2010 D+E+I Lumen Ecclesiae Awards Luncheon

The 14th annual D+E+I fundraiser, currently in the form of the Lumen Ecclesiae Awards Luncheon will be held on Sunday March 14th 2010 from 1-3pm at the beautiful Sandia Resort in Albuquerque. The Awards Luncheon is D+E+I's major fundraiser to cover our annual operating costs.  We will be honoring Sr. Bernice Garcia, OP with the Lumen Ecclesiae (Light of the Church) award, for her outstanding service as Pastoral Administrator at St. Francis Xavier parish in Albuquerque.

An Albuquerque native, Sr. Bernice has returned to her home parish in her 53rd year as a professed religious and is the on site administrator of St. Francis Xavier, overseeing the day to day operation and outreach of her financially challenged but nonetheless vibrant and generous parish in the heart of the south valley.

Also announced and honored at the event will be the winners of the Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations) Awards, men and women selected for recognition for outstanding work in the field of adult faith formation.

Our speaker for the luncheon will be Fr. George Reynolds, OP, former pastor of the Aquinas Newman Center at the University of New Mexico who will be presenting his reflections on the history of the Dominican Order in New Mexico and the changes he has witnessed in the Order and the Church during his more than fifty years of ministry. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Reynolds, the afternoon promises to be both informative and highly entertaining.

Donors Needed

As we prepare to honor Sr. Bernice Garcia as at our 2010 Awards Luncheon, D+E+I like so many other not-for-profit organizatons, and so many of our supporters, is facing a budget crunch. The Annual Awards Luncheon serves a double purpose of highlighting a man or woman of outstanding dedication to the promotion of the Catholic Faith and generating the operating funds to continue the mission and ministry of D+E+I.

To be blunt, we really need your help this year more than ever host the Awards Luncheon. Donations of any amount are always welcome and much appreciated, but if you are blessed enough to be able, we would greatly appreciate your assistance with a special donations at one of the following levels:

Sponsor: $600.00

Decade Donor: $1,000

Underwriter: $3,000+

Your donation will not only help us to honor Sr. Bernice and the Lumen Gentium awardees, but also assist the Dominican Ecclesial Institute to continue its unique mission of fostering adult Catholic faith in the Albuquere - Santa Fe region and beyond.

We thank you for your past support, both financially and in your prayers and ask that if possible you continue both forms of important backing.

Thank you to all of you who attended the 2009 Annual Awards Luncheon.

Congratulations!  2009 Lumen Ecclesiae Award Winner Celine Baca Radigan, Archdiocesan Director Communications & Media
	We are delighted to recognize Celine Baca Radigan, who fosters adult Catholic faith through her multi-faceted work for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Many of you know about her works, but you may not know the person who is the editor and photographer for the People of God, who writes and disseminates the press releases to the media, who produces the weekly Archdiocesan Televised Mass, who manages and produces the Archbishop’s Hour on Catholic Radio, who serves as webmaster of the Archdiocesan website, and who has various other duties that inform and communicate the Catholic faith.
Thank you, Celine, for your service and witness.
The Dominican Ecclesial Institute’s Lumen Ecclesiae (“Light of the Church”) Award is presented to a person outstanding in adult faith formation, whose contributions go beyond the parish boundary and serve the Catholic Community and the local community at large. This Award is given by the D+E÷l Board of Trustees and recognizes the work that is done by individuals whose efforts foster and promote a fuller understanding of the Catholic faith.

Congratulations!  2009 Arisano de Honor Awardee Gerald Simnacher, Artist
	Gerald Simnacher has been chosen to be their honored artist who creates and produces the crosses granted to their Awardees and major donors funding the annual operations of D+E+l. Gerald created the wooden crosses of walnut and maple, which were designed by Gerald and his wife, Missy Simnacher. During his Air Force career, woodwork was a chore for Gerald. However, now his woodwork has transformed into true art: for Missy, for their daughters and for the grandchildren. From the functional beauty of wood on the farm, in the buildings, through the fences and barns, wood has been central to Gerald’s work and volunteerism.
We are so grateful and blessed by your talent and spirit shared, Gerald.