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Archbishop’s Dinner to be held on Nov. 21
Susan Thompson
for Smoky River Express
A supper is being hosted by Archbishop Gerard Pettipas and many local volunteers on Nov. 21 at the Chevaliers Centre in Falher.
Archbishop Pettipas, formerly a pastor in Grande Prairie, was ordained a bishop and moved to McLennan in the seat of the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan. The archdiocese was short on money to meet its many commitments, so an idea to have a supper with “the people” was initiated to raise awareness of the realities of the archdiocese and to raise necessary funds.
“I like to think of it not only as a fundraiser, but also a fun-raiser,” Archbishop Pettipas says.
There have been similar suppers in the past, hosted in High Prairie, Peace River and Grande Prairie. The first dinners were successful, and other parts of the archdiocese wanted to become involved in similar events.
The suppers are rotated through the archdiocese, allowing each deanery to have a supper once every two and a half years. This fall is the McLennan deanery’s turn. The McLennnan deanery includes parishes in Donnelly, Eaglesham, Falher, Girouxville, Guy, Marie-Reine, McLennan, St. Isidore and Tangent.
“This is an occasion to meet the archbishop and spend quality time with him,” says volunteer Carmen Ewing. “It’s an elegant evening created to help the archdiocese.”
Cocktails will begin at 5:30 p.m., with supper being served at 6 p.m.
The supper is a semi-formal catered supper. Catering will be provided by Whitemud Catering of Peace River.
“We are selling 400 tickets,” says Ewing. “They will cost $25 per person.”
The evening will feature a presentation on the Many Tiles in the Mosaic of the Church, presented by Archbishop Pettipas.
“There are many needs in our area,” says Archbishop Pettipas, explaining where the funds will be directed. “At this point in time, I’m looking at a few key things. We have two young men in the seminary studying to be priests. We have the needs of Oblate priests who served this diocese over many years and now are in retirement or need nursing care. We are also promoting youth ministry throughout the archdiocese by encouraging parishes and deaneries to offer retreats or youth rallies. Most of these parishes have few financial resources for this, so we at the archdiocesan offices are helping them with some seed money.”
There will also be a live auction, with all proceeds going to the archdiocese. Organizers are requesting volunteers to come forward to help promote the dinner, sell tickets, be on the decorations committee, and help fundraise.
The committee would like to find an individual from every parish in the region to help promote the occasion.
Local organizations are also asked to donate cash to the night, or donate an item for the auction.
“We need 40 servers to volunteer their time on Nov. 21 to help serve the catered supper,” says Ewing. “Servers will be provided with supper and a training period to learn the protocol and traffic pattern for a smooth operation.”
Tickets for this dinner are available at any of the parishes in the deanery, or at the chancery office in McLennan at 780-324-3002.
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