Archbishop Nelson Perez of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia presented awards earlier this month to catechists serving in parish religious education programs during the annual Religious Education Mass.

According to phillyocf.com, nominees for the award must be members of the Parish Religious Education staff, while being a practicing Catholic with a “good reputation.” Nominees must be active in the program, and have served in administrative or instructional capacity. The catechist is nominated by the director of religious education. There are also 10 awards named after various saints for anniversaries in the program from five years to 50 years. Awards were named after St. Pope John Paul, St. Martin De Porres and more.

“Yesterday was the annual Religious Education Mass in our @ArchPhilly,” Perez posted on Twitter. “Educators were honored and recognized at the @CathedralPhila for passing on the faith to the children in our parishes, who attend public or non-Catholic private schools, across the five county region. Immediately after Mass, I had the joy of presenting the catechetical awards to those Catechists and Directors/Coordinators of Religious Education for their years of service. The Religious Education Mass is hosted annually by @PhillyOCF. May God bless all of the Religious Educators in our Archdiocese and the young people they serve in this vital role for the Church!”

Religious education is good for children dealing with stress, as well as to helping with coping skills, lead less risky lifestyles and improve self-esteem, according to a 2019 study by the International Journal of Mental Health Systems. The report found that religious education can have a positive impact on a child’s mental health, and that includes adolescents.

“A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials which investigated the effects of religious and spiritual interventions showed positive effects on mental health outcomes such as significant decrease in stress, alcoholism, and depression,” the report said. “Religious education can be instrumental to improving adolescent mental health by developing religious morality, reinforcing religious coping, developing respect for religious diversity, and promoting connectedness.”