Mass, Bishop Charles C. Thompson referred to the Pew Research Center’s “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey,” which reported that fewer than 50 percent of those identifying as Catholic believe it’s possible to have a personal relationship with God.

“If we don’t believe in that kind of relationship with God,” he said, “that changes how we live our lives. Jesus came to reveal the personal presence of God to us in the very real presence of Jesus Christ.

“If the Brute’ Award winners we honor today didn’t have that personal relationship with God,” he continued, “they wouldn’t be here today.”

He talked about the three elements that serve as the foundation of the Brute’ Awards, which were established in 1990. “These awards recognize solidarity, fraternity and our encounter with Christ,” he said. “This is the time we come together to celebrate the solidarity, fraternity and encounters with Christ we find through the works of our honorees.”

Inclement weather – a line of strong and, in some cases, tornadic thunderstorms tore through southwest Indiana during the late morning and early afternoon of Nov. 17 – led some of the honorees to avoid risking travel from outside the greater Evansville area for the awards Mass. Diocesan staff will ship their medals to the pastors of their parishes, who will organize local ceremonies to honor them at a later date.

The full list of honorees appeared in the Nov. 15 issue of The Message, which is available for download as a PDF on The Message website – www.TheMessageOnline.org.

Their fellow parishioners nominate Catholics from across the diocese for the Brute’ Awards, which recognize outstanding models of Christian stewardship. Named for Bishop Simon Brute’ – the first bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes – The Brute’ Society represents the rich spiritual and historical heritage of what today is the Diocese of Evansville.

When Bishop Brute’ was appointed in 1834, the Diocese of Vincennes included all of Indiana and about one-third of Illinois, including all of what is now known as Chicagoland.

The annual awards acknowledge and give thanks for exemplary Christian stewardship provided by parishioners across the diocese – and they are intended to promote an ever-deepening commitment to stewardship as the wide of life for Catholics across southwestern Indiana.

The awards also provide public witness to the unity of parishes across the diocese, and they serve as a wonderful, inspirational celebration for the Church in southwestern Indiana.

“We need your witness,” Bishop Thompson said as he opened the Mass. Later, during his homily, he noted that the day’s readings offer notions of man’s preoccupation with end times.

“We can’t forget to live in the present,” he said. “We must live every moment as preparation to encounter the Lord. Doing contrary keeps us from professing the Good News here and now.”

He noted that Brute’ Award winners profess the Good News through the witness of their stewardship and, as noted earlier, that witness confirms their personal relationships with God.

“It is the grace of God,” Bishop Thompson said, “that makes it possible it possible for us to be one holy, Catholic and apostolic Church … one body of Christ … one people of God.”