Comedy & Cuisine
March 29, 2025
A Benefit for Saint Cecilia
Cathedral Grade School
We are excited for you to participate in this event. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Our event chairs and committees are working hard to make a successful event dinner and auction and to pull together high-quality items for you to bid on and win. Please patronize our event sponsors. Without their partnership and support this event could not happen.

Chairs Mark Guilliatt & Theresa Lehn; Paul & Quinn Kulik; Michael & Lindsay Rosenthal
In 2020, three families entered the doors of St. Cecilia with four of their kids starting kindergarten. These beautiful children started their faith and educational journeys together, and their parents have formed friendships that will last a lifetime….Let us tell you a little of our story.
We feel so blessed to be part of the St. Cecilia’s community; it feels like a small town dropped into the middle of Omaha. We are three families with a total of 10 kids! Some are legacy families—Theresa Lehn and Lindsay (Rachwalik) Rosenthal — who bring decades of belonging and caring for our community. And we have newbies too--Paul, Quinn, Mark, and Mike.
We are also small business owners, like Mark’s “The Retirement Guys” and Paul’s “Le Bouillon” restaurant and “Howard Street Wine Merchant.” We also include a proud union member, Mike, of the Operating Engineer’s Local 234. Quinn is the General Counsel of a national agricultural business called JDH. Theresa deftly managers her family of seven, and she is such an active supporter of St. Cecilia’s. Lindsay devotes her daytime hours to the Madonna School as a special education teacher.
All told, we are soccer, flag football, and basketball coaches. We are Board of Education and ABC members, room parents, and more. . . . Mostly, though, we are grateful to be a part of the St. Cecilia community.
St. Cecilia’s brought our three families together. Together we break bread, pray, laugh and love our school. God is Good… All the Time!
Jean Batenhorst-Smith & Jim Smith
Honorary Chairs
Jean Batenhorst-Smith and Jim Smith are the elves on campus. They see what needs to be done and quietly do it. Jean (CHS ‘83) and Jim (Blessed Sacrament/Holy Name roots) were married at St. Philip Neri in 1995. They began volunteering when their four children attended St. Cecilia School. They have been involved in multiple official activities such as Home and School, ABC, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sports coaching, Board of Education, Parish Council, Finance Council, CathedralFest (chaired multiple years), Comedy & Cuisine, plus many more special projects like restoring the art wing. They are staples on campus. Jean has worked at St. Cecilia School for almost 20 years. She worked for several years in the PreK and Kindergarten rooms and now serves as a para for K, 1st, and 2nd grade classes. Beyond Webster Street, Jim has worked as Senior VP of Procurement for Highline Warren for more than 30 years. They love to visit their children.
Knights of Columbus Council #652
Great Stewards
Our Knights of Columbus keep building community on campus. They host a monthly parish breakfast (the second Sunday of the month), a salmon plank dinner (Mac and cheese option for the kids!) during Lent, and the Friday “Knight” party and Spaghetti Dinner during CathedralFest weekend. Our Knights are also service-focused: hosting quarterly blood donation drives; completing various projects on campus, most recently fixing and painting the awning above the gym entrance; and assisting other groups, like CAP and the Filipino and Karenni communities, in their projects. The Knights of Columbus Council #652 - Father Flanagan of Boys Town was founded on March 16, 1902.
Steve Ramacciotti
Volunteer of the Year
Steve is a Class of ’93 St. Cecilia Grade School alum. He started coaching when his children were young, spending 8 years as a soccer coach and coaching basketball for the past 23 years, well beyond his own children’s elementary years. You still can find him coaching multiple teams most seasons. Not only does he guide young athletes, he also builds community by organizing the Cathedral Basketball Tournament for the past 12 years. Professionally, Steve has worked for over 20 years at Metropolitan Utilities District.
What is Comedy & Cuisine?
Comedy & Cuisine is a gathering of friends and family and supporters of Saint Cecilia Cathedral Grade School. In the spring we hold a dinner and auction in our campus gym filled with 400 people excited to bid and buy as well as eat, catch up, dance, and have a great time.
At Comedy & Cuisine we celebrate our community's accomplishments and raise money to help keep tuition affordable, keep our teacher and staff salaries competitive, and enhance our campus facilities.
It is a time to recognize individuals who continuously dedicate and share their talent, time, and treasure in helping make Saint Cecilia Cathedral Grade School what it is today.
Why Do We Need Comedy & Cuisine?
