Comedy and Cuisine

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And, until we meet again,

May God hold you in the

hollow of His hand.

The number of students she taught can be counted,

but the number of lives she has touched cannot.

Her sweet smile and gentle spirit will be dearly missed,

but never forgotten.

We miss you Rose...Our Treasure

2010 Comedy & Cuisine HonorsThe Wilwerding Family as Great Family

Acts of Service

Over the years, Leo, along with his late wife,Marlene, served as stewards on countless projects at St. Cecilia Cathedral, for boththe parish and the school. The contributions of the Wilwerding family to St. Cecilia are countless… as well as priceless! The Wilwerding family have been directly involved in a plethora of volunteer projects for St.Cecilia. Their broad spectrum of service ranges from the many physical and restorative projects that involved painting, sanding, varnishing, insulating, welding, digging and building, to their presence and service as school board members, Cathedralfest captains, funeral lunch committee members, the list goes on and on. Sharing their talents and time with the St. Cecilia community was a way of life for Marlene and Leo. They lead by example, instilling these values in their children and children's-children which is evident in their stewardship today.

Acts of Love

Not only have there been countless acts of service by the Wilwerding family to St. Cecilia but the manner in which these acts of service were carried out truly demonstrates the self-less giving to St. Cecilia - their acts of Love. The personal dedication toeach of these acts of service, the sacrifice of time, and their belief that only the best is good enough for St. Cecilia is evident time after time.

The Wilwerding Children: A strong presence at St. Cecilia

For the last 60 years, there has been a Wilwerding attending St. Cecilia school almost every year. As a matter of fact, there are currently eight Wilwerding’sattending St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School consisting of the following seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
As you can see, the Wilwerding family brings three generations of service tothe school and the parish. We are delighted to honor and recognize their commitment to all things Cathedral.

Thank you Wilwerding Family

No one knew exactly what to expect in the early 1970s when the Archdiocese of Omaha started a program of ordaining married men as permanent deacons. Vatican II had recently revived the permanent diaconate, and dioceses around the world were figuring out how married men would serve as ministers in local churches.

Joked Father Pat McCaslin, the Omaha Archdiocese’s original director of the program, “We weren’t even sure if you spelled deaconate with a d-i or a d-e.”

The archdiocese’s first deacon class of 16 included four men from St. Cecilia Cathedral – Rev. Mr. Joe Archibald, Rev. Mr. Dave Gurney, Rev. Mr. Fred Sommer, and Rev. Mr. Jim Watson. They already were involved in the life of the Church. All were extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. Archibald, Gurney and Sommer were very active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

They soon showed parishioners what to expect: men who would devote much of their lives to service in the Church. They played important roles on the altar on weekends. And they took that spiritual energy with them to “be Christ in the world” all week.

Rev. Mr. Gurney and his wife, Helga, had eight children. Rev. Mr. Sommer and his wife, Virginia, had six children. Rev. Mr. Watson and his wife, Jean, had three children. Rev. Mr. Archibald was single, and very involved in the Knights of Columbus, Big Brothers and social justice work.

After a three-year formation, they were ordained June 24, 1973. Fr. Paul Peter, who was then pastor at St. Cecilia, gave the deacons tasks of leading baptism classes and preparing the prayers of the faithful. Fr. Peter also had the deacons organize a list of Cathedral parishioners in nursing homes, assisted living centers or otherwise homebound, and regularly visit them. “This became then a deacon thing,” said Fr. Michael Gutgsell, St. Cecilia pastor. To this day, Gurney “has a tremendous hospital and assisted living network, visiting people every week or two weeks,” Fr. Gutgsell said. The deacons also worked in marriage preparation.

Rev. Mr. Jim and Jean Watson were part of the archdiocese’s “Evenings for the Engaged.” In 1972, Watson told the Catholic Voice that deacons were called to be “men of commitment and faith . . . men attempting to meet the needs of the people of God in the 20th century.”

And the 21st century too, as it turns out. They have served for more than three decades. Rev. Mr. Sommer moved to St. Philip Neri in the 1980s and continued to serve as a deacon there, but always has maintained contact with St. Cecilia’s. Rev. Mr. Watson and Rev. Mr. Archibald served at Cathedral as deacons well into this decade, until injuries from accidents made it tough for them to get around. Rev. Mr. Gurney remains active as a deacon at the Cathedral.

“These guys really did set a pattern of what deacon would mean in the archdiocese,” Fr. McCaslin said. It was, he said, a pattern of “good, holy men with lots of empathy and accommodation of other people’s needs.” Cathedral’s first class of deacons, whom we honor tonight, quietly made their whole lives reflections of the service to which they were called.

Cathedral Chimes, November 1972

Pictured here are Dave Gurney, Fred Sommer, Jim Watson, and Joe Archibald, who are entering their 2nd year of the 3 year program that will see them ordained as deacons of the Catholic Church.

The deaconate program, though new to the 20th century Catholic, actually has its roots deep in Christian history. It was "re-discovered" by Vatican II.

