Dr. Jose Manuel and Maureen de la Rosa will be honored as the recipients of the Dei Gratia Award during the 17th Annual Foundation of Faith Event: Here I Am, Lord on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at the Starlight Event Center.
The Dei Gratia Award, Latin for “By the Grace of God”, recognizes an individual, couple, or organization for their servant leadership, outstanding contribution to the Diocese of El Paso and our Catholic community, and dedication to being good stewards of God’s grace.
Dr. Jose Manuel “Manny” de la Rosa, the son of Manuel and Guadalupe de la Rosa was born in El Paso, Texas in 1958 at the Daughters of Charity’s Hotel Dieu Hospital. For the first years of his life, he lived in Ciudad, Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and moved back to El Paso when he was seven years old. He attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1976. Manny went on to attend Notre Dame University where he met Maureen Cannon, a chemistry student. Maureen was the daughter of Edward and Joan Cannon and was born in 1959 in Brighton, Massachusetts; a suburb of Boston. They were married at the Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame and have been married for 43 years. Manny and Maureen are the parents of six children; Michael, Mary, Melissa, Meaghan, Mercedes, and Max and grandparents of five beautiful grandchildren with one on the way!
Manny received his medical degree and internship from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock and completed a pediatric internship and residency at Texas Tech University at El Paso. He also holds a master’s in health sciences from the Harvard University, School of Public Health. Manny, who is currently the Vice President for Outreach and Community Engagement at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso, is a founding board member of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso, established in 2001, and has held many leadership roles serving the board and its committees, including Board President. Manny was an integral part of establishing and served as the Founding Dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso and has served in various leadership positions in the El Paso community including serving on the Workforce Solutions Borderplex Board of Directors, Hospice of El Paso Board of Directors, and the Hispanic Chamber and Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, United States/Mexico Border Health Commission, and is the liaison to the American Medical Association-Academic Physicians Section Governing Council. The National Hispanic Medical Association in Washington named him the Hispanic Physician of the Year for his leadership on behalf of Hispanics and the underserved and the Rotary Club of El Paso gave him their Distinguished Service Award.
Maureen’s accomplishments have been rooted in faith, family, and community. She is a leader in the Church and was selected by the Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, D.D., Bishop of El Paso to represent the Diocese on the Burkitt Foundation Board in support of Catholic Education and also sits on the Board of Directors for the Office of Education. She is an active member of St. Raphael Parish and serves on ACTS retreats, the Sisters in Christ ministry, directs several parish prayer groups, is a member of the Sisters of the Well, a Eucharist Minister, a spiritual director, a member of the Seven Sisters Apostolate, helps to direct the confirmation retreat team, and has also participated in the St. Raphael’s Women’s Conference as a coordinator and workshop speaker. Maureen also serves in ministry to pray a holy hour for our bishop, she received a certificate from Creighton University’s Spiritual Director Program and is currently enrolled at Creighton to receive her Master’s degree in Spiritual Direction.
In 2015, the de la Rosa’s were invested into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and were selected by the Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz, D.D. to serve as Section Representatives in 2018. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is the only lay institution of the Vatican State charged with the task of providing for the needs of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and for all the activities and initiatives which are necessary to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Maureen recalled, “once we realized that we were being asked to serve the Holy Land as a ministry of the Pope on behalf of the Pope, it felt like a specific call from the Lord…it was humbling.”
Manny and Maureen have been faithful stewards of God’s gifts and have supported several funds to benefit various needs of the Diocese, including creating a Seminarian Education Fund in the name of Manny’s parents, supporting the needs of the Office of Catholic Education, the Retired Priest Appreciation Fund, the Msgr. Francis Smith Scholarship Fund for St. Raphael school, the annual Catholic Ministry Appeal, the Diocesan Capital Campaign, and they have established funding for the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in support of legal aid for migrants and foreign priests of the Diocese. They have generously given their time, talent, and treasure to the Catholic Community for decades. They have been proud and dedicated parishioners of St. Raphael Catholic Church, for over 25 years, where Maureen has served as catechist teaching confirmation and Manny continues to serve on the parish finance council.
Manny and Maureen have proven to be admirable recipients of the 8th Annual Dei Gratia Award as their strong faith in God, their commitment to the Church, and their dedication to further the works of Jesus Christ have been the center of their accomplishments. It is through this devotion that they leave an incredible legacy of faith for their children, the Church, and the people in the Diocese of El Paso.
We invite you to come celebrate Manny and Maureen de la Rosa at the 17th Annual Foundation of Faith Event: Here I Am, Lord on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at the Starlight Event Center from 5-9 pm, with a cocktail hour beginning at 5 pm. The evening includes the cocktail reception, a seated dinner with wine, Dei Gratia Award presentation, a live auction, and keynote speaker, Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck.
Proceeds from this event support the work of the Catholic Foundation in sustaining the long-term needs of the ministries, charities, parishes, and schools of our diocese.