The Board of the Carolina Catholic Professionals is pleased to announce that our founder, Frank Dirks, has been awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Francis.
The Benemerenti Medal is awarded by the Pope to members of the clergy and laity for service to the Catholic Church. Bishop Guglielmone of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston bestowed the medal upon him on March 7th at 3:00PM in a small ceremony at the Cathedral of John the Baptist. Frank is a humble man so we have to do the boasting for him. Through an abundance of prayer and reflection Frank founded Carolina Catholic Professionals in January of 2017 with the goal to organize a group of Catholic professionals who would support one another and provide a network for faith sharing and service. Carolina Catholic Professionals meets on the First Friday of every month at the Meeting Hall adjacent to the Diocesan Offices at 901 Orange Grove Road in West Ashley. During the pandemic the meetings have been virtual.
At the meetings we ask our speakers to discuss their personal journey of faith and their work in the world and what they see to be meaningful trends and developments in our community, state, and nation. Carolina Catholic Professionals is a Charleston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization associated with Lucis Via Charities, Inc. Funds raised through the organization have helped to establish Catholic Radio in South Carolina at Bishop England High School, supported the Daughters of St Paul mission, gathered food for Our Lady of Mercy, advocated for residents of Charleston impacted by gentrification, and laid the ground work for the St John Cemetery Project.
Watch Ceremony
Congratulations to Frank Dirks on a well deserved award from the Holy See!