The program is taught by Rev. Patrick McCaslin and has 18 men from the Archdiocese of Omaha. Classes are held twice each week and every sixth weekend is a workshop. The first year's program dealt with many facets of the Church, including scriptures, moral theology and Christian anthropology.

The entire purpose of becoming a deacon is to serve, said Jim Watson. Deacons are described as "men of commitment and faith… men attempting to meet the needs of the people of God in the 20th century. They are men who have been touched by Christ and want only to touch others with Christ."

Cathedral Chimes, March 1973

On June 24, 1973, eighteen men in the Archdiocese of Omaha will be ordained as deacons of the Catholic church, the 1st in our area since Vatican II renewed the program. Four of the 18 men are from the Cathedral parish.

Pictured here is one of Cathedral's first candidates, S. J. (Jim) Watson, 807 N. 48 Ave., with his wife, Jean and their three children.

"We asked Jim to tell us how he became involved in the deacon program. Jim said, "I used to follow the development of the permanent Deaconate closely after its revival by Vatican II. I thought - what a great idea - having married men as ministers in the church. It fit right in with the modernization of Catholicism that the Council had introduced."

"Talk about being in the right place at the right time, that's how I felt when I read in the True Voice that the Permanent Deacon program would be starting in Omaha. I came to the decision that God wanted me to do more than I was."

Cathedral Chimes, June 1973

Being ordained at Cathedral on June 24, 1973, into the Permanent Deacon program of the Catholic Church is Dave Gurney, the fourth candidate to be interviewed these past months in the Chimes.

Dave and Helga live at 3562 Cass and are pictured here with five of their eight children.

Asked about his interest in the Deaconate program, Dave said: "For a number of years (beginning in the Army) I sensed a sad futility in the lives of many. This, I believe stemed from no or too little understanding of the love of God."

"As the years passed, I have sought a means to integrate my own life and pass on (for whatever value) this knowledge and experience to those who would also seek God."

"Since Vatican II we have seen many changes that reflect the Spirit of Renewal, not the least of which has been the resumption of the permanent deacon. This idea was refreshing to me and has been ever growing since our early days in 1971."

"We have learned to know more intimately this Man, Jesus, and this has been done by studying his words and actions as he formed community and revealed the Father to them and to us."

"I wish to perpetuate this growth of community in the Spirit of Jesus that is servant - as husband, father, on the job, in worship, and in the community at large."

Cathedral Chimes, May 1973

Fred J. Sommer, Candidate for deacon from Cathedral, who will be ordained here June 24,
1973, is shown here with his wife, Virginia, and their three sons, Fred Jr., Robert and James. The Sommers also have three daughters, Susan, Cisily, and Patricia, who are married and away from home. Fred and Virginia reside at 4117 Lafayette and have been members of St. Cecilia's for over 20 years.

Fred had this to say about his candidacy: "I heard about the deacon program a couple of years ago. when the Omaha program was being formulated, I discussed it with Father Pat McCaslin, who is the director. 'Service' to people seemed to be a major part of the Deaconate program and this interested me most. I also wanted to learn more about a true Christian response to the spiritual needs of people."

"During the past two years I feel I have gained a deeper insight into the Gospels and teachings of Jesus - what they mean in my life and in the life of my family. I have also learned more about prayer, especially spontaneous prayer."

"Since the deacon training course included our wives for many of the sessions, Gin and I have grown together as Christians and as husband and wife. I hope to be able to share this Christian experience with as many people as I can."

"It is a great responsibility we men are assuming, and we humbly ask for your prayers that we will be able to serve to the best of our ability."

He is like Christ, a washer of the feet of others.

Cathedral Chimes, July 1973

The Omaha Archdiocesan permanent diaconate program, originating two years ago, is now a fact, as 16 men were ordained permanent deacons on June 24 here at Cathedral. Of these 16 men, four are Cathedralites and have been formally received into the parish today at each Mass.

Of these four deacons Father had this to say: "They are official 'helpers'. They have been specially trained and can be of great assistance in the church. I intend to utilize their services in a broad range of parish activities. I see the deacons as an extension of the priests, providing personal contact between parish and parishioner that priests are often unable to provide."

Cathedral Chimes, April 1973

Being ordained as a Deacon in the Catholic Church on June 24, 1973, is Joe Archibald, one of Cathedral's four candidates.

Asked how he became involved in the program, Joe said, "I have always been interested in ways to be of service to people. I never got into a career that would enable me to do this for a living, and I
envy the work of doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers and the like. So I have tried to do things in my spare time to compensate for this, and this led me to be active in such organizations as the
Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Big Brothers. When I heard the announcement of Vatican II regarding the Permanent Deaconate, it sounded like something else I might like to do to help others. In a class for lay communion distributors Father Jerry Millenkarnp spoke about the deaconate program, and further planted the seed of interest in me. When it was finally announced that such a program was to be initiated in the Omaha Archdiocesan area, I was ready."

"Just where it will lead me from here I am not sure, but so far, I know I have received considerably more from it than I have put into it. I have received far more theology education than I would have obtained otherwise; it has updated my ideas of church; it has deepened my faith; and it has made me a part of a real living Christian Community in the deaconate group itself."