Six Degrees of Separation

Peggy Dernbach Kuzminski has a contemporary connection with Mrs. Watts, our 7th grade teacher.  She shares the following story:

In 1999, my daughter Kathleen volunteered to go on a trip with other college students to the Lourdes Shrine in France.  Queen of All Saints Church was sponsoring the trip and Fr. Wayne, assistant Pastor, was coordinating it.

The volunteers would be assisting with meeting handicapped individuals at the train, helping at the shrine, etc. They spent one week in Lourdes and then Fr. Wayne, adult chaperons and college kids went on a second week’s trip to Ireland.

Fr. Wayne had a meeting of the parents prior to the trip to explain the trip, cost, etc., and that is when I met him.  At this point I only knew him as Fr. Wayne.  At the meeting he introduced himself as Father Wayne Watts.  During the talk he referred to his mother who had been a Catholic school teach – the light went on in my head!

After the meeting I went up and spoke to him and sure enough it was Mrs. Watts’s son.  He is really a great priest and does so much good.

Kathleen loved the experience of working at Lourdes and always kept in touch with Fr. Watts.  When she and Lowell got engaged she asked him to perform the wedding ceremony and mass.  Father Wayne Watts is now Pastor of St. John Berchman’s located at 2511 Logan Boulevard in Chicago.

It truly is a small world.

Peggy

P.S.: On March 27, 2011, Peggy shared an update about her family's connection to Fr. Wayne Watts: 

My granddaughter Madeline Grace is going to be baptized by Fr. Watts next Sunday. It truly is a small world. Kathleen, Lowell & Madeline are coming in and the baby will be baptized in Chicago.