The Bar’s best

The St. Louis County Bar Association has selected attorney Marie Kenyon as the recipient of the 2019 Dudley C. Dunlop Distinguished Service Award. Kenyon has devoted her career to providing legal services to people who are poor and underserved. She has served as the director of the Peace and Justice Commission for the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2015. Before that, Kenyon was the managing attorney of the Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry, an organization she founded in 1987. Kenyon graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1986. She has also served as a member of the Peace Corps, volunteering her time and talents in West Africa. The St. Louis County Bar Association, founded in 1931, is a 600-plus member, nonprofit professional organization for attorneys and judges.

In Memoriam

A funeral Mass for Denny Graser, former St. Dominic High School athletic director, was to be celebrated Jan. 3 at the school. Mr. Graser, 69, died Dec. 23 after a a decade-long battle with cancer. Graser served as St. Dominic athletic director from 2002-12. Prior to that, he was a longtime coach in the Wentzville community. “While we had Denny Graser for 10 years as our athletic director, he was a teacher, coach, mentor and friend to many,” said St. Dominic principal Cathy Fetter. “He greatly impacted the lives of thousands.” The Crusaders won seven state championships under Graser’s leadership. His tenure saw substantial enhancements to St. Dominic’s athletic facilities, including the opening of Crusader Stadium in 2004 and the Fallon Family Center in 2010. After his retirement in 2012, St. Dominic named the new Denny Graser Tennis Courts in his honor. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Graser of Lake St. Louis; two children, Jacqueline M. Graser, of O’Fallon and Kenneth P. Graser of Lake St. Louis; three grandchildren; his mother, Joan Lucille Graser of Webster Groves; and siblings Janet Hafer of Hazelwood and James Graser of Fairview Heights, Ill.

Two staff members honored at CRSS

Cardinal Ritter Senior Services has honored two staffers for their service this past year. Michael Cook, management assistant at St. Agnes Apartments, was selected as CRSS Mission Alive Person of the Year. Mina Karahasanovic, lead housekeeper at Mother of Perpetual Help Assisted Living, was awarded the CRSS Employee of the Year Star.

Upcoming events

Faith in action

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul movie “Our Faith in Action” will be featured on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6. The program follows SVDP members on their spiritual growth journey through service to people and families in need. From the Society’s traditional assistance with food, rent and utilities to innovative health care, education and mentoring programs, the Society’s members, known as Vincentians, see the face of Christ in the people they encounter.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

An ecumenical prayer service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, at St. Monica Church, 12140 Olive Blvd. in Creve Coeur. A reception will follow. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which has been observed for more than 100 years, is an octave of prayer for visible Christian unity. Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). The week is traditionally observed Jan. 18-25 in churches all over the world. For more local resources, visit www.archstl.org/ecumenical.

Peace, justice

The 43rd Annual Archdiocesan Mass for the Preservation of Peace and Justice will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will be the celebrant, and Father Arthur J. Cavitt will be the homilist for the Mass on the holiday weekend commemorating the birth and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A reception and awards ceremony will take place in Boland Hall following Mass for the 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr. Model of Justice honorees. For information, call (314) 367-7929.

Catholic Men for Christ

The Catholic Men for Christ conference will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The conference seeks to engage, educate and encourage Catholic men to live their faith and to lead their families in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Doors open at 8 a.m., with a vigil Mass celebrated at 4 p.m. to conclude the event. Speakers include Ralph Martin, Deacon Larry Oney, Jesse Romero and Father Thomas Vordtriede. Tickets are $45 or $50 at the door. To register, visit www.catholicmenforchrist.org or call the Touhill box office at (314) 516-4949. For information, call (314) 792-7183.

African-American women offer insights for God, Church

A presentation — “How can the insights of Black Women help form our concept of God + Church?” —by Sister LaReine-Marie Mosely, SND, will highlight a workshop on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, at Aquinas Institute of Theology. In addition to the presentation, a panel of local African-American women serving in ministry will share their personal insights. Sister LaReine-Marie has a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame. She is assistant professor of religious studies at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Cost for the program is $35, which includes lunch. The Incarnate Word Foundation and the National Black Catholic Congress are co-sponsoring this event. For registration, call (314) 256-8804 or visit www.bit.ly/2F2AOFe

Paul VI courses

The Paul VI Institute is accepting registrations online for its spring 2019 classroom and online courses. Paul VI seeks to “deepen, consolidate, nourish and make ever more mature” the faith of its students through “a catechesis full of Gospel vitality and in a language suited to people and circumstances” (Pope Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” 54). Classroom courses are in an eight-week format. Registration deadline is Feb. 4. To register or for information, visit www.archstl.org/paul6 and click “Courses,” then scroll to “Current Course Schedule.” The registration form is on the bottom of the page. For more information, call (314) 792-7454.