Legacy Dinner

WHAT IS THE LEGACY DINNER?
It's an opportunity to gather and celebrate the legacy we will all leave on Mary, Queen of Peace, the place where we encounter Jesus in sacrament and service, in the Word and in each other. The parish is where the Universal Church is made real as we gather to celebrate the Eucharist and are sent to live as disciples. So the Legacy Dinner celebrates all of that! Come and celebrate your parish family.

OUR LEGACY AWARD RECIPIENT: REV. RONALD L. CALKINS
Rev. Ronald L. Calkins was born in New Orleans on May 1, 1951, the youngest of four children in a loving Catholic home. Fr. Ronnie attended St. Agnes School in Jefferson for elementary school and St. John Prep School in New Orleans before entering St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington. After completing formation at Notre Dame Seminary, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Philip Hannan on May 20, 1978.

Fr. Ronnie served in several ministries as a priest: He was the archdiocesan head of the Catholic Youth Organization, Archdiocesan Vocation Director, and served on a number of archdiocesan boards and committees. He also served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Divine Providence in Metairie and St. Andrew the Apostle in New Orleans. But the ministry he loved more than any other is being a pastor. That’s where he left such a lasting legacy at Mary, Queen of Peace – his first pastorate.

Fr. Ronnie came to MQP on July 3, 1995, and served as pastor until June 30, 2014. For 19 years, he served the people entrusted to him as a loving and faithful shepherd until his reassignment to St. Catherine of Siena, where he left another short but powerful legacy before moving to St. Anthony’s Gardens in Covington as chaplain in 2018.

Under his leadership, the present campus at MQP began to take shape. In 1996, the Parish Center multipurpose building was completed, including a temporary worship space and classrooms. In the fall of 1996, Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic School opened in those four classrooms before moving into a new school building in 1998. Together with a building committee, Fr. Ronnie steered the construction of the present church building, dedicated in October 2008, and the renovation of the Parish Center into more offices and meeting spaces.
His legacy, of course, is about more than bricks and mortar; it’s about hearts and souls. Fr. Ronnie’s time at Mary, Queen of Peace opened the doors for the Holy Spirit to work among God’s people as the pastor shared his gift of drawing out the gifts of others. With his support and guidance, ministries blossomed as parishioners were eager to share their gifts of time, talent, and treasure in faith formation, liturgy, service, and fellowship. 

Ever eager to respond to the needs of others, Fr. Ronnie encouraged parishioners to step up and help others after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. With Dr. Jan Lancaster, principal at the time, Fr. Ronnie opened the doors of the school to those in need as it doubled in size in one year. He also worked with a parish team to assist with Operation Helping Hands, gutting homes in New Orleans in the wake of the storm. After Katrina, the parish continued to grow and blossom, with new families, new ministries, and the ever-present support of its pastor.

The legacy Fr. Ronnie left on Mary, Queen of Peace continues to be felt and will ripple through the generations. The spirit of hospitality and welcome that he built is now part of our culture, embedded in our DNA. Mary, Queen of Peace is a vibrant family of faith, and Fr. Ronnie built the foundation upon which that family continues to grow.