Nellie Gray, the founder and chief organizer of the March for Life held every Jan. 22 in Washington, D.C., was this year’s recipient of the Thomas More Award, given annually by the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund. The March for Life brings together hundreds of thousands of people each year on the anniversary of Roe V. Wade to protest against abortion. This year, the march is said to have drawn close to 500,000 people.

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The St. Bonaventure Parish Knights of Columbus in Plymouth recently held its annual pro-life Baby Shower, which raised nearly $3,000 and about $1,000 in baby items for the Archdiocese of Boston’s Pregnancy Help Center. The parish baby shower program was begun 25 years ago by Lynn Kenn, a parishioner of Holy Ghost Parish in Whitman, and now includes about 100 parishes from across the archdiocese. The archdiocese’s pregnancy help center provides free material assistance and personal counseling for women in crisis pregnancies.

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Marissa Grennon, a senior at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton, and Matthew King, a senior at Boston College High School in Dorchester, were awarded $500 scholarships by the Catholic School Counselors Association for their dedication to community service and strong academic records.

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On Saturday, May 1 at the 4:00 p.m. Mass, St. James Church in Salem will bless their newly-installed handicapped lift. The fully-enclosed lift is located at the left front entrance of the church. This lift replaces an old stair lift.

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Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley will be the main celebrant and homilist at the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Melrose on Sunday, May 2. The Mass is being celebrated for the 100th anniversary of the parish school. At the conclusion of Mass, Cardinal O’Malley will process with the congregation to Memorial Hall on Main Street for a performance by the student body, the school’s Irish step dance group, and the Tin Whistlers. The procession will be lead by the Kevin Barry Irish American Pipe and Drums.

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RENEW International, a New Jersey-based organization that fosters Catholic spiritual renewal across the country including the ARISE Together in Christ program in many parishes across the Archdiocese of Boston, will present President’s Awards to Father William Williams, John McNeice, Patricia Dinneen, and Mary Ann McLaughlin on June 3 in West Orange, N.J. All four individuals have been active in bringing ARISE to the parishes in the greater Boston area. Father Williams, a Boston priest for 40 years, brought ARISE to St. Mary Parish in Dedham, where he formerly served. He is now pastor of St. Peter Parish in Plymouth. McNeice serves on the executive council of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, is a member of the archdiocese’s Archdiocesan Finance Council and Stewardship Committee, and is past president of Catholic Charities. Dinneen was instrumental in organizing ARISE’s Social Justice Convocation in Oct. 2009 and also serves on the archdiocese’s Pastoral Council. McLaughlin is the co-director of the archdiocese’s worship and spiritual life office and has coordinated all aspects of the ARISE program for the archdiocese.