Contact: Office of Communications, 786-888-6496; www.ordendemaltacuba.com  

MIAMI, Oct. 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Saturday, October 16, 2010 the Tuitio Fidei Award was given to the Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski, Archbishop of Miami and Metropolitan of the Province of Miami, a native of South Florida, because of his work as an active advocate on behalf of the Hispanic and Haitian communities in South Florida. The ceremony took place at the Riviera Country Club in Coral Gables, Florida, during the White Cross Ball of the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta.

The Cuban Association of the Order of Malta instituted the Tuitio Fidei Award in order to recognize and honor those who through their public actions witness the principles of our Faith. The recipients are honored because they live their life, public and private, consistent with the demands of our Faith notwithstanding the public condemnation. Previous recipients include the Hon. Mel Martinez, former Senator from Florida, H. E. Sean Cardinal O'Malley, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston, Mr. Thomas S. Monahan, Chancellor of Ave Maria University, South Florida's newest private institution of higher learning and Mr. H. James Towey, former President of St. Vincent College, a Catholic, Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The White Cross Ball is our annual fund raising event where the Tuitio Fidei Award is presented to its distinguished recipients.

The Most Reverend Archbishop Wenski was ordained priest in 1976 and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Miami in 1997. Since then he has been active with the Hispanic and Haitian communities in South Florida. He was named in 1996 Archdiocesan Director of Catholic Charities in Miami, one of the largest Catholic social service agencies in the United States. In this capacity he helped forge a collaborative relationship with Caritas Cuba, the social service arm of the Catholic Church in the island, which he has continued during his seven years as Bishop of Orlando.

Since early 1996 he has traveled to Cuba on many occasions on behalf of the Church. He has been a Conventual Chaplain ad honorem of the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta since 1999.

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him in April 2010 as the fourth Archbishop of Miami and Metropolitan of the Province of Miami, which includes the seven dioceses of the State of Florida.

In addition to his Episcopal duties, the Most Reverend Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski served on numerous boards including Catholic Hospice, Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Legal Services and St. Thomas University. He served as chair of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. and of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration. He also served on Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust and the Coordinating Council of Broward, and was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Council on Homelessness i9n 2001 and the Task Force on Haiti in 2004.

The Order of Malta is the oldest Christian charity of the Catholic Church, having been established in 1048. Since its humble beginnings in the Holy Land, this Order and its members have dedicated themselves to serving the poor and the sick, particularly in the area of health care. This tradition of service is maintained today by the approximately 12,500 members and over 80,000 volunteers working in over 120 countries. It operates ambulance corps, blood banks, clinics, hospitals, refugee camps, and disaster relief operations. You can learn more about the Order at www.orderofmalta.org.

The Cuban Association was established in 1952. It was reorganized in Miami, Florida in 1990, where new activities were established for the poor and the elderly in cooperation with the local Catholic Church. Presently it has 113 Knights, Dames and Chaplains, including three living in Cuba.

Our volunteer doctors have served in Miami, Florida, at the San Juan Bosco parish clinic-Our Lady of Philermo- for many years; the Cuban Association also conducts medical missions to the Dominican Republic and to other countries of the Caribbean and Central America. We have worked closely with the Catholic Church in Cuba since 1996, currently funding thirty-seven elderly support centers, living facilities for retired priests, and hospitals and other institutions, including one which serves children suffering from Down's syndrome. You can learn more about the Cuban Association at www.ordendemaltacuba.com.

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