2003 Diocesan Distinguished Service Awards to be presented to five New Ulm diocesan leaders March 20 at Bishop Lucker Lecture

Redwood Falls, MN - On March 20, 2003, in conjunction with the 1st Annual Bishop Raymond A. Lucker Lecture to be held at the Redwood Falls Community Center, Redwood Area Schools, 100 George Ramseth, Redwood Falls, MN, Bishop John C. Nienstedt will present the 2003 Diocesan Distinguished Service Awards to five New Ulm diocesan leaders.

The awards will be presented at the Little Theater in the Community Center following the talk by Bishop Robert F. Morneau, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, WI, who will speak on Salt, Leaven and Light: A Vatican II Spirituality.

Bishop Morneau has recently published a new book, Pennies From Heaven. The book blends down-to-earth humor with profound spiritual insight. He shows how poetry and art lift the human mind and imagination and can help transform the human person into a sign of redemption. Bishop Morneau has authored numerous books as well as conducted retreats and lectured extensively throughout the United States.

The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. followed by a reception at 8:45 p.m.

2003 Diocesan Service Award Recipients

Sr. Kathryn Schoolmeesters, SSND, is the Pastoral Administrator of St. John Parish, Hector. Her home parish is St. Gertrude’s, Forest City. She grew up on a farm, near Litchfield, the oldest of Ann and the late Leander’s nine children. In 1965, she entered the Mankato Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Sister Kathryn has served parishes in the Diocese of New Ulm in Watkins, Rosen, Clements and Hector. She has been involved in Riverbend TEC (Together Encountering Christ), as Assistant Spiritual Director. Her involvement also includes the Sisters’ Council, the Committee on Parishes, and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. Sr. Kathryn was recently elected to the Provincial Leadership Team of her community and will be leaving her diocesan ministry in June.

Lila Schmidt is a member of St. Eloi Parish, Ghent. She and her husband, Dale, have been married for twenty-four years and are the parents of four children ranging in age from a junior in college to a sixth-grader. Lila is self-employed, raising a flock of one hundred and twenty ewes.

Her diocesan service includes being a representative and chairperson for the Region III Pastoral Council, a Bishop’s Delegate to the Diocesan Pastoral Council, and a representative on the Committee for Parishes. Lila has been especially active in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, serving as President, Parliamentarian and a member of various Commissions.

She is currently the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Organization Commission Coordinator and the Secretary of the National Council of Catholic Women, St. Paul/Minneapolis Province.

Herb Brunner is a member of Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Parish, New Ulm. He grew up on a farm near St. George and attended the parish school. The family moved to Detroit, Michigan where he completed elementary and high school. After a three-year stint in the military, Herb worked for the Hudson Motor Car Company, in Detroit.

He returned to New Ulm to work for the city as a cemetery custodian, a position he held for thirty years. Herb and his wife, Berdell (Weber), who died in 1969, had three children. He recently retired from the Diocesan Marriage Preparation Program, after nearly a decade of service.

Maria and Steve Zenk, are members of St. Mary Parish, Willmar, and reside in Danube. Maria grew up in Bird Island and Steve in Olivia. They have been married for almost fifteen years and are the parents of a daughter, Katie.

The Zenks own and operate a small family farm. In addition, Maria works for The State Bank of Bird Island and Steve is a licensed Farm Business Management Instructor with Ridgewater College of Willmar and Hutchinson. Since 1994, the Zenks have been a presenter couple in the Diocesan Marriage Preparation Program. They specialize in "Finances in Marriage" and "Parenting" issues. The couple was also involved in diocesan youth and young adult ministry in the 1980’s.