Saint Cecilia Grade School is a vital part of Saint Cecilia Parish and the Saint Cecilia Community. It is funded through four primary sources: Parish Support, Tuition and Fees, Endowment Support, and Comedy & Cuisine. Without each of these resources, Saint Cecilia School would not exist. Comedy & Cuisine is a necessary and critical element in the school’s support system. Its donors, patrons, underwriters, advertisers, and bidders serve as the capstone to this support system.
Donations to Comedy & Cuisine continue to build our ministry to educate our children, prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, and fulfill our mission:
+ To teach and live the Catholic faith within a nurturing family-like community.
+ Teach reverence for life and respect for all.
+ Foster each student's academic potential.
Fund the Future: Safety and Security
This year’s Comedy & Cuisine leadership team, with the consent of Principal Jessie Stoffel and Pastor Fr. Hans, has chosen to Fund the Future of our children by raising financial support and investing in their safety by upgrading our security technology and facilities at Saint Cecilia School and across the entire Cathedral campus.
We will improve our perimeter fencing, our cameras and monitoring, and our entry access security across campus. A security committee is forming to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, and will engage local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for their expertise and options to find the best solutions for our children’s safety. All activities and buildings on campus will be evaluated to discover vulnerabilities and opportunities to make our campus more secure every day of the year.
Click the photo to donate.
Our School
St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School, an apostolate of St. Cecilia Parish, was founded in 1907. St. Cecilia School educates a diverse population of children in PreKindergarten through 8th Grade. St. Cecilia School is committed to fostering a Christian learning environment and proclaiming and modeling faith, worship, service and prayer.
St. Cecilia's academic strength is built on strong parent involvement and a dedicated faculty that averages 18 years of experience. Our goal is to work with parents to provide their children an education of the highest quality and to build a strong foundation for success in high school and beyond.
St. Cecilia is a one-to-one school. Weekly technology classes are offered for all students (grades PreK – 8). We incorporate the use of technology to enhance and support our curriculum and to allow for personalized learning. All students in grades K – 8 are taught computer programming skills using various programs.
St. Cecilia Cathedral School goes beyond the normal academic curriculum. We feel that it is important to meet the differentiated needs of our students and provide opportunities to explore their interests.
St. Cecilia offers soccer (boys and girls PreK-8th), volleyball (girls 5th-8th), basketball (boys and girls 3rd-8th), and track (boys and girls 6th-8th).
What Activities Will Be Included?
Dining, Sharing, Laughing, Bidding, Buying!
• Cocktail hour with fellow school supporters
• Great meal from Abraham Catering
• Presentations to our honorees
• Online auction bidding (some item bidding starts early in the week)
• Oral auction with some great items/experiences
• Finest Hour band
5:00 pm Doors open | bar opens
Please use north Parish Center doors
6:00 pm hors d’oeuvres
7:00 pm Silent Auction online bidding ends
7:30 pm Dinner
8:00 pm Presentation
8:30 pm Live Auction
9:30 - 11:00 pm Finest Hour band
What Has the Event Help Fund?
Improvements, Construction, or Renovation:
Gymnasium and Stage
School Windows
School Cafeteria and Kitchen
Library and Reception Area
Science Lab and Equipment
Classroom Technology
School Restrooms
Athletic Equipment
Robotics Lab
Fire Safety Equipment and Systems
St. Bernadette Hall Furniture
Computers and Technology
STEAM Lab & Media Center
School Restoration Project
Enhancements to Educational Services:
Kindergarten Program
Full Time Art Faculty
Part Time Resource Faculty
Continuing Education Fund for Faculty
Music and Drama Program
Faculty Scholarship
Financial Aid and Tuition Assistance
Reading Curriculum
The dedication, generosity and hard work over the years of the annual event has raised over $2 million in support of our nationally recognized, award-winning school.
