MERRILLVILLE – Stories of the great witness of clergymen and the faithful who support religious vocations circulated among the guests at the ninth annual Black Tie White Collar Gala on Sept. 19.
More than 350 Catholics enjoyed an itinerary of dinner, seminarian introductions, silent and live auctions and dancing as they filled the Avalon Manor Banquet Center.
Thirty-year St. Patrick, Chesterton, parishioners Deacon Robert Petro and his wife Cris Petro said they wanted to be at the gala as part of their dedication “to pray for seminarians and support them financially.”
“Clergy are always part of our lives,” said Deacon Petro, who was ordained in 2024 by Bishop Robert J. McClory. “One of the first things that really drew me to the clergy was an uncle, Father John Savio. He was a priest who had moved out to Wyoming, then invited us to spend a week there on our first vacation after getting married. I got to learn that priests are people, too.”
Cris Petro recalled joyful parish family moments with late former pastor Father James Meade. She said the pastor’s favorite dish led her to start a tradition of serving it up for “Father Meatloaf.” “If you like meatloaf, we’re going to have a party (I told him) ... I made seven different recipes.”
Deacon Petro said over the years, he has encouraged his family to have a service mindset. He stepped up to assist then-Bishop of Gary Donald J. Hying with synod planning in 2017. “I liked getting to know people from across the entire diocese,” he explained.
Before dinner was served, Bishop McClory addressed the banquet hall and prayed. Mentioning Pope Leo XIV’s recent announcement that the next World Youth Day would occur in 2027 in South Korea, he invoked the intercession of the martyrs commemorated on Sept. 20 including Korea’s first priest, St. Andrew Kim Taegon, and the lay Catholic leader St. Paul Chong Hasang. The bishop also announced his intention to bring the seminarians of the diocese on a pilgrimage to Japan and South Korea for the global event.
“We pray today for those who look to the Korean martyrs as inspirations, and we pray that we, too, would be inspired by them. We also want our priests, our deacons, our seminarians, and our religious to be disciples and missionaries,” said the diocesan shepherd.
The bishop and Father Nathaniel Edquist, diocesan vocations director, presented this year’s Guardian Angel award for outstanding vocations support to Jack Serletic. Receiving the etched-glass award, he said, “Thank you very much, this is the honor of my lifetime, and I’ll never forget it,”
The St. Bridget, Hobart, parishioner paused, smiled and then continued, “I’m going to say something: we just happen to be accepting new members today.”
Others took note of Serletic’s longtime dedication to other civic organizations and his affinity for reaching out to communicate with all who would listen.
“Jack is a thoughtful caring man who follows the Lord through prayer and example,” Aggie Zellers, local coordinator for the Serra Club, said. “He helps some of us keep our cool. He has a wealth of knowledge on many things.”
Zellers said that Serletic found creative ways to reach out to the seminarians, visiting them at school and connecting over his collection of classic American cars. He also has ministered to Serrans when they have been hospitalized or in nursing homes.
Grateful for the beneficence of local contributors, Nicholas Emsing, one of nine diocesan seminarians (though not all were present at the gala), provided an update on his vocation formation journey.
“Obviously, we are all configured to Christ through Baptism and share in His ministry of priest, prophet and king in that way, but configuration in the form of seminary formation is really configuring yourself to Christ the high priest,” Emsing explained. “We are preparing to offer the Mass and sacraments and to be a spiritual father.”
“All of our preparations are tools to help us encounter Christ more deeply,” he added.
Jo Anne Rosenow, administrative assistant for the vocations office, credits the dedication of Father Edquist and the efforts of the team assisting at the event for helping to generate interest in seminarian support. “They have a love for the priesthood,” she said.
"For those who want to lend a hand to support priestly vocations, join or start a parish vocation ministry,” she said. “Save the date for the next Black Tie White Collar gala set for Sept. 18, 2026.”
Father Edquist, also pastor of Holy Family parish in LaPorte, believes that the prayerful generosity of the faithful has an immediate impact, and one that will also pay dividends in the years to come.
“I know that the seminarians are grateful for all the support of the benefactors who are helping them by raising funds for their education,” Father Edquist said. “The people here really love them, and they’re very generous to them – they really want them to flourish.
He concluded, “When people invest in the education of our future priests, they’re investing in the next 50 or 60 years – if God wills it – that those men will then give back. That return on investment will be so much more.”
National Vocation Awareness Week will be celebrated Nov. 2-8. For more information, contact the Office of Vocations, (219) 769-9292.
Caption: Father Nathaniel Edquist (left) and Bishop Robert J. McClory (right) stand with Guardian Angel Award winner Jack Serletic on stage at the Black Tie White Collar Gala on Sept. 19 at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville. The dinner benefit to support those called to the priesthood featured introductions of seminarians, silent and live auctions and music. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
