Connecting faith and food

It’s said that food brings people closer through shared experiences. This is certainly true for Bismarck resident, Celia Sattler.

No one knows better how food can connect people even across vast cultural differences than Celia. She’s spent countless hours in and out of the kitchen bringing people together. Her efforts are being honored by the Caritas Award sponsored by the Catholic Charities North Dakota. The annual award is given to those who exemplify the bringing of faith, hope and love to God’s people. Caritas is the Latin term for charity.

Celia was nominated by Fr. Josh Ehli, rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

In his nomination letter, he wrote, “Celia is a person of Spanish descent and has a strong connection with the local Hispanic community. Without prompting from anyone, she has taken the initiative to serve as a vital communication link between the Catholic Church and the Spanish-speaking people in this area. She carries out the work of evangelization by inviting the Spanish-speaking community to attend Mass and to receive the sacraments.”

One of her most recent roles involve assisting the Spanish sisters from the Daughters of Mary Immaculate of Guadalupe who arrived in the diocese in 2014 to serve the Hispanic communities of western North Dakota. The sisters, based in Williston, maintain a close connection to Celia.

But Celia’s service to the people of our diocese began long before this.

She grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, one of eight siblings, coming to the United States at age 17 in search of a better life. Raised Catholic, she said her mom tried to pass on the faith as best she could, but it was just the basics.

It wasn’t until Celia married her husband, Tony, that her faith really blossomed.

“God sent me an angel from heaven in my husband, Tony,” she said. “Our faith really grew here as members of Cathedral parish.”

Celia met Tony, a native of Richardton, when his military service brought him to San Diego, California in the 1970s. She was a divorced mom focused on raising her two young children. A new relationship was the furthest thing from her mind when a neighbor convinced her to be introduced to Tony Sattler. The neighbor’s husband was also from North Dakota, and they thought Celia and Tony should meet.

Celia and Tony married in 1979 and added two more children to the family. After several years, Tony convinced Celia to move to North Dakota in 1992. Here, they owned and operated the authentic Mexican restaurant, Los Amigos, first in Mandan and then relocating it to Bismarck. After 15 years of work in the restaurant business, Celia and Tony retired 14 years ago. They were married 44 years when Tony passed away in January 2023.

Celia admits that the restaurant business is a tough career. The hours are long, and it is strenuous work. An added challenge was to convince North Dakotans to accept authentic Mexican cuisine. Once they taste it, there’s no convincing needed. But having worked in an upscale restaurant in San Diego, Celia was also armed with some wonderful American food recipes that many customers have enjoyed over the years, especially at banquets and large gatherings.

Their strong connection to the Catholic Church began almost immediately after moving here. A year after opening their restaurant in Mandan, a local priest came to ask about catering for a banquet, but he wanted American food served to over 200 people. Celia happily obliged. Soon, more priests requested the Sattler’s help with banquets and fundraisers. For 10 years, Celia and Tony hosted a benefit for the God’s Child Project. Celia said their catering staff often included monks from the abbey in Richardton.

For anyone who came calling from the Church, Celia’s response was always, “I’d love to help.”

This willingness to help included catering for more than a few diocesan seminarians celebrating their ordination with a big banquet and other fundraisers for Catholic schools—sometimes all Mexican food, sometimes all American and sometimes a lot of both. Generously, she and Tony would only charge for the cost of the food. It was their way of giving back to the diocese.

But Celia will always rely on her Spanish roots and authentic Mexican food as her specialty.

Father Ehli noted in his nomination letter for Celia, “I have also observed Celia volunteering her time and talent by utilizing her wonderful cooking skills. There have been countless times that Celia has prepared authentic Mexican food and contributed proceeds from the sale of the food to various parish ministries and to the Light of Christ Catholic Schools. She also donates some of her fundraiser earnings to support the underprivileged in Mexico. For years, Celia has also prepared meals for our diocesan seminarians' summer retreat.”

Beyond her generous ways and love of cooking is Celia’s servant heart rooted in her Catholic faith. She says she’s grateful to have experienced many miracles in her life. She can often be found sitting in Eucharistic adoration of Our Lord prayerfully asking Him, “Show me what else I can do.”

Father Ehli added, “One can see the 'light' that exudes from Celia, and this is her faith. Celia evangelizes others through her love for Jesus and how she brings others into the faith.”

Award luncheon

Celia will be honored for her service to the people of the diocese at the Catholic Charities North Dakota Caritas award luncheon on Tuesday, May 14 at the Church of the Ascension in Bismarck. The public is invited to attend. RSVP to Melinda Ellsworth of Catholic Charities of North Dakota by emailing [email protected] no later than Monday, May 6. An RSVP is required due to limited capacity.