On August 6, the second annual Bishop Carl Anthony Fisher (BCAF) Awards were announced at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, kicking off a vocations campaign in the African American community that will culminate in a November 17 dinner.

The awards program is named after the popular prelate from Pascagoula, Miss., who served as auxiliary bishop of the San Pedro Region from 1987 to his premature death from cancer in 1993. The awards are presented to priests, religious brothers and sisters, plus deacons "whose life and works have made significant contributions to the spiritual enrichment in the life of Catholics of African descent."

This year's awardees are Carmelite Father Tracy O'Sullivan, pastor of St. Raphael Church, Los Angeles; Father Perry Leiker, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Hawthorne; Father Edwin Duyshart, pastor of St. Elizabeth Church, Altadena; Josephite Father Charles Andrus, reassigned; Msgr. John Rawden, retired; and the late Marianist Father Edwin Johnson.

Also receiving awards are Deacon Emile Adams, Jr., St. Bernadette Church, Los Angeles; Sister of St. Louis Mary Karen Collier, parish life director of St. Agatha Church, Los Angeles; and Franciscan Brother Hilarion O'Connor, director of operations at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Individual awards are named after African Americans who have steadfastly served in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and continue to be role models.

"We started off talking about how do we get more African Americans involved in vocations," explained Anderson Shaw of the African American Center for Evangelization, which cosponsors the program with the Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver. "And as we talked about that, we cannot forget those individuals who have paved the way - those ancestors who served us well.

"So the first thing we wanted to do was to honor our ancestors who went before us and did wonderful and great things. One of those individuals is Bishop Carl Fisher. But we're also honoring those who serve us currently."

In his closing remarks, Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Solis agreed that African Americans have contributed much culturally not only to the Catholic Church in Southern California, but also to the church throughout the world. He said remembering that great gift with gratitude was a Christian virtue.

"We have to revive the spirit of the African American culture so that we can continue to uphold the wonderful contribution of that community to the local church," Bishop Solis stressed. "And we have to revive the spirit of Catholicism among African Americans.

"We must revive the spirit of charity, of community within our own so that they can become a beacon of light to others," he added. "We must revive that wonderful spirit of what it means to be true children of God and disciples of Jesus."

Editor's note: For more information about the November 17 awards dinner at the Proud Bird Restaurant in Los Angeles, call (323) 757-7084 or (323) 777-2106, e-mail Harry Wiley at hlwiley@msn.com, or go to www.bcafawards.org.