The Eagle of the Cross Awards
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News Segment by WKBN
DID YOU KNOW?
With 22 annual celebrations of the Eagle of the Cross Awards,
583 teens have received the award (See breakdown by year below),
and well over 1,243 additional teens nominated.
That means that adults have paused to appreciate many teens each spring through this program,
and I am sure hundreds or thousands more have been honored at their
local parish and/or Catholic High School.
Remember to thank a teen for being a Christian Witness to God's love, Christ's compassion,
and the Holy Spirit's work whenever you have a chance! We are truly blessed in the Diocese of Youngstown!
Eagle of the Cross – Number of Recipients:
(Note: Every few years, the program was evaluated and changes made to reflect shifts in the diocesan population, and there are also years that nomination and selection rates vary, so the same number has not always been given each year.)
1999 27
2000 28
2001 27
2002 27
2003 27
2004 28
2005 23
2006 23
2007 23
2008 24
2009 23
2010 23
2011 22
2012 28
2013 30
2014 30
2015 29
2016 29
2017 26
2018 28
2019 29
2020 29
2021 21
(total 23 years: 604)
2021 Eagle of the Cross Award Recipients
2021 Eagle of the Cross Award Recipients:
Name Grade High School Parish/City
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in the parish and larger community:
Columbiana County:
Victoria Flores 12 Columbiana Holy Trinity
Emmanuel Heestand 12 United Local St. Jude
Grace Witmer 12 Columbiana St. Jude
Mahoning County:
Aaron Ferguson 12 Canfield St. Michael
Alannah Marie Hetzel 12 Boardman Christ Our Savior
Justin David McLemore 12 Springfield Local St. Paul the Apostle
Portage County:
Brooklyn Duguay 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Stark County:
Anthony Joseph Jones 12 Perry St. Joseph, Massillon
Reagan Phillips 12 Hoover Little Flower
Aja N. Shriver 12 St. Thomas Aquinas Regina Coeli
Trumbull County:
Lena Dunkerley 12 Hubbard St. Patrick, Hubbard
Giovanni R. Mileto 12 Hubbard St. Patrick, Hubbard
Patrick Michael Joseph Wilson 12 Ursuline St. Stephen, Niles
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in a diocesan Catholic school:
Canton Central Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Blake Abbott 12 St. Mary, Massillon
Barrett Christopher Scheatzle 12 St. Michael the Archangel
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Steven Hiner 12 Holy Family
Anna Hughes 12 Holy Family
Saint John Catholic High School: (Ashtabula County)
Morgan Anderson 12 Our Lady of Peace
David J. DiSalvatore 12 Our Lady of Peace
Ursuline Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Megan Brockway 12 Holy Family
Nikolas Hackett 12 St. Rose
Name Grade High School Parish/City
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in the parish and larger community:
Columbiana County:
Victoria Flores 12 Columbiana Holy Trinity
Emmanuel Heestand 12 United Local St. Jude
Grace Witmer 12 Columbiana St. Jude
Mahoning County:
Aaron Ferguson 12 Canfield St. Michael
Alannah Marie Hetzel 12 Boardman Christ Our Savior
Justin David McLemore 12 Springfield Local St. Paul the Apostle
Portage County:
Brooklyn Duguay 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Stark County:
Anthony Joseph Jones 12 Perry St. Joseph, Massillon
Reagan Phillips 12 Hoover Little Flower
Aja N. Shriver 12 St. Thomas Aquinas Regina Coeli
Trumbull County:
Lena Dunkerley 12 Hubbard St. Patrick, Hubbard
Giovanni R. Mileto 12 Hubbard St. Patrick, Hubbard
Patrick Michael Joseph Wilson 12 Ursuline St. Stephen, Niles
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in a diocesan Catholic school:
Canton Central Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Blake Abbott 12 St. Mary, Massillon
Barrett Christopher Scheatzle 12 St. Michael the Archangel
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Steven Hiner 12 Holy Family
Anna Hughes 12 Holy Family
Saint John Catholic High School: (Ashtabula County)
Morgan Anderson 12 Our Lady of Peace
David J. DiSalvatore 12 Our Lady of Peace
Ursuline Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Megan Brockway 12 Holy Family
Nikolas Hackett 12 St. Rose
2020 Recipients
020 Eagle of the Cross Award Recipients:
