Bishop Vincke had been out in Hill City for a Confirmation. Tired, he had no desire to do much of anything following the Mass. But, the parish priest, Father Henry Saw Lone, had other ideas. Father Henry wanted Bishop to join him for lunch at the home of Curt and Kelly Hamel. While at the Hamel house, Bishop was looking at their family pictures. On the wall was a picture of a Marine. Bishop asked who the Marine was, and he was informed it was Nathaniel, their oldest son. As it turned out, Nathaniel was going to be joining them for lunch. Upon meeting Nathaniel, Bishop asked him how old he was and if he was single. Nathaniel said "24" and "yes." And Bishop knew he was the one. He started to tell Nathaniel about this girl named Katie. After leaving the Hamel's, Bishop immediately called Katie and asked if she'd be willing to give her number to Nathaniel. Bishop said, “I met this man. And as soon as I saw him, I just knew that I needed to tell him about you. He just seemed right for you.” Katie said sure, but had no expectations anything would come of it. Neither did Nathaniel for that matter. But the next day, Bishop sent Katie's number over, and Nathaniel texted her that night. Two weeks later, they both happened to be in Hays with friends and family. They decided to meet at The Rose and go dancing. It was basically love at first sight! Soon after, Nathaniel proposed to Katie. She was in shock for the first several minutes. But, eventually, she said yes! And now, on their wedding day, Bishop will be the one presiding at their wedding!

Recently, St. John's in Beloit caught fire. Due to the fire, scaffolding is EVERYWHERE in the church. There's a lot of scaffolding. Like a lot... Did we mention the scaffolding? While it's heartbreaking that the church is in this state of disrepair, we are really hopeful and excited to be married in Beloit. As Father Jarett Konrade said in his opening homily the first weekend the parish returned to the church - while the physical building, the music and the homily serve to make the Mass beautiful, we're not at Mass because the church is pretty or the music is good or the homily is decent. We're at Mass for the Beloved. At our wedding, Nathaniel and I will exchange vows in front of God with you as our witnesses. God, our Beloved, will be there. And Beloit is my home... the place I grew up, where I received all my sacraments, and where I'll tell my family "goodbye" before I move out to the Wild West (i.e. Lenora). And hey, if Jesus was cool being born in a stable with smelly cows and donkeys. I reckon we can get married under some scaffolding! So, thank you for bearing with us. I know it's not ideal... but in a way, it's kind of perfect! There's a poetic beauty to it. Our church is a place of beauty to worship God, but it's a work in progress. And when Nathaniel and I get married? Our relationship will be centered on worship and honor of God, but I can guarantee you we're a work in progress (well... at least Nathaniel is!). Thanks again! Can't wait to see you under the scaffolding!