Father Roy Bauer to receive Friend of Catholic Education Award Feb. 4 at QCES dinner

QUINCY — Father Roy Bauer will be posthumously honored as the recipient of this year’s Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation’s Friends of Catholic Education Award.

Established in 2009, the award recognizes an individual, couple or organization whose contributions have significantly fostered and strengthened Catholic education in the Quincy community. Father Bauer will be honored and celebrated at the foundation’s 14th annual dinner on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Atrium Hotel on Third.

“Father Bauer’s ministry impacted thousands of students’ and families’ lives,” QCES Foundation Board President Elizabeth Brown said in a press release. “He instilled his love of history, education and the Catholic faith in those who were fortunate to have had him as a religion teacher, pastor or Washington D.C., tour guide.”

Born in Quincy, Father Bauer was a lifelong student of Catholic school beginning with St. Francis Solanus Catholic School. He felt a calling to the priesthood at age 13. He attended St. Henry’s Preparatory Seminary in Belleville for high school and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein. During his priesthood, he served parishes and schools throughout Illinois, including Springfield, Decatur, Effingham and in Calhoun County. He returned to Quincy in 1985 to serve as pastor for St. Peter Parish until his 2004 retirement.

Father Bauer enjoyed the opportunity to teach religion in the schools he served and interact with students as often as possible. He also was passionate about history. He combined that passion with education and organized the first annual trip for eighth graders to Washington, D.C., in 1976. These trips continued once he returned to Quincy, and many of the Catholic Elementary Schools continue this trip today. Father Bauer made the trip for more than 40 years with an estimated 2,000 students and chaperones instilling in them a love of history and the faith.

Father Bauer also was instrumental in bringing more than 800 converts to the Catholic faith.

Tickets for the dinner are $100. They must be reserved by Friday, Jan. 20 through the QCES Foundation office or at https://ticketstripe.com/FOCEDinner2023. The dinner serves as a fundraiser for the foundation and its tuition assistance fund.

The QCES Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in tuition assistance since 2009 to elementary students with demonstrated need who are enrolled at Blessed Sacrament, St. Dominic, St. Francis and St. Peter schools.