NWI Catholic Stories

Pat Strange and Joni Zurad participate in chair yoga exercises led by vice president Sue Oczkowski (not pictured) during a Seniors of STM program at St. Thomas More in Munster on March 6. The group also learned about "Healthy Aging" from a registered dietitian. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Seniors learn about healthy foods and exercise for mind and body
Eve Duray, Sharon Przybylinski and Labors of Love Co-ordinator Betty Eaton gather supplies during a meeting of the Labors of Love ministry at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. (Provided photo)
Labors of Love ministry receives support through donations
Maggie Cobble (from left), active in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Paul in Valparaiso and a new parishioner at St. Mary of the Lake in Gary, discusses a video presentation by a Vincentian priest, Father Richard Benson, on institutional and structural racism as seen through a Vincentian lens, with Sue Adam, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist in Whiting, and Kathy Salinas, a Munster resident and parishioner at St. John the Evangelist in St. John. The women were among attendees at an
Workshop seeks to develop advocates for closing racial income gap
Auxiliary Bishop Peter L. Smith of Portland, Ore., raises the chalice as he celebrates Mass July 5, 2022, at St. Mary Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In February 2024, Bishop Smith was appointed the new ecclesiastical assistant of CHARIS, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service, which was inaugurated by the Holy See on Pentecost in 2019. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
Catholic charismatic renewal creates 'church on fire' with God's love, says bishop
The Diocese of Gary, led by Bishop Robert J. McClory (center), welcomed more than 50 religious sisters from the Missionaries of Charity in Chicago, St. Louis, Peoria, Indianapolis and Detroit to St. Joseph the Worker in Gary to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for 25 Years of Ministry in Northwest Indiana by the Missionaries of Charity. Currently, the Gary congregation includes (standing in front of the bishop) Sister Christa, Sister Dominique, Sister Celine John, and Sister Maria Jyoti. (Marlene A. Zloza p
Mass celebrates 25-year ministry of Missionaries of Charity
Andrean High School, christened in 1959 by founding Bishop of Gary Andrew G. Grutka, is located at 5959 Broadway in Merrillville. Studies over the past eight years have culminated in the recommendation accepted by school leaders, the superintendent of Catholic schools and Bishop Robert J. McClory that the academic institution should remain on the present campus and commence improvements instead of proposed new construction elsewhere. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Andrean family sets course for future at 5959 Broadway
Basilian Sister Lucia Murashko talks with volunteers Denys Kuprikov, left, and Ivan Smyglia, far right, in Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine Feb. 7, 2023, where they planned to distribute humanitarian aid along the front in Russia's war against Ukraine. (OSV News photo/Konstantin Chernichkin, CNEWA)
Ukrainian nun: 'Tell all the world we suffer' as Russia ramps up attacks
Rose Carrillo and Hope Gonzalez assemble packages for veterans in Northwest Indiana in 2023. The St. John Bosco Altar and Rosary Society members put the care packages together every year in October. (Provided photo)
Altar and Rosary Society provides food, fun and funds at St. John Bosco
Maria Diaz instructs her daughter Mila, 2, to look toward the sun and see the beginning of the solar eclipse on April 8. The Diaz family was one of many families who took advantage of the invitation by Nativity of Our Savior School to watch the event together as a community on the school's grounds. (Erin Ciszczon photo)
Nativity hosts viewing party for school families
Bishop Robert J. McClory visits with Father Dennis Blaney during the Share Foundation’s 33rd annual spring luncheon at Halls of St. George, Schererville IN. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Father Dennis Blaney honored with prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash
Father Declan McNicholas, director of missionary discipleship and evangelization and director of the lay ecclesial ministry, reviews newly printed literature designed to promote the LEM program, at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville on March 26. The diocesan program is a multi-year educational initiative offered to develop deeper knowledge and inspire those involved with or pursuing various ministries in the local Church. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Lay ecclesial ministry program offers English and Spanish classes 
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Workshop to explore impact of racism on the poor
Kristine Horan (second from right) attends Mass with her son, Mark (right), sister and sponsor, Melissa Clancy (left), and brother, Casey Rzechula alongside his fiancé and sponsor, Beverly, at the Cathedra of the Holy Angels for the Rite of Call to Continuing Conversion on Nov. 26, 2023. They are grateful to journey in faith together with Bishop Robert J. McClory behind them. (Provided photo)
Catechumen finds renewed faith through family
George Veenstra Jr. sits with his children George Veenstra III, 19, and Gianna Veenstra, 17, in the Cathedral of the Holy Angels, awaiting the Rite of Election on Feb. 18 in Gary. Veenstra, Jr., who entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Patrick church in Chesterton, endured with his family the loss of his wife and his children's mother, June Veenstra, who passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer. He hopes to lead his children deeper into the faith and find peace in life. (Anthony D. A
After losing light of his life, man seeks light of Christ
Jay Chen (right), of Schererville, is a recent college graduate who was baptized a Catholic at the Easter Vigil liturgy on March 30 at St. John the Evangelist in St. John, where she has been attending Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults classes. She was welcomed to the parish last fall by Katherine Carlson (left), pastoral associate for discipleship at SJE, who noticed the newcomer at a weekday Mass. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
