Bishop Jaime Soto was presented with the Father Sylvester McDermott Award for Integrity on July 28 by the St. Thomas More Society of Sacramento during a reception at Cristo Rey High School. It was the 11th annual reception celebrating the feast day of St. Thomas More.
Founded in 1987, the STMS is an independent organization sponsored by Catholic lawyers, governed by a board, with its membership open to attorneys and other legal professionals and legislative advocates of any religious persuasion who subscribe to its purposes.
The Father McDermott Award for Integrity is named for the late Rev. Charles Sylvester McDermott, former Vicar for Theological and Canonical Affairs for the Diocese of Sacramento, and a founding member of STMS. Father McDermott served as the group’s unofficial chaplain and advisor for many years. The Father McDermott Award for Integrity recognizes persons of high integrity who can often go unnoticed in this hustle and bustle world.