Fr.
Craig Timmerman - he’s one competitive guy!
by Samantha Schommer
When one thinks of an
energetic person with an outgoing personality, one might think of Fr. Craig
Timmerman, a newly ordained priest of the Diocese of New Ulm. He is also a man
of high character with his life centered on his faith and.
. . .he likes to play sports!
"I think sports are a
good way to build discipline and character.
This dynamic priest enjoys
playing all types of sports. He played both basketball and football in high
school, but he has always been interested in playing sports .
In high school, Fr. Craig played as a guard on the basketball team and as a
receiver and an outside linebacker on the football team. His favorite thing to
do in football was to return kicks.
These days, one can find Fr.
Craig playing basketball in a men's league two or three times a week in New
Ulm.
"Guys who used to play
when they were younger just show up. We divide up into teams and just play for about an hour and a half. The guys range from 18 to 60, but
we have lots of fun," he said.
Fr. Craig also likes to go
biking and running as well.
"When I was growing up
on the farm I would go biking all the time, but I like to go now just to get
out in the open air and exercise," he proclaimed.
The active priest, who enjoys
any physical activity, always gives 110 percent in every competitive sport he
encounters. Fr. Craig likes competition and any sort of activity that will get
his heart pumping.
"I'm a very active
person and I like sports because it's a good form of exercise to get rid of
some energy," he stated.
With only a few bloody noses,
sprained ankles, and a broken pinky, Fr. Craig has been fairly lucky as far as
injuries go, considering how active he is. When it comes to sports teams, Fr.
Craig is definitely a
Basketball, football,
bicycling, and running may be fun for Fr. Craig, but none of these compare to
his ultimate favorite sport, "Rolle Bolle."
Rolle Bolle is a Belgian sport in
which you take a ball made of heavy rubber or wood and roll it down an ally
similar to a horseshoe court with two pegs on each side of the court. There are
three people on a team: the leader who tries to get the bolle
closest to the peg, the shooter who attempts to shoot the other team's bolle out of the way (like in boche
ball) and a "middle person" who does both shooting and rolling. The
game is played to eight points. You score one point by having the bolle closest to the peg at the end of a round.
Rolle Bolle is played in very few
places in the world, but
Fr. Craig enjoys playing Rolle Bolle because it was always
a family affair. "Anyone from five to 85 can play and compete and have
fun," he said.
Fr. Craig was ordained to the
Deaconate in October, 2003, and served the parish of Holy Redeemer, Marshall,
the following year. He was ordained a priest in July of 2005, and served the
parishes of St. Anne, Wabasso; St. Mary, Seaforth;
Our Lady of Victory, Lucan; and St. Mathias,Wanda. He returned to
Samantha Schommer is a
Junior at Holy Trinity High School, Winsted, daughter of Pat and Lisa Schommer, a Diocesan Youth Council member and an active
member of TEC.