10th Annual Bishop's Dinner draw record crowd

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
October 26, 2006

With 800-plus guests in attendance, the 10th Annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education drew the largest crowd in the dinner's history.

Jim Wharton, director of communications for the diocese, served as the master of ceremonies for the evening. He pointed out that the bishop's dinner is an initiative of the Catholic School Foundation of the diocese.

Jim and Jameley Levich of Sioux City, chaircouple of the 2006 bishop's dinner, offered words of welcome.

"It's a real honor to spend the evening with more than 800 friends who all share the commitment that we do to Catholic schools," said Jameley.

They also extended gratitude to Catholic schoolteachers, sponsors and members of the bishop's dinner committee.

"We believe that faith is our most valuable gift. It is our spirit which carries us through life and is what brought all of us here tonight," she said.

Father Merlin Schrad, pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City, offered the invocation prior to the gourmet dinner.

The guest speaker for the evening was Raymond Arroyo, who is seen in nearly 200 million homes around the world via the EWTN television network.

In announcing the keynote speaker, Wharton noted that he had hoped there would have been news from Cable One announcing that EWTN was to be brought back into the programming lineup in Sioux City. That has not happened, but he said he was hopeful it would return soon.

Arroyo centered his talk on Mother Angelica, who founded EWTN. The Catholic journalist not only works for the Catholic news network, but also wrote Mother Angelica's biography.

"She is a determined visionary. A simple woman with a broken heart whose broken body was called to do amazing things, one of the great entrepreneurs of Catholicism, an unlikely spiritual, an innovator and I believe a true believer," he described.

He asked how such a woman could become the first woman in the history of broadcast television to found a nonprofit cable network.

"I can tell you that Mother Angelica planned none of it. Providence was her guide," said Arroyo. "After spending five years writing this biography, I uncovered fascinating things about this woman - some things she didn't even know or had forgotten."

In his presentation, he focused on how she accomplished her mission, what it tells people about the future of the faith and how what people can do to mimic her example.

Born in 1923 in an Italian ghetto of Canton, Ohio, she was abandoned at the age of 5 by her father and was raised by a suicidal mother. Mother Angelica was afflicted with a tumor in the stomach and was unable to eat properly, so her mother took her to a Catholic mystic. The mystic handed her a novena prayer card and told her to pray to St. Therese. Nine days later, the tumor disappeared and she could eat again.

"That was a pivotal event in her life and she realized for the first time there was a God in heaven, a father in heaven if not on earth who truly cared for her personally. She fell in love with God almost overnight," noted Arroyo.

The next year she entered a cloistered monastery in Cleveland, Ohio.

More health problems troubled the nun. A fall exasperated a spinal abnormality and eventually doctors determined she needed spinal surgery. The night before surgery doctors told her she had a 50-50 chance that she would never walk again.

"She made a deal with God that night, she said, 'If you allow me to walk again, I will build a monastery to your glory in the South,'" noted Arroyo. "She did walk again with the help of crutches and braces."

Imitating the voice of Mother Angelica, the speaker noted that the nun had stated, "When you make a deal with God be very specific."

The monastery was built in Birmingham, Ala. in the heart of the Bible belt - with just a two-percent Catholic population.

Eventually some Episcopalian and Methodist ladies asked her to lead a Bible study during Lent. Recordings of the studies soon were played on the local radio. Her message spread further as she started writing little mini-books in longhand which somehow were distributed across the country. Before long, someone suggested she offer her teachings on television and that happened at the local level.

In 1978 when she became aware that a blasphemous show called The Word was to be aired on the CBS affiliate where she recorded her TV shows, the nun told the local station manager that she would no longer record nor broadcast her shows there.

"In a great blaze of glory she went back to the monastery," described Arroyo. "She told the nuns, I shot off my mouth and should have kept quiet. But God uses our failures at times even our big mouths if you are receptive and open to where he is leading you."

It so happened that a new garage was being built at the monastery, that area was expanded and became the studio.

"That was the beginning of this enterprise that she would later call the Eternal Word Television Network as a protest against that mini-series The Word," he said.

