A Papal Award was presented by Archbishop Paul to Simon Manning during Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Wednesday, 29 July.
Simon was presented with the Benemerenti Medal, a medal awarded by the Pope to members of the clergy and laity for service to the Catholic Church.
Nominated by the Clergy Trust Fund, Simon was awarded the medal for his many years of funeral services, particularly for Catholic clergy. Simon founded Harbour City Funeral Home in 1989 in Kilbirnie in Wellington. It has since grown to include locations in Upper and Lower Hutt and Kāpiti.
A particular focus of Simon and Harbour City is demystifying funerals and how they work. This includes open days that offer a look behind the scenes – one of the first funeral companies in New Zealand to offer this. They also host numerous educational seminars about funerals and the funeral process.
Congratulations Simon!
