Susan Montalvo-Gesser, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, has been named a finalist for the 2026 Lumen Christi Award, a national honor recognizing individuals who embody the “light of Christ” through service in underserved and rural Catholic communities.
The award, presented annually by Catholic Extension, recognizes leaders whose ministries have had a significant impact in their communities. If selected as the recipient, the Diocese of Owensboro and Catholic Charities would each receive a $50,000 grant.
Montalvo-Gesser said she was initially reluctant to accept the nomination, believing many others were equally deserving.
“I told them I would do anything for $100,000 for Catholic Charities,” she said with a laugh. “The recognition really belongs to the many people who make our work possible. Every program we offer has so many hands behind it.”
The Diocese of Owensboro nominated Montalvo-Gesser and submitted an application highlighting Catholic Charities’ work responding to multiple crises, including resettling approximately 500 Afghan refugees while simultaneously helping communities recover from the devastating December 2021 tornadoes that cut a 250-mile path across western Kentucky.
The application also included a letter from the bishop and testimonials from people whose lives have been impacted by Catholic Charities.
Montalvo-Gesser said one letter, written by a client who will speak later this month at the organization’s inaugural Dress for Less Gala, was especially meaningful.
She said the people served by Catholic Charities continue to inspire her.
“I work with people who have seen the worst the world has to give, and they still choose love,” she said. “They’re like stained-glass windows. They’ve been broken, but they create beauty.”
The recognition comes as Catholic Charities prepares to host the national Stories of Hope Museum in Owensboro from July 26-28.
The traveling exhibit, created through a Catholic Charities USA initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment, features 42 stories from across the country highlighting hope and resilience. One of those stories comes from western Kentucky and centers on Montalvo-Gesser’s relationship with three Afghan siblings who were resettled in Owensboro after fleeing Afghanistan.
The siblings, Sharam, Elias and Diva Karimi, arrived in the United States without their parents after their family made what Montalvo-Gesser described as a difficult decision to send the children to safety first. The teenagers initially lived in the youth house at St. Stephen Cathedral while awaiting reunification with their parents.
Over time, Montalvo-Gesser’s family became deeply involved in their lives, helping with transportation, school and everyday needs.
About a year and a half later, the children’s parents were granted refugee status and reunited with their family in Owensboro.
“It was one of the most beautiful reunions I’ve ever witnessed,” Montalvo-Gesser said. “I told their parents they had raised some of the best kids in the world.”
The family’s mother later gave Montalvo-Gesser a pair of earrings she now wears every day as a reminder of the experience. That story became one of the featured entries in the Stories of Hope book presented to Pope Leo XIV by the CEO of Catholic Charities USA during a recent visit to the Vatican.
Although Montalvo-Gesser visited the Vatican during a pilgrimage last year, she said she was honored knowing the family’s story is now part of a book shared with the pope.
The Stories of Hope Museum will be open July 26-28 outside the Owensboro Convention Center and will include interactive exhibits, personal stories from across the country, a poverty simulation, Kentucky poverty statistics and opportunities for visitors to share their own stories of hope.
The museum coincides with several community events hosted by Catholic Charities.
The inaugural Dress for Less Gala will be held July 26, encouraging attendees to wear secondhand clothing while recognizing local “unsung heroes” through the inaugural Providing Help, Creating Hope Award.
A Community Health Fair is planned for July 27 with more than 17 participating agencies, including Owensboro Health’s mobile health and mammography units.
The final day, July 28, will focus on food security, with volunteers assembling 2,000 food boxes for Head Start families across the northern 19 counties of the Diocese of Owensboro.
“We’re really excited about all of it,” Montalvo-Gesser said. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate hope and recognize the incredible people serving our communities every day.”
