Dr. Allen Lewis of Sunbury St. John Neumann Church has been selected as the 2022 diocesan Catholic Man of the Year by the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club.
Lewis will be presented with the award by Msgr. Stephan Moloney, diocesan administrator and vicar general, at the club’s meeting on Friday, Feb. 4 following the 11:45 a.m. Mass at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave. A $10 donation is requested to cover the cost of the luncheon.
Lewis in 2010 founded the Sancta Familia Center for Integrative Medicine in Columbus, which focuses on helping patients achieve optimal wellness utilizing integrative and functional medicine.
“Beyond providing excellent comprehensive medical care, he has a trained ear of compassion and takes ample time to listen to his patients who suffer from various chronic illnesses and prays with those who are open to prayer,” his nomination form said.
His clinic includes Sancta Familia Caritas, a charitable ministry for priests, deacons and the religious. Until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the clinic hosted Mass at 3 p.m. Fridays in an on-site chapel, followed by a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. He also was an altar server at the Mass. He hopes to resume those activities this year.
At his parish, he is an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. He also is a member of the Catholic Medical Association and the Marian Helpers.
A testimonial letter written on his behalf cited the clinic’s “unashamedly Catholic, faith-filled atmosphere.” It said, “Dr. Lewis has chosen the road less traveled in medicine and has chosen to leave behind other career paths that could have proven more glamorous and lucrative. He is unwilling to compromise authentic Catholic teaching in his practice of medicine, which has cost him the respect of some but gained the admiration and utmost respect of others.”
A testimonial from Father David Sizemore, former pastor at St. John Neumann, said, “Allen is very much a mission-minded individual. First and foremost, he recognizes that God is his mission in life. Secondly, he is always on mission to help others get closer to God. Thirdly, he has a missionary heart for helping people who are in need.”
Lewis attended the University of Michigan, Albert-Ludwigs Universitaet in Freiburg, Germany and the University of Washington School of Medicine. He has 26 years of medical experience and worked in several states before coming to Ohio in 2010. He and his wife, Kristin, have five children.
He was chosen from 17 nominees for the award by representatives from the luncheon club, Young Catholic Professionals, the Catholic Men’s Ministry, the Knights of Columbus and the Serra Club.
The club established the honor in 1957, awarding it to John Igoe of Upper Arlington St. Agatha Church, and presented it every year through 2020, when the recipient was Dr. Raymond Sheridan of Grove City Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. No 2021 award was presented because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
