By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Drinkwine honored for work in catechesis

SUPERIOR --Although she was confirmed in sixth grade, Kathy Drinkwine said her own experience with religious education left something to be desired. She pulled away from the Catholic Church after finishing high school. However, she returned 20 years later determined to provide for her son and other children with what she felt she lacked as a child.

Drinkwine was so determined, in fact, that she received the Fr. Harold Dodge Award, an honor presented annually at the Fall Teacher/Catechist Institute in Rice Lake to persons demonstrating outstanding service to catechesis. Drinkwine has been coordinator of religious education at Holy Assumption Parish for over four years and has also volunteered as a children's liturgy teacher for five and a half years.

A Superior native, Drinkwine attended Superior Senior High School. She later returned to school to earn a B.A. in communication from the University of Minnesota--Duluth and an M.A. in counseling from University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Though she had been away from the church for some time, Drinkwine began feeling drawn to something spiritual during graduate school. One mentor told her to "go find what makes your soul sing," a phrase that has stayed with her over the years.

After graduate school, Drinkwine moved to Albany, N.Y., where she worked with abused children and their parents, a program through a branch of the Diocese of Albany Catholic Charities. A co-worker who was a Franciscan sister invited Drinkwine to attend Mass with her. Though she initially turned down the invitations, the sister's gentle persistence eventually helped spark Drinkwine's return to Catholicism.

Drinkwine began attending Mass again, and she said, "The church was everything I thought church was supposed to be." She said there was "an incredible network of people" in the parish and that she felt at home with them. She was also struck by the strong religious education program at the parish and soon began teaching children's summer ministry.

Three years later the program for abused children lost its funding. She returned to Superior ans worked a number of jobs before taking her current position as secretary for the diocesan Office of Christian Formation.

She also joined Holy Assumption Parish, her parents' church, because it was a smaller parish located close to home. Drinkwine wanted her son, Peter, who is now 11, to have a positive religious experience.

"I knew there had to be more for the kids than what I was seeing," said Drinkwine. After volunteering as a religious education teacher for less than a year, the position of CRE opened up in August 1998, and Fr. George L. Votruba, who was pastor at the time, talked Drinkwine into accepting the position. Drinkwine felt she lacked necessary experience, but she "didn't have the heart to say no to him."

Though Votruba became ill and retired soon after Drinkwine started as CRE, she said the current pastor, Fr. Ronald Olson, OFM, is an incredible mentor. "He has been an angel. He supported the kids immediately, and he's really good at letting people use their gifts. He empowered us," she said.

Drinkwine tries to make special occasions fun and memorable for students. She said, "I feel strongly about putting the kids and other teachers out front, especially at the sacramental Masses. I try to stay in the background because it's their day, not mine."

She credits Cathedral School for many ideas. When Peter was in prekindergarten, she saw how much the school offered. She looked at many activities and wondered to herself, "Why can't we have that at the parish?" Slowly Drinkwine began adding extra activities to the religious education program.

She also increased the class length by 15 minutes to include a prayer service during classes. She said each class takes turns leading prayer, which gives everyone a chance to lead and participate. Often the prayer service involves music, holding hands, reading petitions and saying the Lord's Prayer.

The religious education program has also grown over the years. Drinkwine said there were about 75 students when she started. She now works with about 115 students of all ages, plus an additional 30 students from St. William Parish in Pattison Park.

"I want the children to feel comfortable being part of the church and knowing that this is their church too," she said. In order to feel comfortable at church, children need to understand what is going on during Mass. Drinkwine frequently asks children to focus on what goes on in church and then explains why things are the way they are. She also places great emphasis on teaching children the names and definitions of things. "If it's mysterious to them, they won't want to come back," she said.

Drinkwine enjoys seeing students, especially those who challenged what they learned in class, receive the Eucharist and know that she helped get them there. She said, "It's rewarding seeing kids take membership and ownership of the church."

It is interesting how things in her life have unfolded, she said, and winning the Fr. Harold Dodge Award was the last thing she ever expected. She feels honored that someone nominated her and wishes she knew who that person was.

Honored as she is, Drinkwine found it difficult to accept the award. "You don't just get it by yourself," she said. The support and generosity of the parish, catechists, families, children, the Knights of Columbus and many others have contributed to the success of Holy Assumption's religious education program. She said, "That kind of support is bound to make you look good."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002