Scroll Top
Record-breaking day for Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament benefits Catholic schools
September 21, 2022
Tom and Sue Merkel, back row from left, chairs of the 12th Annual Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament, pose with Bishop Edward J. Burns, Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly and students from St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic School, Mary Immaculate Catholic School, St. Cecilia Catholic School and St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy prior to the start of the tournament Sept. 19 at the TPC-Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas.

By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

Sunny skies and an equally sunny disposition permeated the scene Sept. 19 as a crowd of supporters of Catholic schools gathered at the TPC-Four Seasons Resort and Club for the start of the 12th annual Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament. By day’s end, the celebration was even bigger as it was announced that those same supporters had set a record for the most funds raised in tournament history — more than $700,000.

All proceeds from the event, held again this year at the TPC-Four Seasons Resort and Club and Cottonwood Valley courses, provide tuition assistance for students to attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas.

In welcoming golfers to the event, Bishop Edward J. Burns praised tournament co-chairs Tom and Sue Merkel and also thanked all those involved in helping make the tournament a success, including past chairs and current sponsors.

“The Diocese of Dallas is blessed with wonderful Catholic schools, and I’ve turned to all of you who are participating today because you help make it all happen,” Bishop Burns said. “In our Catholic schools, we give our children what is necessary for a life of discernment, a life of fulfillment, and a foundation for the future. We prepare them for college and for heaven. Thank you so much for all that you do to help us bring forth an excellent, quality education for these students.”

Bishop Burns also praised Don and Jane Hanratty, co-founders of the event.

“It is amazing how this event has grown,” he said. “It is absolutely amazing what it has done over these past 12 years.”

Members of the Mary Immaculate Catholic School drill team and St. Cecilia Catholic School cheer squad were on hand to cheer on the golfers while St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic School and St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy student ambassadors also were in attendance. More than 200 golfers comprising 54 teams participated in the tournament, which was made possible by more than 139 sponsors, including title sponsor CHRISTUS Health.

Sports radio personality and Bishop Dunne Catholic School alumnus Craig Miller served as the master of ceremonies for the awards banquet and dinner following the tournament. The Bishop Dunne advanced strings group provided music for the evening reception.

Since the inaugural golf tournament in 2011, the Bishop’s Invitational had raised more than $7 million in tuition assistance, accounting for more than 3,600 scholarships awarded to students of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas.

Kelly Halaszyn, diocesan director of development, said this year’s record-breaking effort will significantly add to that total.

“For the 2022-2023 school year, earnings of the Dallas Diocesan Education Endowment Trust and Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament are providing more than $2 million in tuition assistance for nearly 2,000 students throughout the Diocese of Dallas for the first time,” he said. “With enrollment growing across our Catholic schools, this support is becoming even more important to our community. I extend our sincere appreciation to CHRISTUS Health as our title sponsor, Sue and Tom Merkel as our 2022 Event Chairs, and the entire community for supporting the Saints and Scholars entrusted to our care.”

Halaszyn added that even though the annual tournament met its goal for 2022, opportunities to support more students and create new scholarships continue at BishopsGolf.org/donate.

Tournament winners included:

  • The 2022 Bishop’s Cup winners were Patrick Reyes, Mark Burkett, Louis Pena, and Juan Bedolla of St. Jude Chapel

TPC: The Player’s Course

  •  1st Place: Joe Slovensky, Charlie Holland, Nathan Jennings, and Tom McCarthy – Slovensky
  •  2nd Place: Brian Tusa, Stewart McLeod, Matthew Heisley, and John Kidwell – Trinsic Residential Group for Christ the King
  • 3rd Place: Marc Lyons, Jim Wales, Brad Greer, and Steve Crowley – Lyons for All Saints
  • Highest Score: Austin Black, John Dickschat, Nick Gibbings, and Kyle DeFreitas – Mutual of America
  • Closest to the Pin (TPC): David Henry
  • Straightest Drive (TPC): Lamar Johnson

Cottonwood Valley

  • 1st Place: Jeff Baum, Jim Neuman, Terri Baum, and Doug Baum – Autoplex
  • 2nd Place: Kyle Callahan, Michael Callahan, Ben Compton, and Jason Batliner – Popolo
  • 3rd Place: Blake Vierling, Steve French, Joe Wood, and Michael Fuller – Gates
  • Highest Score: Kevin Daughtery, Tony Barton, Michael Fish, and Charles Carroway – CHRISTUS
  • Closest to the Pin (Cottonwood Valley): Chris Conway
  • Straightest Drive (Cottonwood Valley): Jeff Baum

 

 

Related Posts

Retrospect: A look back at DCYC

FRISCO — Over a thousand youth from the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, plus hundreds of chaperones and volunteers, filled the Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Frisco Hotel & Convention Center with the buzz of worship and fellowship during this year’s Dallas Catholic Youth Conference, Feb. 16-18.

