St. Anthony’s is humbly honored to announce that we have been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Thomas and Marilyn Kraemer Trust. Tom and Marilyn were long-time area residents, owning and operating several funeral homes in Marathon County, including one here in Marathon. Their gift will allow St. Anthony’s to upgrade our aging boiling system later this year and expand our recovery programming. The former Bonaventure Hall will soon be renamed to the Thomas and Marilyn Kraemer Hall in remembrance of their generosity.  We are excited to be able to acknowledge them in this way. Thank you so much to Elizabeth Kraemer and Paul Gassner, co-trustees of the trust, for the thought and hard work they put into distributing the Tom and Marilyn Kraemer Trust. You have truly blessed St. Anthony’s with this wonderful gift, and we are honored to accept the funds that have been entrusted to us!

Their gift has been designated for two purposes. The first is to fund a very necessary and major capital improvement – the replacement of our boilers. The three ladies we have now were second-hand when we bought and installed them shortly after the transition. We knew they were only a stop-gap at the time, and they have faithfully carried us through many winters. Still, they are 30-35 years old and are nearing the end of their lives. They need to be replaced sooner than later. What we cannot afford to do is wait for them to die mid-winter when we have a group in the house, which according to Murphy’s Law is exactly when they would expire.

The boilers we are looking to purchase will be larger and more efficient, so we will only need to buy two. And since they are new rather than used, they should carry us through many, many future winters. Ideally, we would like to have the new boilers installed during the summer so they are up and running before heating season.

Perhaps the more important legacy of Tom and Marilyn’s most generous gift is the support our recovery retreat ministry. This ministry, begun by Fr. Peter Hesse in the early 70’s, has long welcomed to St. Anthony’s those recovering from addiction. Our Serenity retreats remain one of our more popular offerings. This gift will help us not only continue to offer the Serenity retreats several times each year but to continue expanding our recovery ministry with other 12 step offerings.

The generosity of all our donors has long sustained St. Anthony’s, both before and after the transition. Whether it be monthly donors, once a year donors, and all those in between, each gift is valued and appreciated. Donations make up about a third of our budget each year, and more often than not, whenever we have had a need for a capital expense, kind and generous souls like those who administered the Kraemer trust, have stepped forward to help us out. When we say we cannot do what we do without our donors, it is not hyperbole.

For this generous couple and their most generous gift for our future, and for all our donors and their generosity, we say Deo Gratias!