Outstanding DRE of the Year award

The Catholic Diocese of Dodge City has given the 2006 Outstanding Director of Religious Education of the Year Award to Michelle Moshier, Director of Religious Education (DRE) for the Catholic Community of Great Bend.

Michelle directs the Kindergarten through 8th grade Parish School of Religion (PSR) program. Presented annually, the award is granted to a DRE in each diocese during the Kansas Association of Religious Educators conference banquet. The conference draws nearly 200 parish directors and catechists throughout the four dioceses of Kansas.

It is an honor to receive this award, Michelle said. "This award is a true testimony for the caliber of volunteers involved in the Great Bend program. The catechists, assistants and other volunteers who share their gifts are what make the program what it is. Without them there would not be a program to coordinate. The volunteers involved in PSR are living witnesses to the Catholic faith, and I am here to help support them in handing this faith on to the youth in our program.

"I feel God has gifted me with the charism of Administration, which makes my job of coordinating and organizing PSR less like a job and more like a gift that I can share with the faith community. I really enjoy what I do. Coordinating PSR for our Catholic community is a big job. PSR utilizes 40 volunteers to teach 275 children in K – 8th grades. We are blessed to be able to use the Holy Family School to conduct our classes on Wednesday evenings. The staff at Holy Family is very good to work with."

Father Reggie Urban, pastor of the Catholic Community of Great Bend, described Michelle as a woman of faith and a team-player. "In the year-and- a-half that I have worked with her, I have found her to be both professional and personal. The quality and caliber of our religious education program for our grade school children has been raised to a new level through her efforts."

Catholic Community members involved in PSR, Confirmation, youth group and Rite of Christian Initiation (adapted for youth) that attended the conference included: Mary Bennett, Kathleen Stacey, Gladys Webster, Dave and Pam Vainer, Gay Werth, Doreen Boor, Ann Wilburn, Mercedes Helms, San Juana Lomas, Luz Betty Gordon, Linn Hogg, Heather Hicks, Jolene Kirmer, Margaret Dirks, Debbie Dowdle, Sonja McMullen and Patricia Doll.and Patricia Doll.