Search
-
March 9, 2023OKLAHOMA CITY – Members of the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree recently honored two well-known Oklahomans at the annual awards ceremony of the Chief Justice Kane Assembly.
The event was held after a Saturday vigil Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, where Father William Novak, pastor, celebrated Mass and Father Linh Bui, parochial vicar, concelebrated.
Debbie Espinosa of the Center for Family Love and Deacon Larry Sousa from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Norman shared the assembly’s top honors for 2023.
Espinosa attended Bishop McGuinness and St. Gregory’s University. She earned her nursing degree at the University of Oklahoma then built a national reputation working at Deaconess Pregnancy & Adoption Services, the Integris Baptist Home Health Agency and Father Paul Zahler’s National Institute on Developmental Delays.
Working as chief executive officer at the Center of Family Love in Okarche for the past decade, Espinosa was named the 2019 Person of the Year by the Notre Dame Club of Oklahoma City.
During Espinosa’s tenure, the Center of Family Love’s annual Gift of Love Gala raised more than $8.4 million.
Espinosa and her husband, Sid, have three children, and seven grandchildren – all of whom reside in Oklahoma City.
Accepting the Chief Justice Kane Civic Award, Espinosa thanked the “Knights, and the women in the auxiliary.” She added, “The Center of Family Love is a result of the vision of the Knights. Without them, this could not have happened. You are the ones who provided the resources and the vision.”
Introduced through a recorded message from Jeff Finnell, Deacon Sousa’s Oklahoma Catholic Radio partner, Deacon Sousa was recognized for his pivotal role in Oklahoma’s history. Finnell recounted the story of the state radio network, which emerged from efforts stretching back two decades to establish a presence for Catholic news and programming.
Inspired by the example of Mother Angelica, foundress of the Eternal World Television Network, EWTN, Finnell and Sousa invested personal time, talent and treasure to take the idea from a weekly program to its present status as a 24/7 broadcast entity with state and local programming, EWTN’s world-wide programs and the “Patrick Madrid Show” from Relevant Radio.
Accepting the Excalibur Award, Sousa recalled taking the vision to Archbishop Emeritus Eusebius Beltran in 2006. Beltran believed in what Mother Angelica was doing, as did Sousa and Finnell. Their shared perspective was to “step out in faith,” believing “if God wants this to happen, it will happen.”
Sousa recounted his blessings after 45 years as a permanent deacon and 51 years as a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Learn more about the Center of Family Love at centeroffamilylove.org, and learn more and listen to Oklahoma Catholic Radio online at okcr.org.
Photos: (above) L to R: Louis Lyons with Dcn. Larry Sousa of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Norman. Dcn. Sousa was awarded the Excalibur Award during the annual Chief Justice Kane Assembly dinner. Photos Patrick B. McGuigan.
Sid and Debbie Espinosa
