Deadline for Eagle of the Cross Award Nominations

The Eagle of the Cross award is given annually to outstanding juniors and seniors in high school within the Diocese of Youngstown who show particular zeal in the improvement of their own parish ministry programs, high school ministry teams, or youth work in general within the Diocese.

DOWNLOAD THE NOMINATION FORM

Nominees must be Catholic, and must exemplify the qualities of moral integrity, prayer, good works, and Catholic-Christian leadership. This award was created by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, and is the highest honor presented to the youth by the Diocese of Youngstown. Up to 3 awards per county for parish involvement, and up to 2 awards per diocesan Catholic high school are awarded each year.

All completed nomination forms will be accepted from January through February, and must be hand-signed by both the nominator and the nominee’s pastor (i.e. pastor at the parish at which the candidate is most involved). The nomination must be received (mailed or delivered) at the Diocesan Offices by 3:00pm on Friday, March 6, 2026. It is encouraged to have your nomination(s) postmarked at least a week prior to the due date to ensure prompt delivery.

For the Catholic High School category, signature of the School President or Principal is also required. Please be mindful of the nomination deadline and allow yourself time to obtain the appropriate signature(s).

Please note that any other format of this nomination (pages 7-8 of this packet) will NOT be accepted. Please also note that pages 1-6 of this packet do not need to be submitted with your nomination; only pages 7-8 count as the nomination.

The Eagle of the Cross Awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 6:00pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica with a reception in the Banquet Hall to follow.

Visit the program page for details: https://doy.org/eagle-of-the-cross-2026