Phil Hemingway of St. Mary Parish in Iowa City chats with Bishop Dennis Walsh during the Muscatine County Fair on July 18. Hemingway’s wife, Anita, seated on the park bench, smiles as she listens.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
WEST LIBERTY — Thirteen-year-old Kinley and her younger sister Kendall, 8, smiled shyly when Bishop Dennis Walsh and Father Guillermo Trevino stopped to greet them inside the sheep barn at the Muscatine County Fair where the girls were caring for their lambs. “What are their names?” Bishop Walsh asked Kinley. “Pepper and Salt,” she responded, pointing to each lamb. The girls said they were showing their lambs in the next day’s competition. “We’ll pray for you,” said Father Trevino, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Liberty.
Bishop Walsh’s presence at the Muscatine County Fair on July 18 — 10 months into his new position as Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport — resumes his cherished tradition of going to county fairs. He holds fond memories of fair visits during years of ministry as a pastor in the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio. Families whose children showed animals at the fair looked forward to seeing their pastor who cared about what they were doing outside of church.
“I think it is important that priests go where the people are. County fairs celebrate family, labor and heritage. The Church’s presence is a sign of us sharing a part of people’s lives,” Bishop Walsh said.
Priests, deacons and lay volunteers from Muscatine County parishes agree. For several years, they have been providing the Catholic Church’s presence at the county fair, where they set up a booth and offer conversation, literature, rosary rings and prayer cards to fairgoers and exhibit participants. A small, white partition serves as a mini confessional. Deacon Dan Freeman, parish life coordinator of St. Mary Parish in Wilton, proposed the Church’s presence at the fair, which has become a tradition.
“Besides blessing animals, what I find amazing are the folks who will share their faith story or feel as though they have the time to look at the items, prayer cards and print resources,” said Deacon Kent Ferris. “I have been at the fair each of the past three years and can partly anticipate the flow of time, but there are also unexpected moments that are holy, powerful encounters. That is why I am always willing to be there,” added Deacon Ferris, the diocesan director of Social Action who also serves as a deacon in the West Liberty and Columbus Junction parishes.
Bishop stopped by the Muscatine County parishes’ booth before heading out to meet the people strolling from one attraction to another, caring for animals in the barns, waiting in line at the concession stands or relaxing on park benches.
He shook hands and chatted with Phil Hemingway and his wife, Anita, longtime members of St. Mary Parish in Iowa City. Phil shared fond memories of Bishop-elect Thom Hennen, who served more than a decade ago as parochial vicar at the Iowa City parish. The bishop-elect will be leaving later next month to prepare for his new assignment as Bishop of the Baker, Oregon Diocese.
Bishop Walsh also shook hands with Jack and Loretta Meyers of West Liberty, who are not members of the Catholic Church. “It shows that even if we’re different, we can get along,” Jack Meyers said.
At a concession stand, Bishop Walsh and Father Trevino ordered loose meat sandwiches and french fries, greeted a couple of altar servers from the West Liberty parish and spouses Lonnie and Nancy Schaapveld, who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married at the West Liberty church.
Back on their walking tour, the bishop and priest greeted a Spanish-speaking couple in Spanish, who responded enthusiastically in Spanish. Father Trevino stopped at the Rotary Club’s concession stand to introduce his fellow Rotarians to the bishop. They encouraged him to attend the trailer races (scheduled the next day), where “a lot of people need to be saved,” one of the Rotarians joked.
Bishop Dennis Walsh pets a goat at the Muscatine County Fair July 18.
Tom Barr of St. Mary Parish-Nichols, wearing his “End Human Trafficking” T-shirt, offered to give a presentation on human trafficking in the Davenport area. Bishop Walsh advised him to contact Deacon Ferris, who was at the fair that evening.
Bishop Walsh delighted in petting the goats, his favorite animal, in the Sheep Barn. “Goats have so much personality,” he explained. The goats must have been listening because they gave the bishop their full attention. One nuzzled his leg and another stood up in its pen, as if to start a conversation with this shepherd who leads a flock of humans.
In another barn, Bishop Walsh congratulated 14-year-old Bo Wertzbaugher of the West Liberty Parish, whose hog “Stacey” was the Muscatine County Fair’s lightweight champion. Bo’s mom, Lisa and his younger sisters, Ruby and Eve, were with him. Lisa Wertzbaugher told the bishop she loves teaching religious education at the West Liberty parish. If parents want to pass on their faith, they need to model it for their children, she said.
Bishop Walsh ended his fair visit with stops for a grape-flavored snow cone and a caramel apple sprinkled with nuts, the latter to take home. Earlier, he enjoyed his sinfully favorite treat: the Elephant Ear, a plate-sized, fried dough pastry sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
