2023-2024

• Marianne Charbonneau of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka for the Greg Presnail Award.

• Mahalia Marcelin of Nativity in St. Paul for the Andi Little Award.

The ACRE Board is re-instating an annual recognition of someone who serves as an example to other Catechetical Leaders in Faith Formation/Religious Education and to recognize outstanding work and professionalism.

The Greg Presnail Award is named for one of the founding fathers of ACRE. He dedicated his life to aiding and improving our professional ministry and was a diocesan liaison to the ACRE Board for over 20 years as part of his role as an Archdiocesan staff person. Through his development of policies for job descriptions, standards, and best practices he kept the focus on the highest quality of formation and formation leaders.

Criteria for nominations for this award are...

• Longevity in the field (5 years or greater in the Archdiocese)
• Contributions to the religious formation community
• Innovation in the field of religious formation; in general generosity of spirit, exceptional competency, vision, leadership or influence broader than one parish.

Andi Little was an ACRE Board member and chair for a number of years where her amazing spirit was invaluable to the group. She began her career in catechetical ministry as a religious education teacher in 1991 and became a director of religious education in 1999. In addition to her enthusiastic and positive leadership in faith formation, she also served as a leader in her parish Sister Parish work, managed a large Vacation Bible School program as part of an annual Mission Trip experience in Mississippi, was a member of the regional Feed My Starving Children program in the South Metro and received the District Cub Scout Religious Award.

Criteria for nominations for this award are...

• Must be in a paid parish or related faith formation position
• ACRE member
• A generosity of spirit in ministering to others that goes beyond typical faith formation areas.