Evening with the Bishops raises funds to help St. Dominic Village provide care for elders

At right, about 200 supporters attended an Evening with the Bishops fundraiser May 15 benefiting St. Dominic Village, including Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria and Bishop Curtis Guillory, bishop emeritus of Beaumont. Two other bishops thanked for their support — Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo and Bishop David L. Toups of Beaumont — were unable to attend. (Photo by St. Dominic Village)

HOUSTON — After 20 years of serving Galveston-Houston, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo received a black cowboy hat as an honorary Texan birthday gift at an Evening with the Bishops fundraiser on May 15, benefiting St. Dominic Village.

The Village is the area’s only Catholic senior care community providing assisted living, independent living, and rehabilitation and nursing care for the general public and retired priests.

Cardinal DiNardo’s twin sister, Peg Riesmeyer, born just nine minutes before her brother on May 23, attended the event at the Junior League of Houston along with 200 supporters. Together, they helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for major renovations to the Texas Medical Center campus.

Among the top needs at St. Dominic Village are new roofs for the nursing center, which provides rehabilitation, and for Warren Chapel, which offers daily Mass for residents and employees.

Another wish list item is a new system for the deaf and hard of hearing that translates and transcribes the spoken word in real-time on a big screen that everyone can see or on individual laptops and mobile devices.

Other bishops attending were introduced as guests of honor, including Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria and Bishop Emeritus Curtis J. Guillory, SVD, of Beaumont. Two other bishops thanked for their support — Bishop James A. Tamayo of Laredo and Bishop David L. Toups of Beaumont — were unable to attend.

St. Dominic’s Chief Executive Officer John Connolly described the green space around the residences in spring, blooming with flowers and serene peacefulness.

“I see folks walking about daily like a gentleman who resides in independent living going to visit his wife several times a day who lives in the rehabilitation and nursing center.”

A popular auction item that caught action was an intimate Italian dinner for 25 people overlooking downtown Houston from the top of the Esperson Building hosted by Bishop Dell’Oro, a native of Italy.

Stacey Erwin-Porter, St. Dominic’s marketing director, said, “We welcome any other donations that come in for the Evening with the Bishops dinner. Plus, our list of items is an ongoing campaign which we will raise money for throughout the year.”

To learn more about St. Dominic Village, visit www.stdominicvillage.org.