Seventeen men and women have been celebrated for being the hands, feet and heart of Christ at the 2026 Diocesan Awards presentation.
During a ceremony at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, on Friday 7 August, the eve of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s feast day, 13 people were presented with the Diocesan Medal of Honour and one with the Citation of Merit for Youth.
During his homily as part of Vespers, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, thanked the award recipients for their generosity, faith and love.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv delivering his homily. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
“Your selfless persistence and dedicated service of the Church through various roles and over many years has enriched us all,” he said.
“We salute your selflessness and the best of the Christian spirit in which you entered your service.
“You’ve let the light of Christ shine through what you do.”
Three parishioners were also awarded Knight and Dame in the Order of St Gregory the Great – the fourth highest papal award, which is awarded to conspicuous service to the Catholic Church.
The 2026 recipients of the Diocesan Medal are as follows:
Mr Gary Brazell and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Garry Brazell
St Anthony of Padua Parish, Toongabbie
Mr Brazell has been a member of St Anthony of Padua Parish, Toongabbie, for approximately 40 years. From mid-2006 until February 2007, he chaired a management committee in between Parish Priests. Following the appointment of a Parish Priest, the management committee offered to disband, however the new Parish Priest asked the committee to remain as the Finance Committee. Mr Brazell remained a member of the Committee until mid-2018. He has also served on the Parish Pastoral Council and the church clean-up committee, taking special care of the baptismal font. He is also a reader, Extraordinary Minster of Holy Communion and assists with counting the collections. Since his retirement, he has continued to assist with general cleanliness of the church, taken on a role with Meals on Wheels, and is a bus driver for a local retirement village.
Mrs Theresa Brazell and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mrs Theresa Brazell
St Anthony of Padua Parish, Toongabbie
Mrs Brazell has been a member of St Anthony of Padua Parish, Toongabbie, for approximately 40 years. She served as part-time parish secretary for five years and, following the conclusion of that role, has assisted over the years when full-time parish secretaries have taken annual leave. Mrs Brazell served five years on the Parish Pastoral Council and has participated in planning for the major renovations of the church building. In addition, she has been an invaluable support to the Order of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Meals on Wheels and the parish’s RCIA program.
Mr Paul Dahlberg and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Paul Dahlberg
St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills
Mr Dahlberg has been an active member of St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills, for 56 years. During this time, he has served as a member and a past deputy chair of the Parish Pastoral Council, has been coordinator of the acolyte ministry and master of ceremonies at significant liturgical occasions. Further, he has been a member of the parish sacramental team and coordinator of RCIA. His nomination noted that he volunteers his time without fuss or fanfare.
Mr Tony D’Souza and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Tony D’Souza
St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills
Mr D’Souza has been an active member of St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills, for 55 years. He is a founding member of the parish’s sacramental program as a group leader and later as the assistant coordinator. He has been a reader for more than 25 years and has been a long-term member of the Parish Liturgy Committee, serving as chair during the implementation of the revised translation of the Roman Missal and ensuring a smooth transition for the parish.
Dr Annabelle Enriquez and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Dr Annabelle Enriquez
Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead
Dr Enriquez has been an active member of the ministry team of Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead, as a reader and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for many years. She is a member of the parish’s Vision Committee, which helps to increase engagement and fundraise for parish initiatives. Dr Enriquez assists at numerous parish events, particularly the annual lunch to thank parish volunteers.
Dr Alan Halligan and Mrs Jeanette Halligan and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Dr Alan Halligan and Mrs Jeanette Halligan
Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead
Dr Halligan and Mrs Halligan have been members of Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead, since their childhoods and have each been involved in ministry for more than 65 years. They are readers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and collectors. They further assist as regular counters of weekly donations and have been a regular presence at parish social and fundraising occasions. As their nominations were identical in service, it was appropriate that they receive their Diocesan Medals together.
Mr Rick Jenkins and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Rick Jenkins
St Bernadette’s Parish, Castle Hill
Mr Jenkins has volunteered with the St Vincent de Paul Society for the past 12 years. In addition, he has assisted in the RCIA program at the parish and faithfully opens the church at 5.30am each weekday. Mr Jenkins is the coordinator of the parish’s Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and leads by example by taking Holy Communion to the sick and housebound.
Mr Denis McKeon and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Denis McKeon
St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills
Mr McKeon has been a founding member of St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills. He has dedicated years to create and maintain the church and school grounds. In doing so, he has involved a number of older parishioners and work experience students, supporting their connection to the parish community. Beyond the parish, Mr McKeon has also created and maintained a local community garden.
