We are grateful to all those who sponsored, participated in, and volunteered at the 2026 Mary Lou Kownacki Memorial Golf Tournament. In spite of morning thunderstorms, by the time the tournament started the sky was clear and the sun was out making for a day of great golf. These were the overall winning teams:
First place women: Kathy Danch, Irene Harrington, Sue Minarich, Tina Delio
First place men: Nick Askins, Joe Askins, Don Sayban, Cooper Fox
First place mixed: Charlotte Kneidinger, Kirk Kneidinger, Michael Kneidinger, Nathan Kneidinger
2nd place women: Mary Hoffman, Char Neizmik, Beth Sesler, Marlene Smith
2nd place men: Bob Jackson, Shawn Cerne, Jerrett Kawski, Jeremy Lynch
2nd place mixed: Rick Clayton, Lucas Olszewski, Leo Olszewski, Rachel Olszewski
A different kind of reflection on golf: Decisions are made in real time. Whether we spend days or weeks agonizing over a decision or we flip a coin, an actual decision is always made now, in a single moment. While the past brings us to now and the future reaps the unknown benefits (or the harm) of the decisions we make now, we live only in the present.
Yet we rarely live in the present! “The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings the past and the future are not as real, but more real than the present. The present cannot be lived happily unless the past has been ‘cleared up’ and the future is bright with promise,” writes Alan Watts in The Wisdom of Insecurity.
Hmmm. We can spend hours replaying how we played, best shots or worst, on the golf course—or in life. Or, we dream only of the hole-in-one, forgetting to be present now, to take pleasure in what life is giving us in this moment.
Yet when you stand in the tee box, your focus is now. The minutes prior to the WHACK of the club head that sends the ball flying, you are here, now. You choose a club, a tee, a brand of ball. You scan the course and decide where in the box to place the tee and how high to set it. Adjust your hands on the club and waggle a bit. Square the club head, align your feet, your hips, and your shoulders. Get the right bend of knees and elbows. Take a deep breath. Focus. Swing. Now. And then it’s history. There are no do-overs—you cannot go back and shift your stance or re-align your shoulders. Nor can you be in the future and see where the ball landed before you swing.
Each day is like a new opportunity in the tee box—even 170 years’ worth of days, the number of years the Benedictine Sisters of Erie have been making decisions, large and small, that have shaped who we are today. Who we will be in the future depends on the choices we make now. We live now, but we’re in it for the long game!
It was 1856 when the first sisters chose to leave the security of their cloistered monastery in Bavaria to come to Pennsylvania’s western frontier—talk about swinging blindly. The sisters decided to build a girl’s academy on East Ninth Street in the mid 1800s. In 1988, 120 years later, they closed the academy when demographics and finances shifted, and other needs called. Even cash-strapped, they looked to future expansion and in 1906 bought the land on East Lake Road where they eventually built their monastery.
In our own time our sisters began new ministries to feed the poor and to bring beauty to inner-city children and to offer spirituality programs and hospitality in the monastery and more. We continue to adjust our stance, waggle a bit, align ourselves, hone our focus, and swing… And we believe you’re here with us today not only because you love golf, but also because you have chosen to support Benedictine community, prayer, and good work in the city of Erie. We are grateful and looking forward to the coming years! Fore!
