HOBART – Three hundred guests emptied their wallets as they filled their stomachs at the annual Black Tie, White Collar Gala hosted by the Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Gary held at Avalon Manor on Sept. 20.
Live and online auctions raised tens of thousands of dollars as supporters of priestly donations bought everything from a Pablo Picasso lithograph to a seven-day trip to the Tuscany region of Italy. The auctioneer from Sayre & Jones Auctioneers LTD coaxed higher bids with donor games and humorous patter after guests dined on medallions of beef and grilled chicken breasts at tables festooned in gold-and-black décor.
Bishop Robert J. McClory thanked those in attendance for their support for religious vocations and honored the Diocese of Gary’s newest priests, Father Steven Caraher and Father Zachary Glick, by reading the scripture verses from the holy cards they chose to mark their June 1 ordination.
A video introduced the audience to the 10 current Diocese of Gary seminarians, who traveled to the gala from their current seminaries in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan specifically to meet and thank their benefactors. “The work of the diocese wouldn’t be possible without you,” said Father Nate Edquist, diocesan vocations director.
Bishop Noll Institute principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick, who co-emceed the program with Louie Cain of St. John the Evangelist in St. John, put it succinctly: “Without priests, we wouldn’t have the Eucharist, and without the Eucharist, we don’t have a Church.”
Deacon Ivan Alatorre, scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood next June along with Deacon Alex Kouris, spoke of “the remarkable blessing” it was to be ordained a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Gary last June along with Deacon Kouris and 14 permanent deacons.
“I had the great blessing to serve the people of St. Paul in Valparaiso last summer, where I got to perform my first two baptisms,” he added.
Deacon Kouris said his favorite part of the diaconate is preaching, which he had the privilege of doing at half of the Masses at St. James the Less in Highland last summer thanks to pastor Father Greg Bim-Merle.
“He was a wonderful mentor, not afraid to speak up when I needed to change something, and not afraid to praise or critique me as I needed it. I learned from watching him preach and as it relates to running his parish, too,” explained Deacon Kouris.
“The first thing I do when preparing a homily is to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me, and on the day I preach, I’m just thinking to follow what the Holy Spirit wants me to tell the people, and if they understand Christ in a new way, my job is done, thanks to the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Knowing the next eight months will go by quickly, Deacon Kouris is already planning for his priestly ordination, having selected his chalice and the photo for his holy card. He is also working with Knights of Columbus Marquette Council 3631 in Griffith, where he is a member, to choose his first vestments, which the Marquette Council has generously offered as a gift to him.
“I write to all the seminarians regularly, and they write back,” said Barbara Shinovich, a Winfield resident and Our Lady of Consolation in Merrillville parishioner who came to the gala with her husband, Jim Shinovich. “I’ve met them all; I went to the baseball game they played versus the priests last summer.”
“Our parish had a prayer day during Vocation Awareness Week about four years ago and provided note cards to write to the seminarians. I sent one to each of them and then just continued writing to them,” Shinovich explained. “I tell them everyday things and about funny things that happen, and my husband helps me tell them about sports, especially teams I like. I send recipes to Gianni DiTola, because he likes to cook.”
Michael Fish, a Michigan City resident and member of the Presbyterian Church of America, a conservative Calvinist denomination, took the title of the gala seriously and made a dapper appearance in his tuxedo and black tie in attendance for the first time with his wife, a Serra Club member. The couple attend St. Stanislaus Kostka in Michigan City together, and he was happy to support Catholic vocations.
“I support what the Catholic Church is doing,” he said. “I’m upset about the direction our country is going, but I see a ripple of a revival and I think folks are going back to church.”
Marvin Scofield of Valparaiso attended the gala as the guest of Susan Gryfakis, past president of the Serra Club for Northwest Indiana, the local chapter of an international group that supports Catholic religious vocations. “It is a good cause,” Scofield said of the annual fundraiser. “I’m not Catholic, but I support Christian living and the teachings of Christ.”
The Guardian Angels Award, established a year ago to recognize someone in the Diocese of Gary who has helped assist Diocese of Gary seminarians and other young men considering a call to priestly service, was presented to Jim Thiel, of St. John, an expert cabinetmaker. Thiel was first commissioned in 2009 to create a wooden vocations cross that displayed small photos of each seminarian and could be hosted by a family for a month while they prayed intentionally for more religious vocations. He has since made 140 traveling vocations crosses that are distributed by parishes and schools.
Deacon Alatorre challenged the audience “to encourage more men to enter the seminary. “Pray for more vocations and pray for us,” said the seminarian.
Caption: Seminarians gather on stage bookended by vocations office officials Father Jacob McDaniel (left), chaplain of St. Teresa Center for Catholic Students in Valparaiso and Father Nathaniel Edquist (right), pastor of Holy Family Parish in LaPorte during the annual Black Tie White Collar gala on September 20 at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville. Supporters of priestly vocations prayed, dined, danced, played games, bid on auction items and generally had fellowship with the discerners. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)