The 2013 inaugural St. John Eudes Medal was presented to Mel Spratley on Aug. 18 at the 11:00 am Mass, at which the feast day of St. John Eudes was celebrated. It was presented on behalf of the parish by Rick Crandall, a member of the Parish Finance Council. The award recognizes Mr. Spratley’s long time volunteer support of the parish and for his outstanding service to the church.
A long time parishioner, Mr. Spratley became involved and closer connected to the parish when the parish offered professional counseling to the many parishioners affected by the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Through this experience, he felt the call to help support the parish with his time and talents.
His service began when he joined the Men’s Council and eventually became its president and served as treasurer for 10 years. He also served as an usher, a coordinator of the one-day retreats for men conducted by the Sisters Devoted to the Sacred Heart each Lenten season, a tutor in the school’s after-school tutoring program, and is a member of the Parish Facilities Committee (which keeps the parish campus in good order and which designed and directed construction of the new sign for the church and school located on the corner of Lassen St. and Mason Ave.).
Mr. Spratley, as current Pastoral Council chairperson, has assisted Fr. Gérard in setting the future direction
of the parish. But he also cares about preserving the past and acts as the parish historian. He has developed a system to archive all available artifacts that document the history of the parish including thousands of photos, documents, videos, CD’s, plaques and other artifacts.
During the last year Mr. Spratley volunteered hundreds of hours working on the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee. His efforts included the creating of the Grill Hall banners used throughout the year and the 44 panels that held photos and documents presenting a visual history of the parish. He also planned the procession and dinner seating phases of the Jubilee celebration that was held on May 11, 2013.
He continues to be an active volunteer and will be helping with a number of projects that are planned in the coming year. He is an excellent example of the spirit of dedication, devotion, and stewardship that can be found in our parish community.
Read Mel Spratley’s thank you message for the award.
Read the criteria of the award.
(Special thanks to Ruby Alexandra Beloz for the photographs of the presentation. More photographs of the event can be viewed on her Zenfolio website.)
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