Celebrating Our 2026 Recipients
Every year, Catholic Charities of Madison is privileged to recognize young Catholics in our diocese who exemplify faith not merely as belief, but as a way of life. The Mary Jeanne Kennedy Anderson Youth Faith in Action Scholarship honors high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding service, spiritual commitment, and the courage to live the Gospel in their daily lives. This year, we are proud to celebrate four remarkable recipients.
Executive Director Shawn Carney and Bishop Donald J. Hying presented the awards at the Diocesan Frassati Fest, held February 6–8, 2026, at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells—a weekend retreat where hundreds of high school students from across the Diocese of Madison gathered for prayer, community, and encounter with the Lord.
Amelia Debilzen
For Amelia Debilzen, living faith means showing up—literally—for those who are hungry, homeless, or struggling. Her essay describes a vocation rooted in the corporal works of mercy, particularly feeding the hungry. Through the Love Begins Here diocesan service camp, she worked in food pantries and soup kitchens. Closer to home, she volunteered at the Christmas Neighbors food and toy distribution and served Christmas dinner to families in need in Fort Atkinson.
Amelia describes the moment that changed her: seeing the relief and joy on the faces of those she served on Christmas Day. “It made me realize how necessary these services and events were,” she wrote, “and inspired me to want to live a more Christ-like life.” Her reference, Monsignor Donn Heiar, Pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, described her spiritual development as “highly developed—and in a natural way,” and called her character and maturity “outstanding.”
Amelia plans to continue volunteering at food pantries in college and returning home to serve during breaks, carrying the mission wherever she goes.
Crystal Gamón
Crystal Gamón’s faith story is one of perseverance and joyful witness. Raised in a deeply Catholic family within a vibrant Hispanic parish community, she has been actively engaged in parish life from a young age—volunteering at food sales, attending prayer groups and retreats, and participating in youth ministry. She attends Mass on Sundays and holy days and makes time for Eucharistic adoration on the first and third Friday of each month, including a 1 a.m. hour she initially resisted but has come to treasure.
Crystal was selected by her parish to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), where she joined 16,000 young Catholics and participated in a video call with Pope Leo. Standing in Lucas Oil Stadium, she felt a powerful confirmation: she is not alone in her faith, and her generation has a role to play right now. As she wrote, recalling the Holy Father’s words: “Teens, you are not the future church, you are the present.”
Her reference, Youth Minister Tina Mascarenhas of Epiphany of the Lord Parish, described Crystal as someone who “brings positivity, integrity, and a genuine heart” to ministry.
Jordan Chesmore
Jordan Chesmore’s faith is marked by a willingness to stand for truth even when it is unpopular. An altar server at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Jordan has also been a committed advocate for the sanctity of life since childhood—marching for life in Washington, D.C. since age eight and founding a pro-life student group at Edgewood High School during his junior year. He has volunteered with organizations including Babies & Beyond and Care Net Pregnancy Center, putting his convictions into action on behalf of mothers and the unborn.
Jordan also lives his faith through athletics, striving to compete with integrity, humility, and respect—treating his God-given talents as gifts meant to glorify the Giver. His reference, Fr. Lawrence Czech, Pastor/Parochial Administrator at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, described Jordan as consistently demonstrating “a good and honest sense of self and maturity,” and praised his courage in living out his convictions even among peers who may not share them.
As Jordan looks ahead to college, he is seeking a community where he can continue to grow spiritually and develop as a servant leader, following the example of Christ.
Lincoln Webster
Lincoln Webster’s scholarship essay opens with a moment of clarity: a classmate’s offhand remark—“You’re the most religious person I know”—that pressed him to consider what it means to be someone’s only glimpse of what a Catholic looks like. That weight became a calling. After reflecting in adoration, Lincoln committed to evangelizing through the way he lives, openly praying before meals, avoiding disrespectful speech, and inviting friends to church.
He helped launch a youth group in his parish, served as a teen leader with younger parishioners, participated in the Love Begins Here diocesan service camp, and joined the planning committee for Frassati Fest. On a school trip to Spain, he organized an impromptu adoration visit at a cathedral—and discovered fellow classmates he never knew were Catholic, kneeling in prayer beside him.
His reference, Rhonda Reis, middle school religion teacher at Saint John the Baptist School and parishioner of Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Waunakee, has known Lincoln since sixth grade. She described him as someone who is “on fire with the love of Christ”—brave, confident, and mature beyond his years.
Support the Next Generation of Catholic Leaders
Amelia, Crystal, Jordan, and Lincoln each represent something we deeply believe at Catholic Charities: that faith, when put into action, transforms not only the person who serves but the entire community that receives that service. We are grateful to Mary Jeanne Kennedy Anderson, whose legacy continues to inspire and support young Catholics across our diocese.
To learn more about the Youth Faith in Action Scholarship or to support future recipients, visit catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/scholarship or call us at 608-826-8000.
