The late Father Guillermo Treviño stands in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this October 2025 photo. He died shortly after his return. He has been nominated posthumously for the Lumen Christi Award.
For The Catholic Messenger
CHICAGO — Catholic Extension Society recently announced the 46 nominees for the 2026-2027 Lumen Christi Award. The award is Catholic Extension Society’s highest honor. Since 1978, it has been presented annually to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve.
Each year, bishops are asked to nominate one individual, group or institution from their diocese for this award. Collectively, their stories of spiritual care, compassionate service, and compelling self-sacrifice for others showcase the mission of the Church in this country.
“The Lumen Christi Award is a real-time window into the incredible impact of people of faith in America,” said Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension Society. “Born out of their love for God, the dedication of these nominees to the good of the Church and the good of their neighbors should make us all proud to be Catholic.”
From these outstanding nominees, a group of finalists will be announced later this summer, followed by the selection of a national honoree in the fall. Award finalists will receive $15,000 each, and the national honoree will be awarded $100,000 to support their ministry.
For the Diocese of Davenport, the late Father Guillermo Treviño was posthumously nominated. His nomination papers said:
“Always young at heart, Father Guillermo Treviño’s priesthood was driven by his ministry to young people. He could connect with them on a variety of engaging topics — March Madness brackets for the local Catholic high school leagues, WrestleMania and Star Wars. Every Oct. 31 he joked, pointing to his bearded face, that it was NOT a Halloween mask as laughter ensued.”
Upon returning from a trip to Rome after Pope Leo XIV’s World Gathering of Popular Movements, Father Treviño fell ill and passed away suddenly on Oct. 31, 2025. “His teens lamented that he was not there to make his traditional Halloween joke,” stated the nomination.
“His unexpected passing at only 39 years old was a loss felt deeply across the communities he served in rural southeastern Iowa, especially among the youth and the immigrant families who had come to rely on him not only as a priest, but as a constant presence in their lives.”
Ordained in 2015, Father Treviño had most recently served as pastor of St. Joseph parishes in Columbus Junction and West Liberty. He ministered primarily to Hispanic immigrant communities, many of whom worked long hours in agriculture and meatpacking plants and faced daily uncertainty.
“His commitment to these families was personal, as his 18-year-old godson was deported in the summer of 2025 despite his DACA status (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Just a few years prior in 2021, Father Treviño co-founded Escucha Mi Voz Iowa (“Listen to My Voice”), a group aiding Latino workers and immigrants. Now a team of lay and clergy leaders continue this work in his memory.”
Supporting these families, and especially young people, was a big part of Father Treviño’s priestly identity. Along with religious sisters in Catholic Extension Society’s U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program, Father Treviño instituted programs that helped parents pass on the faith to their children. Through his leadership and Catholic Extension Society’s support, Father Treviño helped bring initiatives to his rural parishes that strengthened family faith formation and recognized the home as the best way to build and strengthen our Church.
Reflecting on Father Treviño’s legacy and posthumous nomination for this year’s Lumen Christi Award, former parishioner Petra Mujica concluded by sharing how parish youth fondly remember him: “Throughout his work, Father Guillermo brought the Light of Christ closer to his flock, with faith, hope and love in his simple, humble, childlike manner.”
Catholic Extension Society was founded in 1905 and works in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities among the poor in the poorest regions of America. For more information visit www.catholicextension.org
