The Diocese of Metuchen will honor Ed and Mary Hartnett of Basking Ridge at its 24th annual Bread and Roses Ball on May 16. The Hartnetts will receive the Immanuel Award at the event, which will take place at the Bridgewater Marriott, 700 Commons Way, Bridgewater.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Diocese’s Catholic Charities programs in Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties. Last year’s event raised over $55,000 to support initiatives that provide people in need, regardless of religion, with services such as behavioral health services, housing/search advocacy, residential services for youth, material needs/disaster relief, parenting education, services for the disabled, substance abuse programs and in-home services for abused/neglected youth.
The Immanuel Award is given to an individual or a couple who exemplifies, through service and sacrifice, the selfless determination to make the world a better place in which to live.
Parishioners of St. James, Basking Ridge, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the Hartnetts have been actively involved in the life and ministries of the parish where they serve as Eucharistic ministers, participate in Bible study programs and pilgrimages, and assist in food pantry services through Share Your Bread, a parish group dedicated to alleviating hunger throughout the Diocese of Metuchen.
The Hartnetts were invested as Knight and Dame of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, commonly referred to as the Order of Malta. The Order of Malta is the oldest lay/religious order of the Catholic Church and exists to serve the sick and the poor. They are engaged in many levels of the order, which provides medical services, pilgrimages to Lourdes for those bearing the burden of illness, and supports opportunities for the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
During their 55 years of marriage, Mary Hartnett has always sustained a loving and faith-based family life, according to the diocese. She is also actively involved in the Pregnancy Aid and Information Center, Raritan.
Ed Hartnett is a retired company group chairman with Johnson & Johnson. In 2006, he was recognized at the Diocese of Metuchen’s Flame of Charity Dinner as the Humanitarian of the Year. He currently serves as a trustee of the Somerset Medical Center Foundation and trustee emeritus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Bread and Roses Ball begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 7. The evening will include with dancing, a live and silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle.
Committee members include Deborah Stout, committee chair; Maria Bacino; Carmel M. Gettings; Alison Hosler; Marianne Majewski, LCSW; Deacon Michael Meyer; Louis Mitschele; Rev. Michael C. Saharic; William Schumm; V. John and Bernadette Truglio; Kimberley Coombs; and Rev. Msgr. Sylvester J. Cronin.
For tickets, call 732-562-2438 or email breadandroses14@diometuchen.org. For more information, visit www.diometuchen.org/ breadandroses.