Seminarians and newly-ordained Fr. Anthony Smela close the Gala with a
set of upbeat, inspirational songs—to avid applause from the attendees.
WILL WE SEE YOU NEXT YEAR?
Why not mark your calendar now to attend the Twenty-first Annual
Archbishop’s Gala on Friday, June 15, 2018? It’s great fun for a great
cause. Archbishop Vigneron, Monsignor Lajiness, and the seminarians
of Sacred Heart hope to see you there.
gifts donated by edmund T. Ahee Jewelers,
Showerman’s Fine Wine and Liquor, Tom
and Carol Cracchiolo, Corporate Travel
Service, and friends of Sacred Heart. Many
guests took the opportunity to have their
photos taken with host Archbishop Allen
Vigneron. Splendid choral and orchestral
work performed by students from St. Cath-
erine of Siena Academy of Wixom, Michi-
gan, enhanced the cheerful mood.
The main program in the ballroom began
at seven o’clock with a welcome by rector
Msgr. Todd Lajiness. Next came an atten-
tion-grabbing video, “Shift.” It focused on
Archbishop Vigneron’s call for the people
and parishes of the archdiocese—and espe-
cially the archdiocese’s central services—to
shift focus: to become more “mission-
driven” and less “maintenance-driven.” A
second video shown later in the progr am,
“Called,” presented an inspiring depiction
of the mystical call to serve the Church as
a priest.
Fr. Joseph Krupp (Class of 1994, 1998)
gave a humorous program introduction.
The Sacred Heart alum and priest of the
Diocese of Lansing—who once was a tele-
vision comedy writer—emceed the gala for
the second year in a row.
The main program ended with an appeal
to “unleash the gospel” by Archbishop Vi-
gneron, followed by a knock-out bluegrass
musical performance by seminarians David
Kruse, Dc. Brian Mulligan and Derik Pe-
terman, along with Fr. Tony Smela, Clark
Thompson, Bill Van Wagner, and Mat-
thew Wagner.
For the night owls, the Archbishop’s
Gala 2017 continued with an afterglow
featuring hot finger foods and sweet treats.
For many guests, the ride home began only
after some dancing to the funky sounds of
Cosmic Groove (they were so good, we’ve
already booked them for next year’s gala!)
Exclusive sponsors of Archbishop’s Gala
2017 were the Michigan Knights of Colum-
bus, Weingartz, Trinity Charitable Fund,
St. Catherine of Siena Academy, Christian
Financial Credit Union, St. Joseph Mercy
Health System, Ave Maria Mutual Funds,
Alpha & Omega Laser, LLC, Corporate
Travel Service, Genthe Automotive, and
Mersino. Hour Detroit Media, Allied Re-
think Ink, and Nu-tech Graphics & Sys-
tems were also sponsors.
Contact Emily Berschback, event man-
ager, at [email protected] or
313-596-7424 to ask about being an event
sponsor for next year.
What can we say but “thank you” to ev-
eryone—attendees, sponsors, raffle donors,
and program advertisers—who made the
event such a success.
Check out photos and video highlights of
Archbishop’s Gala 2017 at archbishopsgala.com.
shms.edu
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