Joseph Stoeckl (left), Father Gregory Dobson

Christ the King Seminary will host its annual Curé of Ars awards dinner on Thursday, Oct. 4 at The Atrium @ Rich's in Buffalo. This year's event will honor Father Gregory J. Dobson and Joseph A. Stoeckl, Esq.

A 1983 graduate of Christ the King Seminary, Father Dobson recently retired after 21 years as rector at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Olean and as vicar forane of the Southern Cattaraugus vicariate. He is known to many for his self-titled, tongue-in-cheek nickname, "a simple country priest."

Father Dobson is not only a product of Catholic education, but is also a champion for it. He has served as canonical administrator for the Southern Tier Catholic School and is a member of the Archbishop Walsh Academy's governing board. Before entering Christ the King Seminary, he was on the faculty of the former St. Martin of Tours School in South Buffalo, where he taught for eight years, and also served as vice principal and director of religious education.

Ordained in 1983, Father Dobson distinguished himself in Catholic youth ministry while at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Lancaster, receiving the Moderator of the Year Award from the Diocese of Buffalo's Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in 1989.

Father Dobson, who chaired the 2011 Curé of Ars event, recently accepted a temporary reassignment at St. Joseph Church in Gowanda while awaiting a more permanent assignment to coincide with his long-standing plans to serve the remainder of his ministry in the Buffalo area near his family.

The Diocese of Buffalo, four bishops, and many parishes, schools, offices, departments and institutions affiliated with the diocese - including Christ the King Seminary - have benefited from Joseph Stoeckl's representation and counsel for over 43 years. He represented the diocese and Catholic Charities of Buffalo in the formation of the Catholic Health System.

Stoeckl is a member of the Bishop's Council of the Laity and a Knight Commander with Star of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. He serves as an advisory attorney to the New York State Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Bishops of New York State, and is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops National Diocesan Attorneys Association.

He is a graduate of Canisius High School, Canisius College and the University at Buffalo School of Law. Admitted to practice law in New York State in 1971, Stoeckl is currently of counsel at the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King in Buffalo.

Stoeckl and his wife, Joyce, are members of Immaculate Conception Parish in East Aurora. They have two children and five grandchildren.

The Oct. 4 program begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Father Walter Szczesny, pastor at All Saints Parish in Lockport, is this year's chair. The event is sponsored by James V. and Mary Glynn, and Maid of the Mist.

For more information on tickets or sponsorship opportunities for the Curé of Ars Awards Dinner, visit www.curedinner.com or contact Laura DeMizio at 716-847-8373.