New college graduate sought journey of faith at SJE
Teenagers Chris Somervell Jr. and Gabrielle Anderson, who have been dating for two years, attended Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) instruction together at St. John the Evangelist in St. John, he as a catechumen and she as his godparent/sponsor. "I think we had one date, and then I started bringing him to Mass," said Anderson, while Somervell admitted, "I went to Mass the first week or two to impress Gabby, but then I started going because I wanted to." He was baptized at Easter Vigil services
Teen follows girlfriend to Mass and finds God waiting for him
Godparent Karen Kirk of Nativity of Our Savior in Portage places her hand on the shoulder of catechumen Skylar McElheny during the Rite of Election service at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary on Feb. 18. "They really make me feel like I belong in the Catholic Church," McElheny said of Kirk and other members of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) team she studied with in preparation for her baptism at the Easter Vigil on March 30. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Nurse finds her family as she places her faith in God
Father Dave Kime, pastor at Queen of All Saints in Michigan City, carries the monstrance in a Eucharistic procession on Corpus Christi Sunday in 2023, one of a number of processions hosted in the Diocese of Gary as the second year of a National Eucharistic Revival continued. This summer, the celebration will climax with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, where a Diocesan Day is planned by the Gary diocese for Saturday, July 20. (Bob Wellinski/file photo)
Gary faithful urged to attend one-day trip to Eucharistic Congress
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovers over the Dali cargo vessel March 26, 2024, after it crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore. Within 24 hours after Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori asked Catholics throughout the archdiocese to support twin emergency relief funds for those affected by the bridge collapse, nearly $50,000 has been raised in online donations. (OSV News photo/Julia Nikhinson, Reuters)
Catholics donate nearly $50,000 for emergency bridge relief appeal
Bishop Robert J. McClory observed Holy Thursday with the congregation of St. Edward in Lowell, presiding over an evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. The service included the reading of John 13, a Washing of the Feet, a Eucharist Procession around parish grounds and adoration. (Erin Ciszczon photo)
Foot washing symbolizes call to serve one another
Betty Ring (center) of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in New Chicago discusses the successes and distresses she has experienced in Catholic Church "structure/organization/leadership/life" with tablemates Judy Harrington of St. Paul in Valparaiso (left) and Dorie Little, also of Assumption of the BVM, during a meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council on March 14 at Holy Spirit in Winfeld. The meeting was formatted to address Pope Francis' Synod on Synodality. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Diocesan council shares ideas on structure and organization of Catholic Church
Court of Appeals of Indiana judges Peter Foley (left), Rudolph Pyle (center) and Elizabeth Tavitas (right) field questions from students as part of the Appeals on Wheels program that held court in the Andrean High School gymnasium in Merrillville on March 14. The educational initiative sponsored by the state court returned to the Home of the 59ers to promote knowledge of the law and the processes of courts. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Andrean students connect to law with Appeals on Wheels
St. Michael the Archangel player Adriana Dabrowski (right) takes three-point shot over St. Mary Catholic Community School of Crown Point defenders during the sixth-grade game of the girls Catholic Youth Organization basketball championships hosted at Andrean High School on March 17. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
CYO girls teams clamor for titles, see green
Bishop Robert J. McClory infuses the Holy Spirit, blowing air into a vessel containing chrism held by Aron Aramburo during the Chrism Mass where the diocesan leader also blessed holy oils, joined by priests serving in the diocese, who renewed their vows, at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary on March 28. Bishop McClory spoke of the healing power of the sacraments and the responsibilities of believers. "We live in a world that needs to know that hearts can be healed. And that the love of God is there f
Chrism Mass draws Catholics to cathedral for oils and promises
Liv Sensenbrenner shops with Violet Johnson, whom she is sponsoring into the Catholic Church, on March 2. They spent the day together and bought Johnson's dress for the Easter Vigil service. (Provided photo)
Sponsors appreciate faith journey of those coming into the Church 
On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19, members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration and guests applaud at remarks during Mass and the Rite of Dedication of an Altar at Franciscan Health in Crown Point. Bishop Robert J. McClory praised the donation of the altar by a construction company executive and a retiree as a fitting way of topping off the medical facility.
Donated altar dedicated at Franciscan Health Crown Point
Father Robert Ross
Eucharistic Congress hopes to unite Catholics as missionary disciples
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Local Catholics look ahead to National Eucharistic Pilgrimage encounter
Members of the Holy Family Parish pilgrimage group, including Father Nate Edquist, pastor of the parish, tour a mission during the parish’s 2023 pilgrimage to California’s wine country and missions/Holy sites in September 2023. (Photo supplied by Maggie LeRoy)
Pilgrimages offer opportunity for faithful to be renewed in their faith
St. Joseph
Hammond parish celebrates patron of Universal Church
Bishop McClory listens to young adults during a recent synod listening session.
