A faith-filled gathering of friends

Father Haemmerle honored at reunion

By David Eck

DAYTON DEANERY — Father Gerald R. Haemmerle, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Kettering and former president/rector of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, was given the Athenaeum Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award Aug. 17 at the association’s reunion at Bergamo Center in Dayton.

Father Haemmerle, who served as president/rector from 1997-2004, also spent 12 years at the Athenaeum as a student, completing his high school, college and theology formation there. He was ordained in 1967.

In receiving the award, he spoke of his days as a student at the Athenaeum and his fondness for the institution.

"One of the qualities we all have is an intense love of the Athenaeum," he said. "We received wonderful training and wonderful education."

CNS POTO/E.L. HUBBARD

Father Joe Bruening looks over items at a silent auction offered at the Athenaeum reunion.

"I have a great love for the Athenaeum," he said. "In many ways, it had a tremendous impact on forming me. I received that as a student there and was able to be on the other end and help form new generations of church ministries."

Father Haemmerle learned earlier this summer that he would receive the award.

"To be singled out again is flattering. It’s satisfying," he said. "Almost a third of my life was spent connected with the Athenaeum. Having gone back there, I became more aware of the importance of that institution for the archdiocese and the church in general."

As president/rector, Father Haemmerle sought to modernize seminarian housing by creating individual suites and helped raise money for the Athenaeum. A program to give seminarians an opportunity to study in the Holy Land was established, and he instituted an exchange program with Honduras.

Among his goals was to raise the visibility of the Athenaeum.

"The Athenaeum basically is the training place for leadership in our parishes," Father Haemmerle said. "Your priests are trained there. Your permanent deacons are trained there. Your lay pastoral ministers are also trained there, many of them. It has a tremendous impact on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."

He was asked to return to the Athenaeum as president/rector by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk.

"I was a bit reluctant to leave parish work, which is my first love," Father Haemmerle said. "I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of going there, but I felt if that’s what the archbishop wanted, I should give it a try. I have not regretted that, either. Once I got there, I think I really got into it and hopefully did a good job. In a sense, the award is somewhat of an affirmation of that."

About 125 people attended the reunion, including priests, deacons, pastoral ministers and friends. Several priests ordained in the past year or two, including Fathers Reynaldo Taylor, Ron Haft and Christopher Coleman, were among those attending the reunion.

The reunion, the first ever held in Dayton, will be an annual event. Previously, reunions were held every three years at the Athenaeum. The last reunion was in 2005.

"We want to invite our alumni back more frequently," said Walt Schaefer, the Athenaeum’s communications director.

By holding annual reunions, the event will become more regular — and perhaps more visible. Annual reunions will also allow officials to hold events in more places around the archdiocese, officials said.

The evening featured a sit-down dinner and entertainment by Jim and Connie Prenger, a country singing and comedic couple from Minster. The Prengers are parishioners at St. Augustine Parish in Minster.

Among the highlights of the evening was a silent auction of more than 40 items ranging from local restaurant gift certificates to condominiums in the Smoky Mountains and Florida to a reproduction of a Leon Lippert painting valued at more than $1,000.

"This is one of the few events that gets-together the priests, deacons and lay ministers just to socialize," said Father Edward Smith, president/rector of the Athenaeum. "This is one of the few things that gets us all together without (being involved) in work."

The reunion got under way with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Pilarczyk. More than a dozen priests, processing in and out of the chapel at Bergamo Center two by two, concelebrated.

Archbishop Pilarczyk spoke of God’s love during his homily.

"God has loved us also in the duration of time," the archbishop said. "The years and the decades of service ministry that we have offered the church are a sign to us that the love of the Lord is not just a springtime affection but a deep and lasting commitment to us that has expressed itself throughout much of our lifetime. God’s life is an eternal now, and God loves us in that eternal now.

"And through us, God has also loved His people," the archbishop said. "Our life and our dedication to the church has been an instrument and a sign to others that God has been loving them, too. One of the greatest gifts of God’s love to the Christian believer is the call to share that love with others. God has loved us in what He has given us. God has love us and loved His church in what He has enabled us to give to others."

The archbishop was also thankful.

"I thank the Lord in your name for the love that He has shown to each of you in so many ways," Archbishop Pilarczyk said. "As the leader of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, I thank the Lord for everything that His love has given to His people through your life of faith and dedication. Thank you for what you have given to the church. Thank you for loving one another as Christ has loved you."