Mr Jeffrey Nagel & Mrs Odette Nagel and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Mr Jeffrey Nagel & Mrs Odette Nagel
Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead
Mr and Mrs Nagel have each served in parish ministry at Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead, for more than 40 years. They have been members of various councils and committees and have regularly assisted at social and fundraising occasions. In addition, they have jointly led the choir, served as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and assisted at morning tea following Mass. Mr and Mrs Nagel’s nominations were identical in service. As such, they received their Diocesan Medals together.
We also recognise Mr Cliff Smith and Mrs Margaret Smith from St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood, who were not in attendance on the evening.
Mr Cliff Smith
St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood
Mr Smith has been a volunteer with the St Vincent de Paul Society for more than 70 years, assisting thousands of people with basic needs. In particular, in 2013, he helped several people following the Blue Mountains bushfires. He has also assisted St Thomas Aquinas Parish through morning teas, fundraising and for a number of years, was a volunteer bus driver to assist people to get to Mass. He extended this service to a local nursing home, driving a bus to take residents on excursions.
Mrs Margaret Smith
St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood
Mrs Smith has been a volunteer with the St Vincent de Paul Society for more than 40 years. From 1986 to 1997, she was the manager of the Vinnies store in Springwood and from 1998 to 2009, president of the Parramatta Diocesan Centre committee. From 2009 to 2012, she was the Springwood representative for ‘special works’ in Western Sydney and was directly involved in the establishment of the Cardinal Freeman Centre for the homeless. In 2018, she was recognised with the Blue Mountains Volunteer of the Year award.
Teresea Sebastian and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Citation of Merit for Youth – Teresea Sebastian
St Anthony of Padua Parish, Toongabbie
Ms Sebastian has participated in youth activities in her parish of St Anthony of Padua, Toongabbie, for the past 10 years. More recently, she has taken on a leadership role of the youth group: assisting to organise movie nights, scriptural discussions, Stations of the Cross, morning tea on Mother’s Day and hosting the Toongabbie Parish station of Catholic Youth Parramatta’s Good Friday Night Walk. Ms Sebastian currently serves on the Parish Pastoral Council as the youth representative. She has been described as an exceptional woman of faith who radiates the light of Christ.
Order of St Gregory the Great recipients:
Dame of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, Mrs Donna-Maree Vinci and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Dame of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, Mrs Donna-Maree Vinci
Mrs Vinci has held several volunteer positions within the Diocese of Parramatta for the past 14 years. She has been deputy chair of the Diocesan Finance Council since 2011, chair of the Diocesan Development Fund Investment Advisory Council since 2018 and chair of the Investment Advisory Committee Pricing Committee since 2021. In addition to this, she is a non-executive director on the boards and governance committees of several charitable organisations including MS Plus, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Tony McCollough Foundation and Oakhill College.
Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, Mr Alan Zammit OAM and Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. Image: Alphonsus Fok/ Diocese of Parramatta
Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, Mr Alan Zammit OAM
Mr Zammit has been a volunteer member of several diocesan committees for more than 30 years. He has been a member of the Diocesan Property Committee since 1994 and currently serves as its chair. During this time, he oversaw several key property projects such as the rebuilding of St Patrick’s Cathedral and as a member of the Kemps Creek Taskforce. In addition, Mr Zammit has been a member of the Diocesan Finance Council since 2016. He was a member of the Diocesan Catholic Schools Council, chair of the World Youth Day 2016 Steering Committee and was a member of the Diocesan Synod Assembly in 2023. In 2009, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for contributions to infrastructure development and to a range of charitable organisations.
Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, Mr Paul McMahon
Mr McMahon has made an outstanding contribution to the mission of the Church, particularly through his leadership in Catholic social and aged care services. For many years, he has been a dedicated and generous servant of the Diocese of Parramatta, serving as chair of the Catholic Care Advisory Council and as director of Mamre Plains Limited. Professionally, Mr McMahon served as CEO of Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT from 2011 to 2018. Over several decades, he offered his expertise to multiple Catholic and not-for-profit boards, including the Mater in Rockhampton, St Joseph’s Aged Care and Mercy Health.
Mr McMahon was not in attendance during the presentation.
We congratulate all recipients of the awards and thank them for their selfless and dedicated service.
View images from the Diocesan Awards presentation here and below.