Young adults invited to special listening session with Bishop McClory 
St. Patrick
Mission of saint still found within Chesterton parish
St. Michael the Archangel parishioners and long-time friends Mary Jo Roth, John Roth, Gib Wieser, Eileen Wieser and Brenda Fanno enjoyed the three-day parish mission this month which inspired them to think more seriously about their Catholic faith. They want to find ways to incorporate the messages of speaker Paul Koleske into their lives. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
St. Michael the Archangel’s Lenten mission rejuvenates faithful
Among local faithful, families and friends of individuals with special needs gathered at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on March 10, there was a palpable sense of care, closeness and, according to Bishop Robert J. McClory, a personification of the kind of love that Jesus exemplified.
Mass for individuals with disabilities fills cathedral with love
 Bishop Robert J. McClory presents a Deus et Familia Mea (God and My Family) religious emblem to Tenderheart Teresa Dustin, 8, of the American Heritage Girls as her mother Mary Dustin (right) follows her and AHG troop shepherd Emily Hackett (left) prepares awards at the Gary Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting Religious Emblem Mass on March 3 at St. Bridget church in Hobart. American Heritage Girls and Boy Scouts of America members worshipped at Mass presided over by Bishop Robert J. McClory, and later r
Awards emblematic of religious lessons practiced by Patriots and Scouts
Maureen Progar, Amanada Garcia, both of St. John the Baptist, and Karen Kurfiss, of St. Thomas More engage in discussion during the Diocese of Gary Catechetical Conference at St. Patrick parish on March 2. Nearly 150 catechists from across the diocese attended. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Speaker stresses importance of Eucharist during Catechetical Conference
Father Patrick Gawrylewski, O.F.M., administrator of Holy Name of Jesus, engages with parents of young families at Parent Social, held after Sunday Mass on Feb. 18. (Angela Hughes photo)
Fosters faith and connection among young families
The cast of The Bluff rehearses the grand ending to "Ain’t No Business." The Bluff is an original musical, created and written by young adults from Northwest Indiana. Starting off as a fun dream in high school, Matt Kresich and Scott Peters began putting together dialogue and musical notes. As the process gained steam, they enlisted the help of close friends, Deacon Steven Caraher and George Jurincie. Opening night will take place March 22 at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. (Photo courtesy of Drew Langton
The dream project of a diocesan quartet to debut on stage in Detroit
Very Rev. Christopher Stanish
Prayer 101: Stop, and let God find you
column by Father Chris Stanish
Marquette's Laniah Davis drives to the basket past Lanesville's Ava Kerr as Marquette 's Natalie Robinson and Lanesville's Emma Davis battle for position during the IHSAA Class 1A girl's state basketball championship on Feb. 24 in Indianapolis. (Bob Wellinski photo)
MQ girls basketball team uses heartbreaking loss as fuel for next year
Visitors look at a display of 200 relics at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory in Montclair, N.J., Feb. 24, 2024. Nearly 3,500 faithful from as far away as Maine and Maryland waited over two hours to view the relics of Jesus, the Holy Family, various saints, martyrs and blesseds on exhibit. (OSV News photo/Sean Quinn, courtesy Archdiocese of Newark)
Exhibit of 200 relics at New Jersey oratory is a special gift during Lent for many faithful
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Six St. Paul teachers share inspirations for a century of service 
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Diocese recognizes teachers committed to school, parish, community
Bruce Garwood, Grand Knight for Queen of All Saints Council 12951, presents newly exemplified third-degree knights with rosaries during an initiation ceremony at St. Stanislaus Kostka parish on Feb. 11. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Knights of Columbus Round Table just the beginning for St. Stanislaus Kostka 
St. John the Evangelist Eagles players celebrate their team's victory in the 8th grade game of the Catholic Youth Organization boys basketball diocesan championships on Feb. 10 at Andrean High School in Merrillville. The Eagles soared past the Wildcats of St. Mary, Griffith, claiming a 48-41 victory and the title trophy to cap off their last year at the St. John school. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Diocesan boys basketball teams vie for championships
Lesley Erpelding rolls the dice as Vicki Bush looks on during St. Edward's Bunco and Blessings event on Feb. 18. About 100 participants enjoyed food and fellowship in the school gym. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
St. Edward’s evangelization is intentionally fun, not just a roll of the dice
"Conjugal spirituality is the relationship between God and spouses, united as one, formed through the Sacrament of Marriage," said Theresa Martin, who with her husband, Peter Martin, address the Diocese of Gary's annual Marriage Date Night attendees on Feb. 17 at Gamba Ristorante in Merrillville. "This real spiritual union can be so profound, Pope John Paul II said, that the spouses have but one interior life." Martin hastened to add that this does not mean she can read her husband's mind, "or that I will l
Married couples coached on strengthening their love and faith
Eighty catechumens and their sponsors gather near the altar as Bishop Robert J. McClory (center) prays over the elect during the Rite of Election for Catechumens on Feb. 6 at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary. Each person preparing to enter the Catholic Church sacramentally at Easter announced their name before their sponsors and a near-capacity congregation among whom Bishop McClory said, "Today is one step closer to that beautiful day of your baptism - the washing and cleansing of sins - but also y
Catechumens elected by God to prepare for baptism
KEITH BURKE
Almsgiving: Building up our treasures for the Heavens
FATHER ED SHEA, OFM
Prayer: A place of openness and surrender