St. Joseph’s CYO student-athletes Violet Kessler, left, Tommy Walmsley, right, and coach Ed Peterson, middle, were recently recognized at the Archdiocese of Newark CYO Athletics Awards Ceremony held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — St. Joseph’s CYO Athletics in Maplewood is proud to announce that Violet Kessler, Tommy Walmsley and Ed Peterson were recently recognized at the Archdiocese of Newark CYO Athletics Awards Ceremony held at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
Both Violet and Tommy received The Sportsmanship Award, which is presented to an athlete who displays outstanding sportsmanship through service or actions, on and off the athletic field, in their parish or school community. Peterson received The Discipleship Award, which is presented to express appreciation and gratitude to adults who have demonstrated a commitment to young people and athletics in their parish or school.
St. Joseph’s athletic director Gerry O’Connor said, “Besides being dedicated student-athletes, both Violet and Tommy lead their teammates on the court and in raising awareness for the St. Joseph’s Food Pantry by raising money and collecting nonperishable food items throughout the season. Ed Peterson has been coaching CYO Basketball for the last eight years and is always there to help me in the gym whenever something is needed to fix. He just shows up with the right tools for the job.”
Student-athletes and adult volunteers from more than 100 parishes and schools from Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties were in attendance. St. Joseph’s CYO is a shared parish ministry for the parishioners of St. Joseph’s in Maplewood and Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange.
The Celtics have both girls volleyball and girls and boys basketball for students in grades K-12 playing in the Essex County CYO Youth League.
Photo Courtesy of Gerry O’Connor
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