Msgr. Joseph Semancik O’53 (’47-’53), is a retired priest of the Diocese of Gary residing in Whiting, IN where he assists at the local parishes and at Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Msgr. Semancik was born in Whiting, IN on March 3, 1929, the son of Frank Semancik and Jane Wingle. Msgr. attended  St. John the Baptist School, Catholic Central High School, Sacred Heart Seminary in Fort Wayne and Saint Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana. He was ordained a priest on May 1, 1953 in the Cathedral at Fort Wayne. He later received the Master’s Degree in Social Work from Loyola University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. 

He was an Assistant Pastor at Assumption Parish in East Chicago and at St. Catherine of Siena in Hammond. He was appointed Administrator at Sacred Heart, East Chicago in 1960, was named pastor at Holy Trinity in Gary in 1969 and returned to Sacred Heart in 1974 as pastor where he remained. He has taught at several levels: Religion at Bishop Noll, Sociology and Social Work at St. Joseph’s Calumet College (now Calumet College) and as a Lecturer at Graduate School of Social Work at Loyola University, Chicago.

Msgr. Semancik began working at Catholic Charities in 1960 and was named Diocesan Director in 1962, a post which he held until 1998. During that time, the agency provided social services throughout the four Northwest counties of Indiana and expanded to seven offices and St. Joseph’s Home in Hammond. During those years he was active in many community organizations such as the Lake County Economic Opportunity Council and the Lake County Community Development Committee, serving as President of those programs.

Nationally, he has served Catholic Charities USA, as a member of the Board, as a member of the Study Cadre which redirected the work of Catholic Charities, as Chairman of various committees, and as a member of the Board of Social Thought, a Journal of Social Welfare.

Msgr. Semancik has authored research articles on the Directors of Catholic Charities and other topics. His most recent publication has been the History of Slovaks in Indiana, part of an Indiana Historical Society publication.

During his tenure with Catholic Charities, he also was the local Diocesan Director of Catholic Relief Services, the overseas welfare organization of American Catholics. For several years he represented North America on a planning group for Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 145 Catholic Charities organizations worldwide. He was one of the originators of the Indiana Catholic Conference and a founder of Hospice of the Calumet Area. Since his retirement from Catholic Charities he serves on the Board of Trustees of Calumet College of St. Joseph, the Board of St. Catherine Hospital, the Board of the Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, and a member of the Lake County Advancement Committee (Board of the Hospice of Calumet Area).

Msgr. Semancik has received a number of honors: the Sagamore of the Wabash and Distinguished Hoosier Award from the Governor of Indiana, the St. Joseph the Worker Award from Calumet College of St. Joseph and the Siedenburg Award from Loyola University. In 1997 he was named East Chicagoan of the Year.

Within the Diocese of Gary, he has held a range of responsibilities as Vicar, Dean, Consultor and a member of the Priest’s Council. He was a member of the Priest’s Pension Board and Priest’s Personnel Board. It was in 1984 that he was named Domestic Prelate with the title Monsignor by Blessed John Paul II.

In October 2011, he retired from Sacred Heart Parish in East Chicago and closed that parish which he served for over 50 years. 

Msgr. Semancik is seeking approval for his first term on the Alumni Board.

Fr. Frank Torres, O’81 (’74-76) is a priest of the Diocese of Gary and assigned to Queen of All Saint Parish in Michigan City, IN. 

A native of Gary, IN, Fr. Torres is the fifth of six children. He and several of his family members worked in the steel mills of northwest Indiana. Fr. Torres also served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He has served in a number of parishes, most recently at St. Joseph in LaPorte. Fr. Torres credits his vocation, in part, to the many Saint Meinrad Alumni who served as his pastors. 

He is an avid runner. Now competing annually in the Chicago marathon, in earlier years Fr. Torres would compete each year in several marathons. Since his ordination in 1994 Fr. Torres has attended almost every annual alumni reunion and regional dinner.

Fr. Torres is seeking approval for his second term on the Alumni Board.

Deacon Kenneth Johanning, PDP’05 ('01-05), is ordained for the Diocese of Evansville and serves at St. Anthony Parish in St. Anthony and Sacred Heart Parish in Schnellville, IN.

Deacon Johanning earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Education from the University of Southern Indiana. For several years he was self-employed. He taught at North Harrison (County) High School for thirteen years. He now teaches Integrated Chemistry and Physics at Greater Jasper High School.

Deacon Johanning and his wife, Gladys, are parents of five sons, two daughters and numerous grandchildren. They reside in Jasper. 

Deacon Johanning is seeking approval for his second term on the Alumni Board.

Deacon George Stonikinis, PDP’03 ('99-03), is a member of Saint Meinrad’s first class of permanent deacons, ordained for the Diocese of Richmond, VA. He earned his BS and MS degrees from Virginia Tech, an MSW from Virginia Commonwealth, and completed a two-year training program in spiritual direction.

Deacon Stonikins retired from a 35-year career at Longwood University in Farmville, VA where he served, variously, as professor, academic administrator, program director and academic chair. He was also a graduate school instructor at Virginia Commonwealth for eight years and served as the Pastoral Administrator of Good Samaritan Catholic Church in Amelia, VA prior to relocating in Elizabeth City, NC.

Currently, he is assigned to the Diocese of Raleigh as deacon for two parishes and serves on the Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Advisory Board. A former chair of several boards, including, Child Abuse Treatment and Prevention Programming, Youth Commission, Sheltered Workshop, and PTA, he is active in the Northeast North Carolina ministerial association and the Knights of Columbus.

Deacon Stonikinis has presented papers at several international conferences, published numerous articles, and developed curriculum and educational materials for applications of technology to human services and management. He was recognized for developing and administering the oldest continuously accredited Social Work Program in Virginia, and making outstanding contributions to student life through the Honor Board of the University.

He and his wife, Vee Suzanne, have a son and daughter. He enjoys reading, writing, raising border collies and studying history and related theology in North Yorkshire, England.

Deacon Stonikinis is seeking approval for his second term on the Alumni Board.

Mrs. Ann Tully T’03 ('96-03), earned her Masters of Theological Studies from Saint Meinrad School of Theology.  She serves in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Tribunal as Judge Instructor/Assessor and previously as Advocate/Procurator.

She earned a BS in Business, majoring in Finance, from Indiana University at Indianapolis.  She is also certified by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as an Employee Benefits Specialist.

Ann is a member of the Canon Law Society of America, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Vocation Advisory Team and Deacon Formation Policy Board, and the Archdiocesan Chapter of Bread for the World. Ann volunteers at the Indiana Women’s Prison assisting with RCIA instruction and bible study. She is a liturgical minister at St. Matthew Parish in Indianapolis where she serves as chair of the liturgy committee.

She is a recipient of the Bronze Pelican Award, a diocesan recognition given to adults who have made a significant and outstanding contribution to the spiritual development of Catholic youth in the Boy Scouts of America.  Ann and her husband, Tim, have two adult sons.  She enjoys bicycling and travel. 

Ann is seeking approval for her second term on the Alumni Board.