Trinity Heights to hold Prayer and Celebration Day

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
June 14, 2004

The 16th Annual Prayer and Celebration Day for Trinity Heights, Queen of Peace will be June 24.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. with the dedication of the new Moses statue by Bishop R. Walker Nickless. The statue was designed by Dale Lamphere, who also designed several other statues on the Trinity Heights campus including the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Queen of Peace.

According to Beanie Cooper, executive director at Trinity Heights, the statue is of Moses coming down the mountain with the Ten Commandments. The seven-foot bronze statue is located on the hill on the west side of the Way of the Saints.

Below the statue there will be a platform for viewing and a marble plaque with the Ten Commandments etched into the face of the marble. On the marble, three commandments will be on one side and seven on the other, noted Cooper.

The day will continue with a banquet at 5:30 p.m. at the Sioux City Convention Center. There will be different booths set up for people to view and receive information from such groups as the Carmel Board, Right to Life and Dale Lamphere with a display of some of his work.

"We have purchased a Vatican approved exhibit of 126 approved miracles of the real presence of the Eucharist. It was purchased out of Chicago and will arrive on June 7," said Cooper. "We will have it on display at the Convention Center during the banquet."

The intent is to set up a rotating display of the exhibit in the St. Joseph Center at Trinity Heights as well as working with the Diocese of Sioux City to make the exhibit available to all the parishes and schools. The exhibit could be used to educate people about the "real presence" of the Lord, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Bishop Nickless will give the invocation. The musical entertainment for the evening will be the Siouxland Barbershop Chorus.

"Our new chaplain, coming on in July, Father (LeRoy) Seuntjens, will give a talk on the Eucharist," said Cooper.

Cooper will present a progress report of Trinity Heights. He will explain what is going on now and thoughts for the future.

"It is our way of showing the community that we are alive and well," said Cooper. "We are one of the larger banquets that they have down at the Convention Center. It has helped us in a number of ways. Our supporters over the years enjoy it. We always try to make it fun."

Anyone is invited to join in the day at Trinity Heights and at the Convention Center.

"I think it is a true statement that everyone, every year has said that the food was great, the entertainment was good and they enjoyed seeing everyone there," said Cooper.

Tickets may be purchased for $25 per person or $175 for a table of eight. Each year priests and religious of the diocese are invited to attend as guests. Anyone wishing to sponsor this effort is asked to indicate this on their order form.

Tickets may be ordered by calling Trinity Heights at (712) 239-8670 or by mail at PO Box 1707, Sioux City, IA 51102.