TV station names Reiser among the 11 who care
by Sue Austreng
Staff writer
Ever since he first set foot on the shores of Haiti 15 years ago, Epiphany Catholic Church pastor emeritus Rev. Bernard Reiser has dedicated countless hours of fervent prayer and determined and diligent work to help bring hope to the people there.
Rev. Bernard Reiser
Soon after making that life-changing trip back in 1996, Reiser established Reiser Relief, Inc. and has been providing fresh water, feeding the hungry, building an orphanage and eldercare facilities and funding primary schools in the impoverished country ever since.
Reiser’s diligent efforts and faithful service have been recognized far and wide, and he was recently honored as a winner of KARE 11 television’s “Eleven Who Kare” program.
“This is such an honor … such an honor. And it really helps to increase the PR,” Reiser said of his selection as one of the 2011 “Eleven Who Kare.”
The “PR” to which he refers is the visibility of the work and relief efforts accomplished by Reiser Relief.
Reiser Relief, Inc.
Describing the source of his inspiration to minister to the Haitians, Reiser recalled his first visit to Cite Soleil, Haiti, one of the poorest slums in the western hemisphere.
“I’ve traveled around the world. I’ve seen the slums of Cairo, China … I’ve been all over Europe, the eastern bloc countries … When I saw Cite Soleil – the absolute destitution … that was the worst slum I’ve ever seen,” Reiser said.
Keep the Wheel Turning Gala
Reiser Relief, Inc.’s fourth-annual Keep the Wheel Turning Gala fund-raising event is set for Tuesday, April 26.
Organizers of the event, staged at the Courtyards of Andover, are hoping to raise $100,000 – money that will help provide greater opportunities to assist people in Haiti with gifts of water, food and education.
The gala event features food and drink, dozens of live and silent auction items and musical entertainment.
Reiser then shared memories of “people living in shacks made of thrown-out wood, sleeping on the wet ground with one little kettle for cooking, one chair, no toilet facilities, no clean water.”
“I grew up a farmer,” he said, shaking his head. “Our cows at home lived better.”
On his return to the United States, Reiser said to a fellow priest, “We can’t forget. You can’t walk away from misery and do nothing.”
And so, Reiser Relief was born. The 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer-run organization is the tool by which Reiser raises money, raises awareness and “keeps the wheel of life turning” with food distribution, clean water delivery, an orphanage and eldercare facility, education and school buildings for the Haitians.
“The number one need is food and clean water,” said Reiser.
The world’s greatest need is “a recognition of a supreme being, of God,” he said.
Reiser began his life serving that supreme being in Coon Rapids back in 1964. It was at that time, after serving 15 years at a parish in White Bear Lake, that the bishop came to Reiser and said, “We need a parish in Coon Rapids and you’re going to build it.”
When the young priest arrived in the newly-established city of Coon Rapids, “there was nothing but sand and thistles, no trees except along Hanson Boulevard. There was nothing,” he said.
And so Reiser said, “We bought a farm – 70 acres – and started to build.”
First order of business: build a school.
“Before we laid a brick, I said, ‘We need to have a school,’” Reiser said.
And so, a school was built.
On Sundays, the school’s auditorium became Epiphany Catholic Church when pews were brought in and Mass was celebrated there.
“In due time, we built a church,” Reiser said.
At first there were just 125 families attending Epiphany Catholic Church.
Now, close to 5,000 families call Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids their church home.
Then Reiser recognized a need to house the older generation.
“We knew kids like older people and older people like kids, so we built a senior complex,” Reiser said.
In due time, an assisted living facility was added to the Epiphany campus.
The campus also includes cemetery plots and as Reiser Relief committee chairwoman Doris Schulte puts it, “We have kindergarten and day care, and we have a cemetery. Father Reiser serves the parish from birth to death.”
“That’s right. We baptize them and we bury them,” Reiser said.
And in the years between, Reiser serves every spiritual need his parish – his family – requires.
“He is our father. He’s always there for us,” Schulte said.
And it seems, he will always be there for the impoverished Haitians.
Reiser recently published a collection of his columns. Proceeds from the sale of the book, called “Reiser’s Ramblings,” go to fund Reiser Relief Haitian relief efforts.
Even though Reiser marked the year 2000 as the year his retirement from ministry began, now – 10 years into his retirement – Reiser answers the phone and receives visitors, offering prayer and counseling, a shoulder to cry on or simply an ear to bend morning and night.
“I always answer the phone. None of that recording nonsense. You call me, you talk to me, not some ridiculous machine,” Reiser said.
‘Eleven Who Kare’
“Eleven Who Kare” is a televised program honoring the volunteer contributions of 11 outstanding, grassroots volunteers and promoting the spirit of volunteerism in the communities.
The 11 honorees are selected in May by the board of governors from nominations submitted by individuals and service organizations throughout KARE 11’s viewing area.
Reiser’s “Eleven Who Kare” interview was broadcast on channel 11’s Jan. 27 10 p.m. evening news show. It can still be viewed by logging on to www.kare11.com; click on “community” and then select “Eleven Who Kare.”
In June, Reiser and his fellow “Eleven Who Kare” honorees will be recognized and celebrated during an awards banquet hosted by Thrivent Financial, the “Eleven Who Kare” sponsor.
“He’ll get a trophy and a $1,100 donation to any charity he chooses,” said Schulte. “I wonder which one he will choose.”
To learn more about Reiser Relief, or to make a donation, visit ReiserRelief.org or call 763-757-2295.
Sue Austreng is at sue.austreng@ecm-inc.com
