The Big Smoke was a big success

To members of the Serra Club of North Central North Dakota, it seemed like a great idea to help fulfill their mission as supporters of seminarians, women religious, and others in religious formation: sell a limited number of tickets at $35 per person for a dinner featuring five priests and a deacon as cooks and smokers of meat in competition with one another. The idea was shaped into “The Big Smoke.”
 
When it became a reality, club president Michael Ruelle termed the result a “fantastic success.” The event was staged July 10 at St. John the Apostle in Minot. About 300 people attended, including priests, deacons, and seminarians as guests.
 
Before dinner, Bishop Kagan celebrated Mass with several priests in con-celebration.
 
After Mass, guests circulated through a social hour that featured a silent auction and beverages. A brass band, featuring Marcy and John Witteman, Pat Schwan, and Joseph Alme, all of Minot, and Pat Connole, Mohall, provided entertainment.
 
To add to the jovial event, freshly-brewed beer was provided by Fr. Justin Waltz, pastor of St. Leo the Great in Minot. He was also one of the priest competitors in the cook-off. The others were his brother, Fr. Joshua Waltz, director of vocations for the diocese; Fr. David Richter, pastor of St. John the Apostle; Fr. Corey Nelson, recently named pastor of St. Thomas in Tioga; Fr. Adam Maus, pastor of churches at Mohall, Lansford, and Sherwood; and Deacon Charles Kramer of Minot.
 
The Big Smoke was the idea of Fr. Maus, chaplain of the Serra Club. In addition to smoking ribs, Deacon Kramer provided exotic appetizers such as smoked pheasant, smoked frog legs, pork belly, cornbread, and beans and sausage.
 
Event brings camaraderie
 
“Those priests were really fired up,” Ruelle said. “It was wonderful to see them working together.” Father Justin Waltz echoed those comments noting, “This creates unity among priests and is a great opportunity for priests and seminarians to hang out together.” Observers could sense this camaraderie as they moved about, inside and outside, carving meat and separating it into edible portions to be served with other food for the crowd.
 
The priest/deacon competitors worked hard, cooking 120 racks of baby back ribs, 60 pounds of beef brisket, and 60 pounds of pulled pork. Father Maus added a large quantity of barbecue sauce to the mix.
 
The competitors set up their machinery under a tent just outside the church. Fathers Maus and Nelson brought their dogs along for personal support. All the competitors wore t-shirts with the face of a pig imprinted on front that Deacon Kramer provided. Several sported weird, pink, piggy hats. Before the night was over, the beer and the brisket ran out.
 
Winner chosen
 
The final event of the evening was the judging of the meat by a group of seminarians and one priest selected by Fr. Joshua Waltz. Making up that group: Rev. Greg Luger who was recently ordained and is serving at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck, and seminarians Jacob Magnuson, Brandon Wolf, Gregory Crane, Mark Aune, Grant Dvorak, and Dominic Bouck. As they sampled and voted, none of the judges knew whose ribs they were eating.
 
Father Corey Nelson was declared the winning “smoker,” having received four votes, the most any one contestant received; other votes were scattered. None were cast for Fathers Justin and Joshua Waltz. The winner’s prize of a traveling trophy was presented to Fr. Nelson by Ruelle. He gave the Waltz brothers a book titled, “Grilling For Dummies.”
 
As the night ended, Fr. Joshua Waltz expressed his gratitude for the work of the Serra Club and of the Knights of Columbus in support of diocesan seminarians.
 
“We are breaking ground in our diocese…I have a lot of joy in my heart for what you people are doing. It’s part of what makes vocations happen. I would estimate it costs about a quarter of a million dollars to educate a priest. God is doing something beautiful and amazing in this diocese, and you people are helping to spearhead what is happening here.” He introduced the 14 seminarians who came to The Big Smoke. Currently, there are 27 men in priestly formation in the diocese.
 
As this was written, Ruelle estimated the event raised close to $10,000, including $2,230 from the silent auction. Thanks to the event organizers’ time, effort, and other resources to the success of The Big Smoke, “My guess is we will be back next year bigger and better,” he said.