2 Fil-Ams receive Benemerenti award from Vatican

MANILA, Philippines - Pope Benedict XVI has conferred the Benemerenti award on two Filipino-Americans for their dedicated service in churches in the United States.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila that Titus Verzosa and Nellie Hizon received the award from the pontiff.

Verzosa, a resident of Fresno, California, was conferred the award for 17 years of dedicated service and leadership as a choir director, finance council member and a coordinator of several fund raising events for St. Mary Queen of Apostles parish.

He received a medal and a certificate from the Holy See on Feb. 20.

Hizon, meanwhile, will receive the medal on Aug. 14 from San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer at St. ’s Cathedral.

 Currently the vice chair of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in San Francisco, Hizon was instrumental in institutionalizing the Simbang Gabi (midnight Mass) tradition in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2008.

The Benemerenti medal, instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, ranks second after the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice and is bestowed upon Catholics who have rendered significant service to the Church.

The medal is a gold Greek cross depicting the image of Christ, his hand raised in blessing. On the left arm of the cross is a depiction of the tiara and crossed keys, and to the right is the seal of the current Pope and his motto.