A philanthropist from Los Angeles is the first Filipino American to receive the pontifical order of knighthood in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis named Grace Mercado-Ouano to the Order of St. Gregory the Great, which is one of five orders of knighthood of the holy see, reported Yahoo.
According to Good News Pilipinas, the plaintiff honored Ouano for her personal service to the church and being a role model to her community and country.
She owns four nursing homes in Los Angeles and her own culinary brand, FoodTrients. She’s been awards from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Vice President of the Philippines, the California State Senate, and the United States Congress.
Monsignor Laurence J. Spiteri presented the knighthood to Ouano at the Therese Roman Catholic Church in Alhambra, California last month.
“The Order is awarded to Roman Catholic men and women in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, and their excellent examples set forth in their communities and their countries,” wrote the Philippine Consulate on Facebook. “The Order was instituted on 01 September 1831 and named after Saint Gregory the Great, who was Pope from 03 September 590 to his death in 604.”
As the recipient of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, Ouano can now be referred in the church as “Dame Grace.”
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