Breaking: Moycarkey Borris ladies to receive Benemerenti medals next weekend

Moycarkey Borris will be en-fete this coming weekend when two of its most dedicated parishioners will receive Benemerenti medals in recognistion of their outstanding lengthy service to the Catholic Church.
Two-Mile Borris lady Rita Barry, and Moycarkey lady Kitty Kelly will be presented with their medals by Parish Priest, Rev Fr Tom Fogarty on Saturday and Sunday respectively and there will be celebrations afterwards in the communty halls to mark these very special recognitions.
These will be the first Benemerenti medals granted by Pope Francis to be presented in Moycarkey Borris and the fact that the Pope will be in Ireland in a few weeks time only adds to the significance of the awarding to the honours.
Both ladies have given outstanding service to the Church with Rita working as Sacristan in St Peters Church in Moycarkey for over 25 years, and Kitty doing likewise in St James Church, Two Mile Borris for over 22 years.
Rita will receive her medal from Fr Fogarty after 6:30pm Mass in Moycarkey on Saturday evening, while Kitty will receive her medal after 10:30am mass on Sunday morning in Two-Mile-Borris. After both celebrations, there will be refreshments in the local community centres and Fr Fogarty has extended a welcome to everyone to come along.

Fr Tom Fogarty (pictured left) with Archbishop Emeritus Cashel and Emly, Dermot Clifford.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be presenting these two fantastic ladies with their Benemerenti medals in recognition of their wonderful contribution to our Churches. The parish went through the process of applying to Rome to honour the ladies and everyone is delighted that Pope Francis and the Vatican saw fit to grant the ladies their medals - a very fitting tribute,” Fr Fogarty told The Tipperary Star.
Originally established as an award to soldiers in the Papal Army, the Benemerenti medal was later extended to the clergy and the laity for service to the church. It was first awarded by Pope Pius VI to recognize military merit.
In 1925, the concept of awarding this medal as a mark of recognition to persons in service of the Church, both civil and military, lay and clergy alike, became acceptable. Members of the Swiss Guard receive it for three years of faithful service.
The current version of the Benemerenti medal was designed by Pope Paul VI who took over from Pope John XXIII in 1963 and reconvened the Second Vatican Council, which had effectively ended with the death of John XXIII. Following the standard procedures that lead to sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI declared that the late pontiff had lived a life of heroic virtue and conferred the title of Venerable upon him in December 2012. Pope Francis beatified him on 19 October 2014 after the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession and Pope Francis has confirmed Paul VI's canonization which is to be celebrated on 14 October 2018, adding further to the significance of the medals to be presented to the ladies.

Interestingly, Popes John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI were all made cardinals during his papacy.
The medal is a gold Greek Cross depicting Christ with his hand raised in blessing. On the left arm of the cross is the tiara and crossed keys symbol of the papacy. On the right arm is the coat of arms of the current Pope. The medal is suspended from a yellow and white ribbon, the colours of the Papacy.
Also in Two Mile Borris, a new statue of Our Lady has been prepared and erected by a group of 12 youngsters from the parish as part of the Pope John Paul 11 Awards - this statue will be unveiled and blessed on Sunday morning too to add to the celebrations in the parish.