by Joe Bollig
joe.bollig@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Every priest appreciates a little thank-you now and then, but he might appreciate a gas card or aGPS system even more.
Fortunately, those are just two of the items that priests from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph might receive at the 18th annual Priests and Seminarians Appreciation Day, to be held on Sept. 15 at the Leawood South Country Club.
Corporate sponsors are Robert E. Miller Insurance Agency, Sioux Chief Manufacturing, andDon Kincaid. “It’s a great event and a great way to say ‘thank you’ to our clergy,” said John Muehlberger, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Shawnee. He and his wife Joanie are serving as the archdiocese’s co-chairs of the event. As in the past, the event will feature a morning and afternoon of golf. This year, however, it will also include poker and gin rummy tournaments for those who don’t play golf. A barbecue and awards dinner will follow.
“Our main function is to build a bridge between the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, for the laity and clergy participating in this event,” said Muehlberger. “This is all to show appreciation for our priests who do so much for us,” said Robert E. Miller. “We owe them a lot. This is their day.”
Last year approximately 400 people took part in the event, he said, and support and participation by parishioners from both sides of the state line are needed to make it a success again this year. Individual golfers may play for $150, and card players for $50. The cost of sponsoring a priest or seminarian for golf is $150, or $50 for cards. Black suit sponsorships are $300, and priest gift pack sponsorships are $100, $250, or $500. Event sponsorships are available as well. They range in cost from $300 for a fee/hole sponsorship to $7,500 for an event patron.
“The dinner is free for all sponsors,” said Miller. Proceeds from the event will be shared equally between the two dioceses and a gift will be given to Conception Seminary, which educates seminarians from Kansas and Missouri, said Muehlberger. More than $100,000 in donations will be distributed at the benefit.
All priests in attendance at any portion of the event will receive gifts and be automatically entered in a drawing to win prizes of trips, clerical suits, or gift packs of items ranging from GPS systems to gas cards to MP3 players. Seminarians will receive $250 cash. For information on how to sponsor or register, call Shelly Kelly at (913) 522- 3352 or Bob Miller at (816) 665-3333. Payment and registration information can be sent to: Bob Miller, 18th Annual Golf Classic, 118 W. 119th St., Kansas City, MO 64145.