The speaker's stories continued, such as when Mother Angelica talked an RCA executive into delivering a $2.5 million dollar satellite uplink dish to the monastery. She talked him into delivering it, but he made her promise she would have $600,000 on the day of delivery. When the truck arrived with the dish, she stalled the deliveryman and went to the chapel to pray. A few minutes later, a phone call came in from a man who wanted to make a donation. That very day, he wired her $600,000.

"She embraced risk for God. Never hesitated," said Arroyo.

He mentioned that she never set out to lead the people, but they were drawn to her.

"She brought tradition to the masses and the pope to the masses in a very personal way. I think she refortified the church in America and later the world in a very crucial way," he said.

The speaker said that one thing all people can learn from Mother Angelica is trusting in divine providence in their lives.

Following the dinner, Arroyo autographed copies of his book which were available for purchase. The diocese has several signed copies of the book -Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and a Network of Miracles - which may be purchased for $25, with 40 percent going to the Catholic School Foundation.

In addition to the keynote address, another highlight of the evening was the presentation of various awards.

Matt Greteman, chairman of the Catholic School Foundation, offered a few comments, "Standing here before 800-plus people, the biggest crowd ever, I am very pleased for the commitment that we see to Catholic education within our diocese."

He said it was a privilege to recognize the special people who continue to make faith-based education a reality in the Catholic schools of the diocese. Greteman announced the recipients and Bishop R. Walker Nickless presented the awards.

Recipients of the Excellence in Education Awards were Kathryn Braddy, speech and religion teacher at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll; Kay DeWall, third and fourth grade teacher at Pocahontas Catholic School; Terri Kimbell, middle school mathematics teacher at Holy Cross School - Blessed Sacrament Center in Sioux City; and Barbara Lilly, teacher at St. Edmond Middle and High School in Fort Dodge.

Ron Olberding, principal at Sacred Heart School in Spencer and St. Mary Grade School in Storm Lake, received the Called to Service Award, which honors excellence in school administration. He said he was honored to receive the award and extended credit to the staffs at the two schools, his parents, family and God.

"This year we have created a new award that will recognize a priest or sister who has devoted their ministry to Catholic schools in our diocese," noted Greteman. "This is an award that is long overdue."

The first recipient of this new award was Father Cecil Friedmann, a retired priest of the diocese who served 40-plus years at Catholic schools in Fort Dodge, Le Mars, Algona, Sheldon and Granville.

"When I think of those years, there are so many people to be grateful to. The serving was not all my work by any means, first of all the good Lord was always with us and I prayed for his help constantly," said Father Friedmann. He also recognized the work of Bishop Mueller, Msgr. James Lafferty, many other priests and sisters whom he worked with through the years as well as the parents. "I particularly would like to thank Bishop Nickless and the committee for this citation given to me this evening."

The Msgr. James K. Lafferty Leadership Award was bestowed on an individual who has given selflessly in order to make a notable difference for the Catholic schools and faith. Bishop Nickless made this presentation.

"This is a real treat for me to be able to present this award tonight to someone who has been very helpful to me in the transition I made from Denver to Sioux City," said the bishop.

The award was presented to Msgr. Roger Augustine, who served as the diocesan administrator prior to the appointment of Bishop Nickless.

He extended gratitude to his parents who put 11 children through Catholic schools and for his choice to follow the call to the priesthood. Seven of his siblings were present at the dinner. He urged those present at the dinner to encourage vocations.

Wharton extended gratitude to the sponsors, noting that not only did the dinner break attendance records but it also surpassed past sponsorship support.

As the evening drew to a close, Bishop Nickless reminded them that it had been almost a year since he received the call about his appointment as bishop and he has found "it just wonderful to call this place home because you are so wonderful and welcoming."

The bishop extended gratitude to Jim Wharton, Jim and Jameley Levich, the speaker, the sponsors and all who helped make the dinner such a success.

Prior to offering the final blessing, Bishop Nickless said Catholic schools are a wonderful gift to the Catholic Church.