28 Feb 2024
A legacy of service and compassion

Perhaps the four most impactful words Barbara Landregan has said in her life are “It’s not your fault.” She has said those words many times over the 14 years she was director of the Safe Environment Program for the Dallas Diocese, up until her retirement in December.

03 Feb 2022
Catechetical Sessions and Listening Sessions: What’s the Difference?

On Feb. 15, the final catechetical session concluded. This represented the end of one phase of the diocesan synodal process and the beginning of another. On March 26, the first public listening session will take place. Because these terms might be unclear, I thought it would be helpful to distinguish between the two and provide more information about these upcoming listening sessions.

24 Feb 2022
Bishop Burns issues update to Phase 3 Decree of the diocesan reopening plan

From staff reports On March 1, 2022, Bishop Edward J. Burns announced updates to the Phase 3 Decree outlining the…

01 Mar 2022
‘We offer our prayers for peace’

A standing-room crowd filled the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe March 25 as Bishop Edward J. Burns joined Pope Francis and the universal Church in the Act of Consecration for Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

26 Mar 2022
Tom and Sue Merkel to chair 2022 Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas has announced Tom and Sue Merkel will serve as the chairs for the 12th Annual Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament to be held Sept. 19, 2022 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas. In addition, the diocese announced that CHRISTUS Health has renewed its Title Sponsorship for the tournament.

07 Apr 2022
Hundreds celebrate consecration of UD to Our Lady of Guadalupe

By Clare Venegas Special to The Texas Catholic A combined crowd of nearly 400 students, faculty, alumni, staff and friends…

15 May 2022
Denison parish marks 150th anniversary

The sun shone brightly that day on the 108-year-old sanctuary, which was filled to capacity with slightly more than 400 congregants, as Bishop Edward J. Burns helped Father Stephen Mocio celebrate St. Patrick Catholic Church’s 150th anniversary in Denison. The parish, located about two miles south of the Red River, is home to around 1,000 families.

05 May 2022
Eight men ordained to transitional diaconate

Declaring it “a day of jubilation for the Diocese of Dallas,” Bishop Edward J. Burns celebrated a Mass on April 23 for the ordination of eight men to the transitional diaconate at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Frisco.

24 Apr 2022
Bishop ordains 17 men as permanent deacons

Calling it a privilege and an honor, Bishop Edward J. Burns ordained 17 men as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Dallas during a Mass celebrated May 21 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney.

25 May 2022
Senior Spotlight: Ayen Angoi, Bishop Lynch High School

Ayen Angoi sat front and center — literally — during Bishop Lynch’s graduation ceremony held at Garland’s Culwell Center on Sunday, May 15. It was one of the perks of alphabetical seating.

28 Jun 2022
‘Preaching for an encounter with God’

If the word homiletician isn’t in your personal vocabulary, maybe it should be. A homiletician could make a significant impact on your parish.

14 Jul 2022
A mother’s love fuels graduate’s path to success

Years of hard work, determination and prayers culminated in a celebration on May 27 for Luz Flores as her daughter Cielo Martínez walked the stage as a member of the Bishop Dunne Catholic School Class of 2022. That celebration, though, would not have been possible without a combination of a family’s perseverance and a Catholic community’s helping hand.

18 Jul 2022
A blessing for those who serve

On Saturday, Aug. 6, members of the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Dallas Fire and Rescue, and other first responders joined Bishop Edward J. Burns at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe for a Blessing of the Fleet and the Diocesan Blue Mass in recognition and thanksgiving for their service.

11 Aug 2022
Building upon the growing faith at UTD

As Isaias Salgado stood amongst a crowd making their way into the new University Catholic Center at the University of Texas at Dallas on Aug. 28, he couldn’t help but smile.
“I really can’t put into words how amazing all this is,” said Salgado, a senior neuroscience major and member of the Newman Catholic Ministry, a Catholic student organization at UTD. “It’s amazing. It’s such a blessing.”

31 Aug 2022