December 19, 2003 ROTORUA NZ, December 18, 2003 (Provincial News #11/2003): Mrs Margaret Hodge (Rotorua, New Zealand), an affiliated member of the Congregation of the Mission, has been awarded a Benemerenti Medal by Pope John Paul II for her services to the Missions, and particularly to the Vincentian mission in Fiji. Margaret has worked tirelessly for over thirty years supporting the Vincentians in Fiji through her collection and donation of clothing which has continued up to the present time.
Her latest contribution is a shipping container of clothing for Fiji, which Margaret had sent from New Zealand. A shipping container holds in excess of 300 large sized cartons.
(Note: The Benemerenti Medal and its accompanying Citation is a Papal Award to individuals who merit special recognition by the Holy See for exceptional accomplishment and service. The first papal Benemerenti Medal was bestowed by Pope Pius VI in 1791 as an award for military courage in defence of the Papal States.)
Source: http://www.vincentians.org.au/vinnews.htm
