The St. Joseph the Worker Medal, presented annually by Malvern Retreat House to individuals whose lives reflect outstanding faith, service, and commitment to the Church and society.
The late William J. McCormick Jr., a 58-year member of the Men of Malvern, will receive the 2026 St. Joseph the Worker Medal for his lifetime of devotion to the Catholic faith. It was an honor he was too humble to accept during his lifetime.
McCormick, of Blue Bell, died on Jan.18, 2026, his 90th birthday.
He and three other local Catholics will be formally recognized at a Thursday, April 30 dinner at Malvern Retreat House in Chester County. It is the oldest and largest Catholic retreat community in the country.
“He was not only a part of Malvern, Malvern was a part of him,” said his son Brian McCormick Sr., one of his five children. “It was part of his fabric.”
The St. Joseph the Worker Medal recognizes individuals of high professional standard and outstanding achievement who have made noteworthy contributions to the Church and society.
Malvern Retreat House president Michael Norton compared the award to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s marketing campaign, “Catholic. Every Day,” featuring the many local faces of Catholicism.
William J. McCormick Jr. (1936–2026), a longtime member of the Men of Malvern, will be honored posthumously with the 2026 St. Joseph the Worker Medal for his lifetime of devotion to the Catholic faith.
The retreat center singles out men and women who are committed Catholics in their spiritual, personal, and professional lives, Norton said. “Their decision-making and moral compass are based on the Catholic faith.”
During the selection process, senior staff draw from local, regional, and national Catholic life; honorees typically include a religious, a layperson, and an individual with a loyalty to Malvern Retreat House.
Beginning with William McCormick’s father, four generations of the family have attended retreats for the Men of Malvern, an intergenerational group of Catholic men. His sons, son-in-law, nephews, and grandsons continue the longstanding tradition.
“He started quite a legacy,” said Brian McCormick, a retreatant for 42 years. “He cherished the weekends with all his men.”
McCormick was dedicated to the retreat community, Brian McCormick said. He served on the board of directors from 1999-2008, continuing his support in various ways until the end of his life.
“Malvern was a grounding spot for him. It was very spiritual,” he said. “He loved the property and the beauty of it.”
His father donated the statue of St. Joseph at the retreat center entrance in memory of his parents, William J. and Sarah McCormick.
McCormick was extremely generous to Malvern House but declined public recognition while he was alive, Norton said. “He was a very humble gentleman, and he would not take the award.”
Brian McCormick said he’s not surprised. He noted a line from his father’s obituary: ‘“Always giving, expecting nothing thereof,’ is how he lived his life. A humble man!”
Other 2026 Medal Recipients
Amy Stoner retired in late 2025 after 38 years with Catholic Charities of Philadelphia. She began her career in 1987 in pregnancy and adoption services and worked in multiple ministries over the years, serving the addicted, the hungry, the unhoused, and other disadvantaged populations. She retired as director of the Community-Based and Housing and Homeless Services Division.
“We felt she was very deserving,” Norton said.
Andrew Santoleri, 30, a devoted altar server for 20 years, is a 2026 St. Joseph the Worker Medal recipient.
Andrew Santoleri, 30, has been a devoted altar server for 20 years. He serves at Mass seven days a week, primarily at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Glen Mills, his home parish, and Thursday mornings at St. Cornelius Church in Chadds Ford.
Andrew has Down syndrome. “People like him are marginalized by the world,” said his mother, Teresa Santoleri. Yet his fervent devotion is a daily inspiration to others who observe his reverence from the pews.
For 15 years, the Glen Mills man has attended Malvern retreats with his father, Dave, and served at retreat Masses. Norton described Andrew as the single most spiritual person he knows: “This young man is nothing but love.”
Bishop Keith J. Chylinski was ordained a priest in 2007 and appointed auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 2023. As the former rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, he was instrumental in arranging the relocation of the Papal Cross to the retreat center. The cross stood on Philadelphia’s Logan Circle during the Mass celebrated by Pope St. John Paul II with some 1 million people on his 1979 visit to the city.
The 40-foot cross was a fixture for more than four decades at the seminary’s Overbrook location, also visited by the pope, until a new campus was built in Upper Gwynedd. After careful restoration, the cross was installed at the foot of Malvern Retreat House’s great lawn in November 2024.
Bishop Chylinski will give the keynote address at the April 30 dinner. It begins at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $75 and tables of eight are $550; they can be purchased online. For sponsorship information, call Jim Catrambone at 614-644-0400.
McCormick said his family is grateful to accept the medal on his late father’s behalf.
“My mom said she wished he would have been here to enjoy it, but I almost think this is more of an honor – that he’s still being thought of after his passing and that he’s still important to the Retreat House.”
Share this story