Name Grade High School Parish/City
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in the parish and larger community:
Ashtabula County:
Gwendalyn Fuentes 12 St. John School Assumption
Julianne Marie Sheldon 11 St. John School Our Lady of Peace
Lauren Sukalac 12 Jefferson St. Joseph Calasanctius
Columbiana County:
Brianna Horvath 12 East Palestine Our Lady of Lourdes
Karlie Grace Blissenbach 12 Southern Local St. George
Matthew Charles Garcia 12 East Palestine Our Lady of Lourdes
Mahoning County:
Caitlin C. Pinto 11 Ursuline St. Charles
Alyssa Marie Ritter 12 Boardman St. Stanislaus
Steven Vasko 12 Boardman St. Charles
Portage County:
Katelyn Houlahan 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Thomas Sebastian Packard 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Connor Rowe 12 Bio-Med Science Academy St. Joseph, Mantua
Stark County:
Julia Majors 11 Canton Central Catholic St. Barbara
John Smithberger 12 Jackson St. Michael the Archangel
Donny Woodward 12 Jackson St. Michael the Archangel
Trumbull County:
Jacob Buttar 12 Niles McKinley Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Niles
Frank Edward DePascale 11 Champion St. William
Douglas Gurdak 12 Lakeview St. Robert
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in a diocesan Catholic school:
Name Grade Parish/City
Canton Central Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Isabella Rose Zeigler 12 St. Mary, Massillon
Matalan Nikishin 12 St. Peter
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Louis M. Gentile 12 St. Charles
Gina M. Ricciardi 12 St. Charles
John F. Kennedy Catholic High School: (Trumbull County)
Zoe Therese Schlosser 11 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint John Catholic High School: (Ashtabula County)
Kathleen Kovach 11 St. Joseph Calasanctius
Hannah McClure 11 Our Lady of Peace
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Emily Davala 12 Basilica of St. John
Luke R. May 12 St. Paul, North Canton
Ursuline Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Riley Adair Burke 12 St. Joseph, Austintown
Andrew Gerchak 12 St. Christine
Name Grade High School Parish/City
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in the parish and larger community:
Ashtabula County:
Gwendalyn Fuentes 12 St. John School Assumption
Julianne Marie Sheldon 11 St. John School Our Lady of Peace
Lauren Sukalac 12 Jefferson St. Joseph Calasanctius
Columbiana County:
Brianna Horvath 12 East Palestine Our Lady of Lourdes
Karlie Grace Blissenbach 12 Southern Local St. George
Matthew Charles Garcia 12 East Palestine Our Lady of Lourdes
Mahoning County:
Caitlin C. Pinto 11 Ursuline St. Charles
Alyssa Marie Ritter 12 Boardman St. Stanislaus
Steven Vasko 12 Boardman St. Charles
Portage County:
Katelyn Houlahan 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Thomas Sebastian Packard 12 Aurora Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Connor Rowe 12 Bio-Med Science Academy St. Joseph, Mantua
Stark County:
Julia Majors 11 Canton Central Catholic St. Barbara
John Smithberger 12 Jackson St. Michael the Archangel
Donny Woodward 12 Jackson St. Michael the Archangel
Trumbull County:
Jacob Buttar 12 Niles McKinley Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Niles
Frank Edward DePascale 11 Champion St. William
Douglas Gurdak 12 Lakeview St. Robert
Recipients demonstrating outstanding involvement in a diocesan Catholic school:
Name Grade Parish/City
Canton Central Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Isabella Rose Zeigler 12 St. Mary, Massillon
Matalan Nikishin 12 St. Peter
Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Louis M. Gentile 12 St. Charles
Gina M. Ricciardi 12 St. Charles
John F. Kennedy Catholic High School: (Trumbull County)
Zoe Therese Schlosser 11 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint John Catholic High School: (Ashtabula County)
Kathleen Kovach 11 St. Joseph Calasanctius
Hannah McClure 11 Our Lady of Peace
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School: (Stark County)
Emily Davala 12 Basilica of St. John
Luke R. May 12 St. Paul, North Canton
Ursuline Catholic High School: (Mahoning County)
Riley Adair Burke 12 St. Joseph, Austintown
Andrew Gerchak 12 St. Christine