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January 8, 2018The Knights of Columbus Council 6310 of Belfield was presented an International Supreme Service Award Program by the Knights of Columbus at the 2017 Supreme Convention of the group.
The council award was for third place in the Church Service competition. The Knights of Columbus is an international organization comprised of over 15,000 councils and nearly 1.9 million members.
The Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind event, which was initiated in 2016, earned the council their award. Council membership is comprised of men from three Belfield Catholic parishes: St. Bernard, St. John Ukrainian and St. Demetrius Ukrainian. The program has been so well accepted that the council members plan to offer the event annually for priesthood seminary students.
“We did not expect the project would be this well accepted,” Council 6310 member Roger Decker said after North Dakota Knights of Columbus State Deputy Larry Lewandowski presented the Belfield council the award as the third best project in the world.
Council 6310 Grand Knight Bruce Baer said, “This (Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind) increased the awareness of the responsibility of the church laity to support our seminarians. The event also directly demonstrated to seminarians the power of a parish family, united for a just cause.”
The event, the brainchild of Steven Vetter and Decker, was designed to give Bismarck Diocese seminarians a breather from their studies and schedules. The June event is open to all priesthood seminary students and is coordinated with Fr. Josh Waltz, diocese vocations director.
Vetter and Decker formed the original committee with brother knights Rudy Syminow and Tom Tessier and the event was off and running. Vetter, now a seminary student himself, has stepped aside leaving Decker, Syminow and Tessier to manage the event. Council 6310 worked with St. Bernard’s pastor, Fr. Bill Ruelle, and enlisted the aid of the Catholic Daughters members of 2148 Mother of Perpetual Help.
Father Ruelle emphasized the concept of parish unity. “Seeing the many ways in which our parish came together for a good cause made me very proud to be the pastor of St. Bernard’s . . . I know that it is always edifying for our Catholic people to see how full of faith and joy our seminarians are and many people enjoy having the chance to get to know these men, one of whom may be their priest one day.”
“This was a community event, much larger than the Knights of Columbus,” Decker said of the two-day event. “We eat, visit, laugh and pray during this event. We enjoy the outdoors and become more acquainted with the seminarians. These men may be our future spiritual leaders. This a fun project for all involved and we look forward to continuing this project.”
The Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind event includes interaction with local landowners to minimize damage to rangelands caused by prairie dogs. One of the activities includes a hunt for the vermin.
Syminow added, “Some of the seminarians had never handled a firearm before. They were given a safety course on gun handling by Roger (Decker). It was a good time for the seminarians to mingle with each other and get to know the community. Several of the seminarians said it was one of their highlights of the year.”
Father Chris Kadrmas, judicial vicar for the Diocese of Bismarck who grew up at St. Charles Parish in Bowman, said the event gives the young seminary students a chance to bring seminary study and real life together in a great venue.
He said the Seminarian Getaway is “a great mixture of all the things that are great about North Dakota: the wide-open spaces, the rural life, the camaraderie of all of us gathering together . . . It shows the greatness of western North Dakota, its people, and it primes us, gets us ready, especially these seminarians, to dedicate their lives to these good people.”
The third annual Seminarian Getaway: Unload and Unwind will be held in June of 2018, Decker announced.