Bishop DiNardo announces Bishop Greteman Legacy Society

By BUTCH HEMAN, Times Herald Staff Writer
May 29, 2003

CARROLL - A new program of the Diocese of Sioux City honors a native son who became bishop and recognizes planned giving to Catholic entities. Diocesan leaders came to Carroll Wednesday to launch the Bishop Greteman Legacy Society, named for Willey native Frank Greteman, who was appointed Auxiliary of the diocese in 1965, became bishop in 1970 and served until 1983.

"This is a good day for us, this is a good day for the diocese and also a wonderful way to remember Bishop Greteman," said Bishop Daniel DiNardo in a ceremony held inside the Greteman Center at Holy Spirit Church in Carroll.

Three of Bishop Greteman's younger sisters - Mary Lex and Margaret Greteman of Carroll and Leonilla "Lee" Hamilton of South Bend, Ind. - attended the program and were introduced as its first honorary members. "We want you to know that in addition to being honorary members, we're also actual members," Lex said. "You see, our brother taught us well. As a pastor he was interested in fostering stewardship, but even before that, he and all of us were taught by our parents, both in word and in example."

Anyone who makes a planned gift - a bequest, a life insurance benefit or a charitable gift annuity - to a parish, school, Catholic organization or other entity in the diocese can become a member of the Greteman Legacy Society.

Too often, the diocese doesn't learn of someone's generosity until after his or her death, said Jim Wharton, director of planned giving for the diocese. Creation of the society will encourage those who have already made such arrangements to advise the diocese so proper acknowledgement can be made, he said.

"I consider the Greteman Legacy Society ... to be important for us in our diocese for a number of reasons," Bishop DiNardo said. "One of the first things it does is it recognizes the remarkable contributions made by Bishop Greteman to the welfare of those in the Diocese of Sioux City. It also underscores the importance of estate gifts to the church. And finally, it creates opportunities for our parishes and schools to generate future support."

Each person who joins the Greteman Legacy Society will receive a medallion commemorating the diocese's centennial. Bishop DiNardo presented the first three to the surviving Greteman sisters. "Our family is so honored that the Diocese of Sioux City would remember our brother," Lex said.

The Gretemans are a prominent family in the diocese, the bishop said, having produced four priests and a nun and hailing from a parish - St. Mary in Willey - that generated 55 priests and nuns, far more than any other parish in the diocese.

Bishop DiNardo also recalled his only meeting with Bishop Greteman. It was 1974 in Rome, while the Pittsburgh, Pa., native was a seminarian. And DiNardo spoke of the significance of having a native son become bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, calling it one of the historic moments in Iowa's history.

"His tenure as a bishop ... was a real critical time in the history of our church and the United States," DiNardo related. "During Bishop Greteman's time, we had to deal the first time with the issue of legalized abortion. We have to remember those were the days too when the Supreme Court began to put a greater wall in terms of the separation of church and state, and a number of public funds for parochial schools were no longer available.

"So Bishop Greteman had to face moral issues ... and also the importance of keeping alive the wonderful legacy of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City."

Bishop DiNardo described Greteman, who died in 1987, as a staunch defender for schools and the unborn.

"I have talked to bishops on the east coast in diocese that are seven times the size of Sioux City, and when I tell them we still have Catholic high schools, their jaws drop," Bishop DiNardo added. "That is a tradition of Catholic formation in the Diocese of Sioux City ... that Bishop Greteman continued and sustained during his ministry among us." Greteman understood that the only way the Catholic Church could grow was with support from its members.

"He spoke about the spiritual aspects of stewardship. He said 'Right now, stewardship of the church is going to take on much greater importance because we're going to need to rely on ourselves to make sure we keep alive those aspects of our faith - particularly our Catholic schools and our parishes - that are so crucial to us," Bishop DiNardo said. "That is why it seems appropriate for us today to commemorate his devotion to the church. ... And I have every confidence that the Greteman Legacy Society will continue to produce many blessings for us."

For more information on the Greteman Legacy Society or to obtain a registration form, contact Jim Wharton, director of stewardship and planned giving of the Diocese of Sioux City, at (712) 255-7933.