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Director gets Cemeterian of the Year 2011
By Nissa LaPoint
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Dance to The Angel Bed Project helps families who don’t have the financial means to pay for their child’s funeral. Every month a communal burial service is held at Mount Olivet Cemetery for those families whose child was miscarried. Small caskets, called “angel beds,” contain the remains of these children and are buried during a solemn service. A Halloween dance 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Oct. 29 at St. Francis Cabrini Parish, 6673 W. Chatfield in Littleton, will benefit the ministry. Cost: $22 per person. For more information, call 303-594-5277. |
When the recipient of Cemeterian of the Year was announced during an annual convention banquet, it took Michael Wright a few moments to realize it was him.
“I was absolutely shocked when they read my name,” Wright said about receiving the award Oct. 8 during the Catholic Cemetery Conference convention in Nashville, Tenn. “My wife told me I just sat there with a stupid look on my face.”
Wright, the executive director of the Archdiocese of Denver’s mortuary and cemeteries, is the fourth recipient of the award that honors the exceptional leadership, talents and contributions of those who lead cemeteries.
“He has been a friend, mentor, teacher and most importantly, an example of great compassion and faith,” Lloyd Swint, assistant director of the cemeteries and mortuary, wrote in a nomination letter. “He has exemplified the importance of serving God’s people, regardless of their religion and ability to pay.”
Wright, a Minnesota native, first became executive director in 1994 after he spent 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a full colonel and base commander at the former Lowry Air Force Base in Aurora. He happened into the profession but the many experiences of his life prepared him to become an effective leader, he said.
“The 30 years I spent in the Air Force with team-building, managing and leading helped prepare me for a lot of the things here,” Wright said.
He also dealt with grief and sadness early in his life when four of his siblings died, he said.
“It’s hard for him oftentimes when it’s a small child (being buried) because it really puts him back to that place,” said Jeanne Wright, his wife. “He also feels at this point that he was almost prepped for this job because he can understand how people feel.”
Although he never expected to become the director of a cemetery or mortuary, Wright said he is suited for the profession, which he views as a ministry.
“For the vast majority of us, this is a ministry and taking care of our fellow beings,” he said. “I like helping out grieving people. It’s a spiritual work of mercy of comforting them. That’s the reward all of us get out here.”
Wright is affiliated with a number of professional organizations including the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association and the Denver Metro Funeral Directors Association. He has served as president for the Catholic Cemeteries of the West and Colorado Association of Cemeteries, and served on the executive board for the Catholic Cemetery Conference and Colorado Funeral Directors Association.
One of the most notable aspects of Wright is his involvement at his parish, Spirit of Christ Church in Arvada, and active participation in groups like the Knights of Columbus and Serra International, which promotes vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
“He and his wife are active in the Church and that’s probably why he got the award,” said Father Robert Kinkel, former pastor of Spirit of Christ. “It’s not just about running a cemetery; it’s about being involved in Christian life.”
It’s not uncommon for others to seek Wright’s advice, Swint said.
“He truly lives up to the charge once laid upon him by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., who told Mike, ‘Take care of the people,’” Swint wrote.
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Michael Wright |
“Mike is often called upon by peers and colleagues, Catholic and non-Catholics alike, for advice and wisdom regarding cemetery-related issues.”
Wright said the success and his leadership as director would not be possible without all those who work with him and, especially, his family.
“I think this award says a lot about the quality of the people here,” Wright said. “You can’t do this alone. None of us does it alone.”
In 2008, the Catholic Cemetery Conference established the award in honor of its first president in the 1940s, Father William P. Casey from the Archdiocese of Chicago, to recognize excellence among its members. The conference’s committee members select the award recipients from nominations submitted from across the United States, Canada and Australia.
“He really is an honest and good person,” Jeanne Wright said, “and I think people see that.”
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