When Nancy Eder checked her mailbox on Dec. 26 and saw a letter from Michael Olson, the bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, she initially thought it was a Christmas card.
Eder is a diocesan nurse consultant who spent the past 29 years of her career providing medical care to priests, seminarians and Fort Worth Catholic schools. When Eder opened the letter, she didn’t receive Christmas greetings as she had expected.
Instead, she found out she was being awarded one of the highest honors that members of the church can receive from Pope Francis.
“I started reading and I kept reading and then a tear dropped out of my eye,” Eder said. “So then I ran and found my husband and I said ‘Read this,’ and he goes, ‘Oh, this is amazing!’”
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth announced on Feb. 1 that Pope Francis bestowed the Benemerenti Medal to 15 members of the diocese in recognition of their service, including one posthumous award. It’s one of the highest awards that can be given to laity, Olson said.
The medals will be given to Eder and the 14 other recipients on Feb. 10 by Olson during a vigil mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, located at 1206 Throckmorton St. The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.
About the Benemerenti medal
The Benemerenti Medal was first given by Pope Pius VI as a military award to soldiers in the late 1700s, according to the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. In 1925, Pope Pius XI expanded the range of people who could receive the medal to include civilians, military, laity and clergy, each recognized for their service to the Catholic Church.
The honorees come from various parts of the Diocese, which covers 28 counties in North Texas. Out of the 15 recipients, 10 are based in Tarrant County.
“It’s a very big deal,” Olson said. “It’s a way that the Holy See or the pope supports local churches.”
Members of the church are nominated for the Benemerenti medal by the diocesan bishop. For someone to be nominated, they must be in good standing with the diocese, such as being registered in a parish, going to mass every week, attending mass for holy days and being involved in ministry or service.
Bill and Tessy Ross from Fort Worth are two other recipients of the Benemerenti medal. Tessy is being recognized for her work as a teacher at St. Andrew Catholic School and for her work in the diocesan Catholic school office to address the needs of financially challenged schools.
“It caught us by surprise. We didn’t know much about the award and looking at information about what it means made it very special,” Tessy said.
Bill is being recognized for his work organizing the annual Diocesan Vocation Awareness Program, which assists young men and women in discerning a vocation to priesthood or other forms of religious life.
“We’re feeling honored. There are a lot of people that get this award and we were happy that we were chosen,” Bill said.
The last time someone from the diocese received the award was in 2011 when Pope Benedict XVI honored 10 individuals with the Benemerenti Medal.
Eder remembers working for the diocese at the time and hearing about the medals 13 years ago. Now, Eder is receiving the award in recognition of her medical work for the diocese and her implementation of COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic.
“This recognition means so very much to me and my husband and my children and grandchildren,” Eder said. “It states that what I’ve done in my nursing career has been valuable, and has made a difference in people’s lives.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or @marissaygreene.
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