East Deanery Knights Salute Clergy, Religious
Knights of Columbus councils in the Diocese of Evansville’s East Deanery held their Fifth Annual Clergy Appreciation Dinner on Oct. 24 at the Huntingburg Events Center in Dubois County.
The evening saluted priests, permanent deacons and women religious serving the Dubois and Spencer counties, which make up the East Deanery.
The event included surprise presentations to Benedictine Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz, Prioress of Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, and Benedictine Father Kurt Stasiak, Archabbot of St. Meinrad Monastery in St. Meinrad.
Father John Boeglin, pastor of Jasper’s Holy Family Parish and Chaplain of K of C Jasper Council 1584, called Sister Barbara Lynn and Archabbot Stasiak to the front of the packed room as he announced that the Council was presenting $1,000 to the Benedictine sisters and the Benedictine brothers – and that the Columbian Home Association, which owns and manages the property where Council 1584 meets, was matching each of the awards.
Council 1584 Grand Knight Vince Granacher, who served as emcee for the dinner, made the presentations.
Earlier in the evening, Knight Tim Jarboe of Jasper provided an update on the Father McGivney Endowment, which is managed by the Dubois County Community Foundation. As part of that report, he announced that $1,000 is being given to support four Diocese of Evansville seminarians from the East Deanery who are attending Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis – Eric Gelhausen, Joe Paul Hayden, Philip Rogier and Gavin Steckler. He also reported that, as part of a statewide Knights of Columbus initiative, the Knights would present $525 to each of the 92 Indiana seminarians.
Following his presentation, Granacher presented a $1,000 donation to the Father McGivney Fund from Jasper Council 1584.
Sister Barbara Lynn delivered the keynote address for the dinner, and she discussed the history of the Benedictines of Ferdinand as their 150th Anniversary year wraps up. “God has indeed blessed us,” she said, noting that there are 141 Ferdinand Benedictine sisters currently serving in various ministry roles in Indiana, Kentucky and the South American nation of Peru.
Father Boeglin then recognized all of the women religious, permanent deacons and priests who are currently serving in Dubois and Spencer counties before making the special presentation to the Benedictine monasteries.
