2020 Rev. Peter J. Gomes Service Award
In 2016, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) established the Peter J. Gomes Service Award, to be given annually to the individual in the Sixth District who best epitomizes the qualities of integrity, compassion, and commitment to community that were the foundation of the late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes’ teachings.
Reverend Gomes was Seth’s mentor and friend. One of his core teachings is embodied by this quote from his writing:
“The very definition of service is to love our neighbors as ourselves, work for peace and not for war, and remember that the only hands on earth to do the work of service are our own.”
Influenced by Rev. Gomes’ teaching, Seth signed up to serve in the Marines and later serve as a Member of Congress.
The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes was a Christian minister who served for nearly forty years in The Memorial Church of Harvard University, a space erected to honor the Harvard public servants who died in World War I. As a preacher, teacher, author, and leader, he influenced many with his ready wit and wisdom and, perhaps above all, with his commitment to service, whether in his immediate community, in support of those in the armed forces, or to universal humanitarian causes.
Past Winners
