09/21/2026
Last night was truly a special evening for Laurel and me as we joined nearly 70 fellow parishioners from St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish for the Saint John’s Seminary fundraiser at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
Our St. Kateri group traveled together by bus to the Cathedral, while Laurel made the trip up from Long Beach to join us. The evening began with a beautiful 5:00 p.m. Mass, followed by a wonderful reception and dinner on the Cathedral plaza.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles did an outstanding job putting together this very special event. The Cathedral plaza was beautifully decorated, the food and drinks were wonderful, and the hospitality and service made the entire evening memorable.
But what made the night especially meaningful for all of us from St. Kateri was seeing our own pastor and dear friend, Father Vaughn Winters, honored as a distinguished graduate of Saint John’s Seminary. It was a proud moment to see Father Vaughn recognized and to celebrate with so many members of our parish family who know and appreciate all that he does for St. Kateri.
There was also something wonderful about having so many of us together away from the parish—sharing dinner, conversation, laughter, friendship and, most importantly, our Catholic faith while supporting the formation of future priests.
For Laurel and me, it was a beautiful evening and one we were very fortunate to attend. But as wonderful as the Mass, dinner and celebration were, the most precious part of the evening for me was simply having my daughter by my side.
Laurel has her own life now in Long Beach, with school, friends and all the things that come with being a young woman finding her own way in the world. Yet she still makes the time to come up and spend an evening like this with her dad. I don't think she always realizes just how much those moments mean to me.
As a father, you spend so many years watching your child grow up, and somewhere along the way you realize that the time you have together is no longer something you can simply take for granted. Every dinner, every conversation, every laugh and every evening spent side by side becomes a little more precious.
So yes, I was proud to be there for Father Vaughn and grateful to share such a wonderful evening with our St. Kateri family. But I was even more grateful to look across the table and see Laurel there with me. I'm a very fortunate father to have a daughter who still wants to hang out with her dad—and I treasure every minute of it.
Congratulations to Father Vaughn on this well-deserved honor, and thank you to Saint John’s Seminary and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for an unforgettable evening.
May God continue to bless Father Vaughn, Saint John’s Seminary, all the seminarians who have answered His call to serve, our wonderful St. Kateri parish family, and the precious time we are given with the people we love. 🙏❤️
