Diocese of Sioux City names coordinator of family programs

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
April 21, 2005

The Diocese of Sioux City has named Vera Ludwig the coordinator of family programs.

Ludwig, a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Sioux City, served as the executive director of Shesler Hall, a room and board residence for women with special needs, before taking the position with the diocese. Her start date was April 4.

She will be responsible for various family programs including marriage preparation programs, Beginning Experience, Welcome Your Child baptismal program and natural family planning awareness.

Ludwig pointed out some of her duties will include training people in parishes to serve as facilitators for programs on the local level and other parts will center on serving as a resource person for parishes that have questions about family programs.

"Right now I am learning the job - what my responsibilities are - to understand it, to do it and then to grow the job as the diocese needs it to grow," she said.

Raised in Merrill and later Hawarden, Ludwig stressed the fact that she is open to calls from parishes.

"Communication is very important because if they have a need and we don't know it, then how can we help them?" she questioned.

As the coordinator of family programs, she will sit on the Adult and Family Ministries Board.

In her position with the diocese, Ludwig will draw upon the experience she gained in her 18 years at Shesler Hall. She worked on this mission agency's three major programs - one for the homeless, one for transitional housing for women with mental illness and another that centered on long-term housing for women of special needs.

She has her LBSW - licensed bachelor's in social work with the State of Iowa. Ludwig earned a bachelor's degree in art education and art therapy from Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.

Prior to that job, she worked for three years at Hope Haven - about 30 months in Orange City and six months in Rock Valley.

Ludwig will also draw upon knowledge she has gained working toward her master's degree in pastoral studies at Mount Marty College in Yankton.

She acknowledged that when she decided to seek a master's degree, she considered various options such as one in social work or counseling.

"A master's in pastoral ministry fit who I am," noted Ludwig. "Faith has always been important to me."

Ludwig has served on the Coalition for Persons with Disabilities for several years and is a member of the Search Board. In her parish, she is a Eucharistic minister to the homebound and a third-grade catechist for the Holy Family Religious Education Program.

She is a member of the Siouxland Council of Networking Agencies, Mental Health Association of Siouxland and Toastmaster's Club, currently serving as the club's president for Top O'Morning Toastmasters. Ludwig has also been involved with the Continuum of Care, dealing with homelessness in the Siouxland area.

"One of my personal goals is to help people realize that everyone has a baptismal call and that God loves all of us. He wants us to be a part of the community and to help people feel welcome," she said.

To contact Ludwig e-mail her at veral@scdiocese.org or call her at (712) 233-7532.