November 2006 - Fr. Gary Oreshoski

On Thanksgiving, offer up a prayer for the farmers who work so hard and endure so much to bring the harvest to our family tables -- and include a prayer for missionaries like Father Gary Oreshoski who serve those in our heartland farming communities.

Father Gary Oreshoski covers roughly 3,500 square miles in South Dakota's farm country, where 170 active Catholics are scattered in the county's four Catholic churches, including St. Isidore in Ralph, St. Agnes in Cox, Our Lady of the Prarie in Reva, and St. Anthony in Buffalo.

A grant from Catholic Extension helps cover the cost of gasoline for the pastor's regular 150-mile circuit. The mild-mannered Father Gary pitches in to help parishioners with livestock feeding, mending fences, and even shoveling manure. "I tell them I'm only good for about four hours of manual labor before I run out of gas myself," Father joked.

In his four years here, Father Gary has learned how deeply rooted the trust in God is for those who work the land. "They know the good times will come and bad times will come. They do what needs to be done to make this life work for them."

This has been an especially difficult year for those who make their living from the land. There was a freak snowstorm in late April, and the summer was the second warmest on record, burning pastures and farm fields to a crisp. And South Dakota was at (as one climatologist put it) the "epicenter" of the drought.

Through it all, the people here love their church, and are grateful for the presence of Father Oreshoski, and show it by pitching in to help - just as the priest helps them. The church and rectory in Buffalo were remodeled largely with volunteer labor. St. Isidore's, too, was improved by tapping off a neighbor's well to bring running water to the church for the first time. And a parisioner donated a used pipe organ to St. Isidore's.

Father Gary is an inviting, open, and engaging missionary who extends a love of the church to young people, and has garnered a 99.9% attendance rate at religious education programs. Taking the lessons Father Gary teaches to heart, the young people are mindful of the needs of others. Each August, students from his four churches work at the famed national motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota - and do good works with the money earned in the parking lot.

"They started naming all the people in town who needed help," Father Gary said, shaking his head in admiration.

This Thanksgiving season, please keep in mind those in our nation's breadbasket who work so hard to bring the fruits of their labor to market - and the priests like Father Gary who travel many miles through hardships of their own to bring the Bread of Life to them.

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