Catholic Transcript Online

Dr. John Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and Dr. Marie T. Hilliard, the NCBC's director of bioethics and public policy, congratulate Archbishop Cronin.

MYSTIC – Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Hartford, was one of five recipients of the St. Edmund’s Medal for Service to the Church and Community.

The medals were presented at the St. Edmund’s Medal of Honor and Dinner Celebration on Oct. 9 at the Mystic Marriott.

Celebration on Oct. 9 at the Mystic Marriott.

Other honorees were Ambassador Raymond L. Flynn, former mayor of Boston and former United States Ambassador to the Holy See; Jesuit Father Jeffrey P. von Arx, president of Fairfield University; James E. Baron, head coach of the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team; and Noreen M. Kepple, preschool director for the Stonington Community Center and an elementary and special needs educator.

St. Edmund’s Retreat established the St. Edmund’s Medal of Honor for Service to the Church and Community to recognize those individuals who exhibit the values and spirit of St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The evening began at Enders Island with a Mass in honor of Saint Edmund at which Bishop Michael R. Cote of Norwich was principal celebrant.

Dr. John M. Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) in Philadelphia, who was an inaugural recipient of the medal if 2004, introduced Archbishop Cronin and spoke of the immense contribution Archbishop Cronin’s dissertation work has made to the progress of bioethics. Founded in 1972, The NCBC serves bishops, clergy, religious, and laity, especially those in the health care profes-sions, as they face daily ethical challenges in the care and treat-ment of patients. Dr. Haas announced that The NCBC will honor Archbishop Cronin this year with a 50th anniversary edition of his dissertation, "Ordinary and Extraordinary Means of Conserving Life."

Faith C. Hoffman, a senior at St. Bernard School in Uncasville, was presented the third annual St. Edmund’s Honor Scholarship. The award was established in 2007 in honor of St. Edmund of Canterbury and in memory of the deceased members of the Society of St. Edmund who served as faculty and staff at St. Bernard School.

This year’s recipients of the St. Edmund’s Medal join a distinguished group of past honorees that includes Cardinal Séan Patrick O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston; Antonin Scalia, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court; the Little Sisters of the Poor, and 16 others.