Members of the Dan Gernatt, Sr. Family and extended family have been actively involved in and financially generous to St. Joseph Roman Catholic Parish in Gowanda, New York for several decades. In 1992, the late Daniel R. Gernatt, Sr. and the late Flavia C. (Schmitz) Gernatt donated the construction of a new rectory to the parish (1, 2). Construction of the new rectory was completed within one year (1, 2) The new rectory was built because the former building was deteriorating and in disrepair (1, 2).
In 1996, Gernatt, Sr. also established the Gernatt Family Endowment Fund for St. Joseph School which closed in 2014 (3-4). The purposes of the Fund were to provide financial assistance, specifically, for students to obtain a Catholic education at the School when they would, otherwise, be unable to without such monies (3). Gernatt, Sr. attended St. Joseph School from 1926 to 1931, traveling there by horse and buggy (3).
The School received further financial assistance through the Daniel and Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation (5-8). Gernatt, Sr. and his late wife, Flavia, were the founders of the Gernatt Family of Companies, a conglomerate of 11 mining businesses that is headquartered in Collins (3, 6, 9); and Dan Gernatt Farms (10).
The Gernatts and members of their extended family have served in many capacities in the Church and Buffalo Diocese (1, 3, 6). The late Msgr. David A. Gernatt occasionally celebrated Masses at the Church. Both Gernatt, Sr. and his late wife, Flavia, were involved in the Parish and Diocese in many capacities, including as Parish Trustee and in other positions (1, 2). Daniel R. Gernatt, Jr. has been the parish Santa Claus for over four decades (11).
Members of the Gernatt extended family have served on and/or have been leaders of the Mother’s Club, Parish Council, Home-School Association, Parent Association, St. Joseph School Board, Altar and Rosary Society, and other groups (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 12). The Knights of Columbus group at the Church is named in memory of Msgr. David A. Gernatt (13-14).
Phyllis Ulmer, a daughter of Gernatt, Sr., served as the last leader of the St. Joseph School Board prior to the school’s closure in 2014 (15). Barbara (Rebmann) Galloway, a granddaughter of Gernatt, Sr., and former St. Joseph School Parent Association president, was advancement director at the School before the school closed (15). Both women are also graduates of St. Joseph School. The Gernatt and Rebmann families established scholarships in the names of their families that were annually awarded to graduates of St. Joseph School (16). The Parish will likely continue to enjoy future decades of support to come due to the generosity of the Gernatt Family.
References:
1: 2003 St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (January 2004). Eden Prairie, MN: Olan Mills Church Directories.
2: Historical Sketch of the Village of Gowanda, N.Y. in Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of its Incorporation, August 8, 1898. Buffalo, NY: The Matthews-Northrup Company, Leonard, I.R., Reprinted 1998. Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company.
3: “Bishop’s Medal Recipient: Daniel R. Gernatt, Sr.” (2007). Celebrate Catholic Education Dinner 2007. Buffalo, NY: Diocese of Buffalo.
4: “Foundation funds supporting Catholic education” (2013). The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. Buffalo, NY: Author. Retrieved November 27, 2013. http://www.frcdb.org/foundation-funds-catholic-education
5: “Form 990-PF 2008 Return of Private Foundation: Daniel & Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation” (2008). Guidestar.org. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved November 29, 2013. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2008/222/914/2008-222914177-051dfcee-F.pdf
6: “Flavia C. Gernatt, businesswoman” (November 29, 1995). Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway.
7: “Tech Mission: Urban Ministry Grants: Daniel & Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation” (2013). Urban Ministry Grants. Boston, MA: Author. Retrieved November 29, 2013. http://www.urbanministry.org/grants/daniel-flavia-gernatt-family-foundation
8: “Bishop Kmiec to present Bishop’s Medal to three individuals, Catholic college” (December 17, 2006). Gowanda Penny Saver News. Hamburg, NY: H&K Publications.
9: “City & region: Daniel R. Gernatt Sr., 97, entrepreneur, horseman” (May 7, 2014). The Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved May 26, 2014. http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/obituaries/daniel-r-gernatt-sr-97-entrepreneur-horseman-20140507#
10: “Dan Gernatt Sr. Passes” (May 9, 2014). Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: Standardbred Canada. Retrieved June 18, 2014. http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/notices/5-9-14/dan-gernatt-sr-passes.html
11: “Santa Claus visits St. Joseph’s” (image) (March 2012). St. Joseph Times, Vol. 1, No. 9. Gowanda, NY: St. Joseph Church.
12: Pankow, M. (February 15, 2014). “’Lucky 7s’ for local patriarch Dan Gernatt, Sr.” Gowanda News. Gowanda, NY: The Metro Group. Retrieved February 26, 2014. : http://www.gowandanews.com/news/258-Lucky_7s_for_local_patriarch_dan_Gernatt,_Sr..html
13: “St. Joseph’s: Weekly Collection” (March 2, 2014). St. Joseph’s. New Berlin, WI: Liturgical Publications, Inc. Retrieved March 4, 2014. http://content.seekandfind.com/bulletins/14/0950/20140302B.pdf
14: “Msgr. David A. Gernatt Council #15113 of the Knights of Columbus” (February 23, 2014). SeekAndFind.com. New Berlin, WI: Liturgical Publications, Inc. Retrieved March 1, 2014. http://www.seekandfind.com/find/st-josephs-church St. Joseph’s
15: “St. Joseph School administration” (2014). St. Joseph School. Gowanda, NY: Author. Retrieved March 1, 2014. http://stjoesgowanda.com/AboutUs/SchoolAdministration.aspx
16: “St. Joseph School Graduation Program” (2013). St. Joseph School. Gowanda, NY: Author.
Gowanda, New York Churches 