DORCHESTER -- According to Sister of Mercy Cora Marie Billings, in African American culture, it is tradition to ask an elder for permission to speak.

Therefore, before speaking at the 32nd annual Bishop Healy Award Dinner at Boston College High School on Nov. 15, she visited the grave of her friend, Servant of God Thea Bowman, and asked her for that permission. Sister Cora, the first Black woman to become a Sister of Mercy in Philadelphia and a lifelong advocate for social justice, was the guest speaker at the annual awards dinner honoring Boston's Black Catholic community. It is named after Bishop James Augustine Healy of Portland, Maine, the first Black Catholic bishop in the U.S.

"When we think of James Healy, what he went through, what we learned from him, we're here because we really are the theme of tonight," Sister Cora said. "We are pilgrims. We're here because we're pilgrims of hope, and we walk by faith. And James could not have done it if it wasn't for that."

She said that the gift of service exemplified by the award winners was the same gift that God gave everyone in the room.

"If we are being faith-filled, as well as faithful, we have to really be the people that God created us to be, and we have to believe that within us there is the grace for us to do God's will," she said.

She said that, due to the country's history of rugged individualism, people in the U.S. have a hard time listening to and relying on one another.

"That's what our honorees did," she said. "That's what James did. They looked at what's happening. They looked at what to be. They looked and listened to what God was inspiring them to do, and they did it."

Each year, an outstanding Black Catholic in the Archdiocese of Boston receives the Healy Award. This year it went to Jesuit Father Michael Davidson, director of the Montserrat Coalition at Boston College. The Montserrat Coalition provides financial, academic, and spiritual support to low-income students.

"Through his tireless work with young people, Father Davidson has demonstrated a profound commitment to the Black Catholic community and to the church," said Archdiocese of Boston Secretary of Health and Social Services Msgr. J. Bryan Hehir. "Those who know him can attest to his humility, compassion, and deep desire to serve Christ."

In his acceptance remarks, Father Davidson said that Bishop Healy "reminds us of the power of faith, courage, and conviction in the face of adversity."

"His legacy continues to inspire all of us who seek to build a Church and a world rooted in justice, compassion, and hope," he said.

He thanked his family, Boston College, and the Jesuits who formed him.

"We live in a society where humanity and the care for others often seem to be fading away," he said. "Yet, in spite of the many challenges that people of color continue to face, we stand resilient and firm in our faith."

The Robert L. Ruffin Award, annually given to a non-Black Catholic who has contributed significantly to Boston's Black Catholic community, went to Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley. In his remarks, the cardinal recalled his upbringing in an "Irish ghetto" in Ohio, where his parents instilled anti-racism as a Catholic value.

Once, a Black woman visited the O'Malleys, a rarity in those days. Their neighbor couldn't help but ask the cardinal's mother about the visitor.

"It was quite remarkable," the cardinal said his mother replied. "It was the first time that a Protestant came into our house."

Cardinal O'Malley joined the NAACP as a young man and started participating in voter registration drives in Black neighborhoods before he was even old enough to vote. As a young Capuchin, he participated in civil rights marches with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

"I met some of the most outstanding people," he said, "men and women, Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, white and Black, people who were idealistic and truly wanted to help create a society like the one that Martin Luther King and so many others have dreamt about. Their courage and witness had a profound effect on me."

He said that working toward civil rights is an obligation for Catholics because "we are all truly God's children."

"I thank all of you for your commitment to the Church's social Gospel to create a more just society and a civilization of love, and thank you for this honor you bestow upon me," he said.

The Meyer J. Chambers Excellence in Liturgical Arts Award went to Maitre Jean-Louis Daniel, music director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Mattapan. OLMC is the flagship of the Archdiocese of Boston's Haitian community. The archdiocese's Haitian Choir provided music during the dinner, along with the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir and dancing by the Ugandan Community Youth Ensemble from St. Mary Parish in Waltham.

"I never expected any recognition for the work I have done because serving the community has always been a privilege, not a duty," Daniel said.

The evening also featured a memorial to Charlene Roberts-Hayden and Thomas "Tipp" Harris, two Black Catholic luminaries who died in the past year. Roberts-Hayden was a pioneering computer programmer and proud parishioner of Sacred Heart in Newton. Harris was a spiritual leader for generations of young people at the former St. Francis de Sales Parish in Roxbury and St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Dorchester. The families of the deceased accepted awards on their behalf.

Archbishop Kenneth Richards of Kingston, Jamaica, whose archdiocese Father Davidson hails from, addressed the dinner about the devastation that Hurricane Melissa recently wrought on his country.

"I stand before you today with a spirit weighed down by the circumstances, yet lifted by our shared hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ," he said.

Catholic churches and schools were among the many properties destroyed by the flooding, Archbishop Richards said, adding that Jamaica's Catholic schools are a key engine of social mobility for children who otherwise would have no chance at a quality education.

"When a hurricane destroys a school, it doesn't just shatter windows and tear off roofs," he said. "It shatters futures."

He delivered "a humble and urgent appeal" to the people of Boston to support rebuilding efforts in his archdiocese.

"Your generosity can provide a meal today and a counseling session tomorrow," he said. "It can help us clear debris this week, and it can help us pour the foundation of a new resilient school next year. It can offer solace to a grieving family now, and it can help us raise the walls of a church that will stand for generations to come."

The evening ended with the Black Catholic Choir leading everyone in "Lift Every Voice and Sing," widely referred to as the Black National Anthem.