Page 211 Lincoln Daily News 2024 Logan County Fair Jul/Aug 2024 The hospitality tent was conceived and organized by Beth Sasse of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Atlanta. Sasse says that she was talking with the priest and deacon three years ago about how to tell their story. Sasse says, “They said to just start, and I thought the fair is the place.” She describes the hospitality tent as a place “for reprieve and reset from heat and noise and life. Everyone is welcome whether in church, formerly in church, or no church. People don’t recognize they need rest.” The Reverend Joseph Dondanville, also known as Father Joe, who came to pastor the Catholic churches of Logan County in 2021, added that the tent was “outreach and hospitality and being present. It’s a resource for young families to sit and relax and eat. It’s our way of giving back to the community.” Father Joe was at the hospitality tent for “Pizza with the Padre,” a special youth event held on Friday evening. Logan County youth in grades 5th through 12th grade were invited to enjoy Stuffed-Aria pizza and soft drinks and to take advantage of the opportunity to engage with the priests in an informal setting. Sasse, who also organized this event, explained that when she was growing up religious sisters and priests were very involved in her school and so she wanted to provide an opportunity for youth to interact and talk with priests in a less formal setting. “It’s a chance to connect. Kids like pizza, priests like pizza. Fifth through 12th grade is a crucial age range to connect with adults. But everybody is welcome [to the event]. There is always more than enough.” Father Joe said that the Catholic Church in Logan County is actively working on relaunching their youth ministry, Active Catholic Teens (ACT), which went on hiatus during the pandemic. ACT is “an opportunity to gather, worship, study, fellowship, and have fun. Placing our center as Christ, everything grows from there. This [Pizza with the Padre] is an event [for youth] to spend a few minutes Continued --
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