On June 22, Mgsr. Mike Mannion, a priest for the Diocese of Camden and Pennsauken native, was honored as the Pennsauken Lions Club’s Citizen of the Year for 2015. The award is given out annually to an individual from Pennsauken who has made an impact in the community. Mannion was recognized for his work with the poor, his efforts to spread the message of the dignity of the human person, and his support of local police and other first responders.

“I’m humbled very much,” said Mannion, who addressed a large crowd of well-wishers during the award dinner, which was held at the PYAA Field House due to an increased demand for tickets. “I thank the Lions Club and all of you for being a part of this. It’s really not about me. It’s not about a ‘me’ or an ‘I;’ it’s about a ‘we’ and an ‘us’ and a ‘they.’ We all know that. The only time a person’s honored is when people believe that he or she is real. Because we think we can put our trust in them. That’s what it’s all about: that we can trust and share and support each other.”

During the evening, Msgr. Mannion shared several stories with those in attendance. He remembered as a young boy that his parents visited a particular family briefly every Friday night. He later learned that his parents were scraping together what little extra money they had to help put food on that family’s table. Mannion also spoke about going to school with children with different faith backgrounds and learning to embrace their diversity; as well as being taught an important lesson about equality from tribal children in Uganda.

“The stories of Pennsauken, have taken me around the world a few times and back. But people are all the same,” explained Mannion. “And when we look deeper into who they are, we find we all have our stories. We all have our dreams. We all have our histories. And when we can get people to tell their stories and share who they are, then we find the core of the unity we share between us.”

“I pray that we can relax a little bit, drill it down a little deeper, enjoy the gifts God has given us, and remember the stories we share with each other.”