Elmwood parish hosts French dinner event highlighting saints

The parish hall at St. Mary in Elmwood hosted a “Dinner with the Saints” on February 22, led by parishioner and chef Lawrence de Villiers. The event provided attendees with a French meal and an opportunity to learn about three notable French saints.

Lawrence de Villiers, originally from France and now executive chef and owner of L’s Kitchen in Lincoln, said his aim was to help the parish community become more connected while raising funds for the church. “The best way to get to know each other is through food,” he said. “That’s what I do for a living, and I believe that wholeheartedly… so I thought that we could have the whole parish gather, or as many as possible, and that way we would get to know each other and get to spend time with each other,” de Villiers said.

Mollie Sundermeier, engagement coordinator for several parishes including St. Mary in Elmwood, explained that the event aligned well with their goal of fostering relationships among parishioners. “One thing we’ve been focusing on with our parish family at St. Mary is for our parishioners to get to know each other, because that’s pretty foundational to a vibrant parish life,” she said.

Father Jason Doher, pastor of St. Mary and St. Patrick parishes, supported the idea: “I think it was a brilliant idea to take the one thing that all of us love, food, and make the connection with God,” Father Doher said. “Our Lord spends a lot of his ministry in dinner, ministering to people through food, and gives of himself through food, so it just made sense.”

Attendance reached 42 adults—two above capacity—with each guest asked for a $50 donation benefiting St. Mary Parish. De Villiers donated all ingredients for the meal and his staff volunteered their time.

The menu included mushroom cream soup (mushroom duxelles), cassoulet—a traditional French bean stew—and fondant au chocolat for dessert. Before each course, de Villiers shared stories about three saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux (“the most relatable saint”), King Louis IX (“a role model to look up to”), and St. Joan of Arc (“an anomaly, one of a kind”).

De Villiers described why these figures were meaningful examples within Catholicism: “The idea was not to educate people on saints, but rather make people relate on the fact that the Catholic Church is universal,” he said. He added about St. Thérèse: “This is why I think St. Thérèse is very popular in the world because we can all relate to what she said… And more importantly we can do what she did.” Regarding King Louis IX: “It’s another way to look at an example of holiness for everyone—the littlest and biggest…” On Joan of Arc: “If Great Britain had won and taken over France, France’s Catholic Church would have disappeared… so it was imperative that France remained Catholic.”

Sundermeier expressed appreciation for de Villiers’ efforts: “I think if our church has capacity to serve our people and let them know that they’re loved and valued, there’s value in that… It’s creating a strong parish family.”

Father Doher noted contributions beyond monetary donations are also valuable: “We’re not always looking for monetary contributions… but other gifts that people can give in time and talent can benefit the parish in ways that money can’t.”

De Villiers’ background includes growing up in western France before moving first to New York City—where he met his wife Renee—and then settling near Lincoln after marrying in 2007. He began working as a chef-for-hire before opening The Normandy restaurant; later he opened L’s Kitchen.

Reflecting on his journey from France to Nebraska, de Villiers credits community support: “I arrived in Lincoln 20 years ago with nothing… So my American dream and my success story—I owe it to my community…”

The Diocese of Lincoln operates as a religious organization across southern Nebraska with 134 parishes—including St. Mary—and six educational institutions (official website). The diocese emphasizes adherence to Catholic traditions while engaging members through events like this dinner (official website). Its mission includes supporting vocations, family life programs, youth ministry initiatives and charitable work (official website).

De Villiers summed up his experience by saying faith brought him together with his wife despite different backgrounds: “It’s [because of it] that a French aristocrat can marry a farm girl from Nebraska… what they had…to build their marriage…is their Catholic faith.”