Mother Angelica Award to Danny Abramowicz

Catholic Network has presented the 2022 Mother Angelica Award to former New Orleans Saints wide receiver  Danny Abramowicz in honor of his lifetime of service to the new evangelization.

The award was presented to Abramowicz by EWTN chairman and chief executive officer Michael P. Warsaw during a Dec. 12 ceremony that was televised around the world by the network.

“This award was created as a way to honor people who have devoted their lives in service to the church, particularly in the service of the new evangelization, just as Mother Angelica herself had done,” said Warsaw.

While the world remembers the former wide receiver as a football legend, the award was given to him for his greater mission, a second career evangelizing men, especially young men aged 25 to 40.

That effort started with a small prayer group decades ago, and eventually led him to create a widely known national men’s ministry with men’s conferences, speaking and other evangelization efforts, including the popular EWTN series television series “Crossing the Goal.”

“Danny’s life is totally devoted to Jesus Christ, and he has been a faithful servant of the church’s important mission of the new evangelization since retiring from football (as a coach) in 1999,” Warsaw said.

Athletic accolades secondary

Abramowicz’s winning approach was developed in high school, where he excelled on the football field despite being smaller than his fellow students. It continued in college, despite being offered only one scholarship, again because of his size. And it continued during the NFL draft where he wasn’t chosen to play for the New Orleans Saints until the 17th round.

But because of his indomitable spirit, Abramowicz not only would be named All-Pro. He also would end his career holding the NFL record for catching a pass in 105 consecutive games.

But Abramowicz also shared that there was a downside to all his fame, something he has  freely and effectively shared with the men he has spent the second half of his life helping others to avoid.

“I consider a high point (of Danny’s life) his sharing of a low point,” said Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Abramowicz recently lost his wife, Claudia, after 56 years of marriage. The couple reared three children in a close-knit Catholic family that now includes four grandsons, and made trips to Fatima, Lourdes, the Holy Land and the Vatican, where they met St. John Paul II.

Abramowicz has ensured that his wife’s goodness lives on through the Claudia Abramowicz and Family Legacy Fund, set up to evangelize and train young people aged 25 to 40 to participate in the new evangelization, following the example of Mother Angelica.