For more than two decades, Frederick J. “Jed” Dolan has lived out a simple but profound belief: every person deserves dignity, especially at life’s end.

As a fourth-generation funeral director, Jed inherited a family vocation rooted in service. But it is the way he has chosen to live that vocation, often quietly, always compassionately, that makes him such a fitting honoree of the Pope Francis Award. Through his work with St. Anthony Shrine and other partners, Jed and the Dolan family have provided funeral services for our Lazarus Ministry, which serves individuals who died experiencing homelessness, ensuring that those who so often went unseen in life are honored, named, prayed for, and remembered in death.

This ministry reflects the heart of the Franciscan tradition that animates St. Anthony Shrine: reverence for the inherent dignity of every human person, solidarity with the poor, and love expressed not in words but in faithful action. Jed’s service is never about recognition. It is about presence standing with grieving communities, accompanying the most vulnerable, and offering dignity where it is most needed.

Beyond this extraordinary commitment, Jed is deeply rooted in his community. He grew up in Milton, is a graduate of Thayer Academy and Providence College, and has devoted his professional life to funeral service since 1994. He is an engaged civic leader, a mentor within his profession, and a longtime coach for multiple sports for the town of Milton. Above all, he is a devoted husband to his wife, Megan, and a proud father to their sons, Christopher and Henry.

In honoring Jed Dolan, we celebrate a life that embodies Franciscan values not through grand gestures, but through steady, compassionate faithfulness. His example reminds us that mercy, when practiced consistently and humbly, can change how the world treats its most forgotten neighbors.