Past Chairs
1998 Mike and Anne McGuire
1998 John and Joyce Passarelli
1999 Mark and Lori Winkler
2000 Rod and Mary Jewell
2001 Albert Macchietto and Michaela White
2002 Joe and Molly Lang
2003 Bill and Julie Erickson
2003 Alan and Denise Nunn
2004 John and Mary Beth Lindsay
2004 Alan Thelen and Sandy Maass Thelen
2005 Lee and Ellen Ehlers
2005 Brad and Cassandra Poeckes
2006 Matt and Sheryl Fitzgerald
2006 Fred and Ellie Grossman
2007 Brian and Jana Donahoe
2007 Tony and Laura Romero
2008 Tom and Kelly Hickey
2008 Ron and Robin Woita
2009 Mike and Martha O'Connor
2009 Rus and Marci Biven
2010 Michael and Kimberly Joyce
2010 Mike and Julie Swartz
2011 Christopher Burbach and Judith Nygren
2011 Brian and Lyn Rhoten
2012 Chip and Pam Maxwell
2012 David and Noelia Weber
2013 Jim and Tricia Elliston
2013 Frank Zitek and Shannon Sullivan-Zitek
2014 Jerry and Mary Lynne Bushman
2014 Tim and Pam Lammers
2015 Jim Dowse and Margie Gazinski
2015 Tim and Magan Smith
2016 Matt and Christi Schill
2016 John and Teresa Ryan
2017 Tom and Elizabeth McGuire
2017 Dan and Molly Haske
2018 Drew and Crystal Gerken
2018 Jay and Christine Koehn
2019 John-Paul and Lizzie Lehn
2019 Mike and Katie Schill
2020 Ryan and Erin Hagedorn
2020 Chris and Remý Kaslon
2021 Brad and Amanda Perry
2021 Tri and Tami Tran
2021 Jim and Erica Bush
2022 Eric and Molly Neuman
2022 Joe and Maura Niederee
2022 Trevor and Candice Towey
2023 Mac McLaughlin and Heather Gomes
2023 Chris and Danielle Lyons
2023 Tony and Shannon Vaccaro
2024 John & Maria Anderson
2024 Josh & Molly Humpal
2024 Peter & Suzie Walsh
Honorary Chairs
1999 Joe and Jeanne Barmettler
2000 Bob Matt
2001 John and Michaela Blazek
2002 Mary Lindsay
2003 Bob Soener
2004 Paul and Lori Hogan
2005 Mike and Ann Boyle
2006 Terry and Sue Wilwerding
2007 Larry and Karen Dwyer and Tom Dwyer
2008 Frank and Helen Matthews
2009 Barry & Mary Gerken and Bob & Mary Kay Gerken
2010 Deacon’s Joe Archibald, Dave Gurney, Fred Sommer, Jim Watson
2011 John and Joyce Passarelli
2012 Michael and Mary Beth Barmettler
2013 Tom and Betsy Morrison Family
2014 Tom and Jane Werner
2015 Previous Comedy and Cuisine chairs
2016 Paul and Janet Lehn family
2017 Phil and Emily Sauvageau
2018 Craig and Cathy Lyons
2019 Byron and Linda Stigge
2020 David and Michaela Doyle (event cancelled)
2021 David and Michaela Doyle
2022 Geoff and Lorraine Thiele
2023 Tony & Laura Romero
2024 Al & Mary Lynn Vaccaro
Honorees
2007 Great Teacher: Sister Marie Juan Maney
2007 Great Coach: Roger Higgins
2007 Great Principal: Bonnie Pryor
2008 Great Administrator: Molly Swiercek
2008 Great Teacher: Sr. Marie Patrice O’Donnell, OP
2009 Great Steward: Leo Batenhorst
2009 Great Family: Mitt and Mary Ellen Stoffel
2010 Great Family: Leo Wilwerding
2010 Great Faculty: Saint Cecilia Grade School
2011 Great Teachers: Sr. Marie Patrice O’Donnell, OP and Sr. Mary Duchesne Maxwell, OP
2013 Great Steward: Pete Larson
2013 Great Family Award: Roger and Donna Higgins
2014 Great Stewards: Dorothy and Alice Lammers
2014 Great Family: William and Mary Lindsay
2015 Great Alum: Herbert Rhodes
2015 Great Teacher: Dorothy Buchan
2016 Great Priest: Reverend Monsignor James Gilg
2016 Great Teacher: Margaret Swanson
2017 Great Alum: Adam Herold
2018 Great Family: Jerry and Patty Maguire
2019 Great Steward: Br. William Woeger, FSC
2019 Great Teacher: Carol Walters
2020 Great Family: Ed and Joni Fogarty (event cancelled)
2021 Great Family: Ed and Joni Fogarty
2022 Great Steward: Robbie Dylla
2022 Great Alum: Drew Gerken
2023 Great Alums: 1976 Cathedral High School Girls Basketball Unofficial State Champions
2024 Great Alum: Tammy Mateljan