Melissa Voss | Editor
Shane Van Diest has been moving all around the country the past ten years, but for him, it has been a journey to St. George Catholic Church and its surrounding community. As the newly appointed director of religious education, Van Diest hopes to continue educating and providing support for the members of the St. George parish.
Van Diest, originally from Montana, recently moved to Sioux Falls from St. Louis, Missouri with his wife, Marah, and almost two-year-old daughter, Cecilia. Before coming to St. George, he was the director of young adult ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, a theology teacher at Duchesne Catholic High School in St. Charles, a campus missionary with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), and a collegiate football coach at the University of South Dakota.
After moving to Sioux Falls for his wife to start her three-year residency program as a family medicine doctor, he wanted to continue his working relationship with the church. After speaking with people in South Dakota, he found Father Paul King of St. George Catholic Church in Hartford.
“I desired to continue working for the Church, and St. George Parish and the great work done here by Fr. King came highly recommended by some people I knew in South Dakota,” Van Diest stated.
But only more connections to the church came when he found out he would be succeeding current St. George director of religious education, Zach Krueger.
“As chance would have it, I also know my predecessor, Zach Krueger from our time together with the organization FOCUS, and so I knew that I would be taking over a well-run religious education program.”
The religious education program, according to Van Diest, involves the formation of the human person for all parishioners of St. George from childhood through adulthood. His position oversees the efforts to educate K-5 students, middle and high school students, as well as the adult parishioners.
“Although this formation happens primarily in the context of family life and the home, my role, as my title implies, is to direct this process and provide support for individuals and families as they seek to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ and His Church.”
All in all, Vans Diest looks forward to getting to know the community and building relationships within the St. George parish.
“I most look forward to building relationships with the families of our parish, and to helping them in their pursuit of holiness. I have moved around a lot in the past decade, and my wife and I are looking forward to being a part of the Hartford and Sioux Falls communities.”