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Meet Cathy And Duane Hruby: Serving God And Ascension Parish From The Very Beginning
It’s pretty remarkable how far a community can come in a relatively short time. When it comes to our history at Ascension, it’s amazing to recall how Masses were held at the Kirkwood Plaza Theater back in the 1970s. For longtime parishioners Cathy and Duane Hruby, those memories come back quickly.
“We’ve been here from the beginning when Mass was held at the theater,” says Cathy. “What I remember was a lot of people came in with their shopping bags to go to church, and then they left again. It was quite different.”
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Originally from Mott, N.D., Cathy grew up in a faithful Catholic family, attending Catholic school through the eighth grade. Moving to Bismarck after high school, Cathy met and married Duane Hruby — the couple, who have four children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary this past June.
Both Duane and Cathy have served our community in many ways over the years. From the beginning, Duane was involved with the Knights of Columbus, serving several terms as Grand Knight, and now, as a lifetime member of the Fourth Degree. He has also served as an usher. Cathy was one of the founding members of the Ladies of Ascension and served as the group’s first President, as well as in many other roles over the years.
Duane and Cathy Hruby have served our parish community in many ways, since our humble beginnings in the 1970s.
“[The Ladies of Ascension] started out with maybe about 10 ladies or so and we thought, ‘Let’s do this for our community and our pastor and wherever we’re needed,’” Cathy says. “We always did great things for our parish community — we had a lot of bake sales and tried to help out however we could. From the sales, we furnished the community hall and lots of different projects.”
Giving to those in need was also a priority to the Hrubys, who spent many years helping with Christmas Eve Dinners, Spring Dinners, meals for the poor and homeless, and Meals on Wheels.
“What we like best is being able to serve people and to see the delight in their eyes to get a free meal,” Cathy says. “When we serve the poor, they’re so grateful.”
Today, Cathy continues to be involved as she is able, serving as a lector and Rosary leader for daily Mass, helping with votive candles at Church, St. Mary’s High School carnival, funeral luncheons, the Circle of Friends support group, the Catholic Daughters of America, our prayer line, and even helping office staff with stuffing envelopes and bulletins. Although Duane’s health sometimes makes it difficult for him to get out, he continues to support the parish in prayer.
Cathy encourages her fellow parishioners to consider finding ways to become involved in the life of the parish and experience the sense of Ascension as a “second home” that she and Duane have found.
“I am praying that more people will get involved in different projects at the church,” she says. “There are always ways to help out — people are always needed. It’s just normal, beautiful things we could do for the church and for God. People should give it consideration, give a little of their time to God.”
