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Fr. Joe Krupp to keynote Bishop’s Dinner

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

The 14th Annual Bishop’s Dinner for Catholic Education will feature Father Joe Krupp as the keynote speaker on Oct. 10 at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Father Krupp writes a question and answer column for Faith magazine and appears regularly on the Catholic Television network headquartered in Boston. 

“I have read his articles before,” said Kristi Arlt, director of communications and stewardship for the diocese. “What I noticed and love about him is that he has a great sense of humor.”

His book called “Smart Answers & Bad Jokes” is a collection of his most popular columns from FAITH Magazine. The priest answers questions about God, the church, relationships and issues of the day.
Father Joe was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing in 1998. He has spent most of his priesthood ministering to teens and young adults.

He was the chaplain for Lansing Catholic High School for 10 years and now is the director of campus ministry at St. John's Student Center, home to the Michigan State University student Catholic community in East Lansing, Mich.

“I thought he would be a natural (to speak at the dinner) considering that most of his ministry and what he deals with day in and day out is with youth – high school and college,” said Arlt. “That is where his passion lies – listening to them, being present with them. He writes about that a lot, being a good listener can do a lot even if you can’t help them solve their particular problem.”

She said that Father Krupp has a “charisma about him that is infectious.”

“I thought our audience - students, parents, priests and religious – would really appreciate his message and appreciate him and where he is coming from,” said Arlt.

At the Bishop’s Dinner Father Krupp will speak about the importance of Catholic education and how having a strong faith is crucial to young people’s success. His message, humor and personality are entertaining and inspiring for people from all walks of life, noted Arlt.

The speaker is given about 30 minutes for their keynote.

“What that person does in a half hour is important because at the bishop’s dinner you not only want to learn something about our Catholic faith and about our Catholic schools, but you also want to be entertained,” said Arlt. “I think Father Joe brings the best of both worlds. I think he will inspire us through his experiences as a priest and working with young adults and also be funny.”

Tickets for the dinner will go on sale Aug. 23. The dinner will be held Oct. 10 at the Sioux City Convention Center. The social hour will begin at 4 p.m., dinner at 5 p.m., keynote at 6 p.m. and awards at 6:30 p.m.