Parish remembers late pastor’s love of youth

Center named after Father Peter Sharum opens at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston

Published: June 30, 2016

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Father Jerome Kodell, OSB (left), Father Patrick Watikha, AJ, Deacon Mark Verkamp and Brody Koch dedicate the Father Peter Sharum, OSB, Youth Center at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston June 5.

Father Jerome Kodell, OSB (left), Father Patrick Watikha, AJ, Deacon Mark Verkamp and Brody Koch dedicate the Father Peter Sharum, OSB, Youth Center at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston June 5.

Fort Smith — Sacred Heart Church in Charleston dedicated its new youth center June 5 in honor of its former pastor, the late Father Peter Sharum, OSB.

During his 26-year tenure as pastor, he baptized more than 400 babies, always made an extra effort to make them a special part of his parish family and loved nothing more than seeing children sitting on their parents’ knees at Mass. Father Sharum retired in 2010 and died two years later at Subiaco Abbey where he served as a monk for 66 years.

“Last summer a home that was right across the street from the church hall went on the market,” Sabrina Ketter, the parish’s CYM director, said. “We decided to buy it and held classes in it during the school year while we were fixing it up. While it didn’t need a whole lot of work, we wanted to make it more kid friendly. The youth helped quite a bit by cleaning it up and getting it ready for classes.”

Sacred Heart Church has a vibrant youth program for grades 7-12. Each year they bring 40 children and chaperones to the Steubenville Youth Conference in Springfield, Mo. Every two years, they send a group of high school students on a spring break mission trip with the Partners in Benedictine Education program in Esquipulas, Guatemala. Last year their pastor, Father Patrick Watikha, AJ, accompanied them on their mission trip.

“Father Patrick has really carried on Father Peter’s love of children,” Ketter said. “He makes sure youth have what they need to grow and reaches out to college-age kids to make them feel they have a parish to come home to.”

Father Jerome Kodell, OSB, blessed the Father Peter Sharum, OSB Youth Center after Mass June 5, followed by an open house for the community.

“We are blessed that our youth have a new home for their Wednesday night classes, CYM meetings and get-togethers,” Ketter said.