Southern Nebraska Register
The Catholic Diocese of Lincoln will celebrate the educators, administrators and staff members who serve its Catholic schools during the 2026 Bishop’s Saints and Scholars Dinner Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Embassy Suites, 1040 P St. in Lincoln.
The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the program at 6 p.m. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Dr. Vern Steiner, president emeritus of the Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies, will be the event’s featured guest speakers.
The annual dinner celebrates the impact of Catholic education and recognizes those who faithfully serve students and families throughout the Diocese of Lincoln. Proceeds will benefit the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance to Catholic school families with financial need across the diocese.
During the 2025-26 school year, the fund awarded 1,278 scholarships and distributed $2.3 million in tuition assistance. More than 1,500 students are depending on support for the coming school year. Every event sponsorship, ticket and donation helps make a Catholic education more accessible to students throughout southern Nebraska.
The dinner will honor teachers celebrating milestone anniversaries of service in Catholic education, including those marking five, 10, 15 and additional five-year increments of teaching. The Diocese of Lincoln will also recognize the recipients of the 2026 Diocesan Education Awards:
Tony Arens of St. John the Apostle School in Lincoln will receive the St. Thomas Aquinas Award as Administrator of the Year.
James Benes of St. Peter School in Lincoln will receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award as Elementary Educator of the Year.
Kelan Schumacher of Hastings Catholic Schools will receive the St. John Cantius Award as Secondary Educator of the Year.
Barb Rezac of St. John Nepomucene School in Weston will receive the St. John Bosco Award as Support Staff Member of the Year.
More than 200 nominations were submitted for this year’s awards — the highest number received since the diocese began presenting them in 2022. The response reflects the many faithful, dedicated and talented individuals serving in Catholic schools across the Diocese of Lincoln.
“We are blessed by educators and staff members who devote their gifts, their faith and, in many cases, decades of service to forming our students as both scholars and disciples of Jesus Christ,” said Father Lawrence Stoley, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Lincoln. “As we congratulate this year’s award recipients and anniversary honorees, we also invite the faithful to support the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund so that more families can experience the gift of a Catholic education.”
The individual stories and contributions of the four Diocesan Education Award recipients will be highlighted in upcoming issues of the Southern Nebraska Register.
Businesses, organizations and individuals may support the Saints and Scholars Dinner by sponsoring the event or purchasing tickets to attend. Sponsorship opportunities range from $500 to $25,000 and include options such as reserved guest tables, sponsorships for tables of honored educators, program advertisements and event recognition. The sponsorship deadline is Sept. 19.
Individual tickets are $100 each and include the cocktail reception, plated dinner and program. Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased at goodshepherdscholarship.org. For questions or additional information, call 877-499-8554 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
