Jerry and Julaine Balbach of New Ulm and Kevin and Teresa Kuester of Glencoe have been named the 2004 New Ulm Diocesan Distinguished Service Award recipients. Both couples have been recognized for their long-time involvement as presenters in the New Ulm diocesan Marriage Preparation Program.

On March 18, 2004, Bishop John C. Nienstedt will present the Diocesan Distinguished Service Award to these four diocesan leaders. The awards ceremony is part of the 2nd Annual Bishop Raymond A. Lucker Lecture which will be held again at the Performing Arts Center, Redwood Area Schools, 100 George Ramseth, Redwood Falls, MN.

The awards will be presented following a talk by Sr. Donna Markham, O.P., newly elected Prioress of her Adrian Dominican Community. Sister holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit and will speak on Leading in Hope. Her lecture will focus on the need to be hopeful witnesses of Jesus even when the events around us may be troubling or distressing. The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by a reception at 8:45 p.m. There are still tickets available. Last year’s event drew an audience of over 350 people.

For further information please contact the Pastoral Center, (507) 359-2966, email: dnu@dnu.org.

Jerry and Julaine Balbach have been lifelong residents of New Ulm where they are members of Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Parish. Both are graduates of Cathedral High School in New Ulm and have continued their involvement in New Ulm Area Catholic Schools (NUACS) and parish activities.

Jerry works in sales at Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories and Julaine is office manager at Farasyn Construction Company. They are the parents of three daughters, Bryanna, Kacie and Jordan. For nearly fifteen years, the couple has been involved in the diocesan Marriage Preparation Program. They specialize in presentations on "Communication in Marriage" and "Dealing with Conflict." Julaine and Jerry look upon their service as an "opportunity to give back to the diocese." Receiving this award is "an honor" and "humbling" because they "truly enjoy the marriage preparation service."

Kevin and Teresa Kuester reside in rural Glencoe and enjoy the country life with their two children, Savannah and Ryan. The couple will celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary this summer. They are both involved in parish and school activities at St. Pius X in Glencoe.

Kevin is employed by Seneca Corporation as an electrician. Teresa currently teaches in the Glencoe-Silver Lake School district. Prior to this position, she was a teacher and then became principal at St. Pius X.

The Kuester’s have been involved in the diocesan Marriage Preparation Program for six years. Their presentations focus on the topics of "Career," "Finances," and "Parenting." The couple "looks forward to more opportunities to help in the New Ulm diocese in the future."