As the country celebrates Independence Day, the patriotic holiday provides opportunities for parishes in the Diocese of Gary to engage with the community through various local events and celebrations.
Parishioner Denise Brzek estimated St. James the Less has been participating in the Highland Fourth of July parade for the past four years, and she has been involved for the last two.
“I think it's good for us – for our parish to be recognized,” she said. “People will recognize the name, and it creates a kind of networking for the parish.”
Brzek explained the parish places a banner on both sides of a van that is used in the parade. The sign lists the church name and Mass schedule, encouraging others to join the congregation for a service on Sunday.
“This shows people that they have a church in Highland that they can go to,” she said. “And Father Greg (Bim-Merle), he is wonderful. He interacts with everybody, everybody and anybody.”
Brzek noted that the holiday comes just after the church held its annual parish festival, which she stated had a good turnout.
“I like to get involved,” she said. “I've gotten so many volunteers and everybody's been stepping up, and I really enjoy it.”
Parish volunteers helped put bags together with candy which were then passed out to the kids along the parade route the evening of July 3. The day of the parade, approximately 15 church members from St. James were expected to walk in the parade.
“We're also going to pass out necklaces and some fruit snacks,” said Brzek prior to the event. “We all get dressed up in our Fourth of July shirts and stuff, and then for the kids who are walking with us, I got headbands that they could put on, or they could wear necklaces as well.”
“I hope it promotes the parish,” she added. “I don't think there's many churches that get involved in parades. So, we wanted to start it, and maybe other parishes will think about doing something like it.”
Holy Name of Jesus has been organizing a food booth during the Cedar Lake SummerFest during the Fourth of July holiday week for more than 10 years. The tent offers tacos, quesadillas, hamburgers, nachos and more from July 3-6. The food is of restaurant quality thanks to the support of several parishioners who own local eateries.
The food booth was started by the parish’s Hispanic ministry who spearheaded participation in the festival. Members of that ministry have traditionally taken on the responsibility of preparing the food, and they are joined by other parish volunteers that assist with taking orders and serving the food.
Cindy Varenkamp, director of liturgy and music for the church, considers the Holy Name Food Booth the best value in the entire lineup at SummerFest. She said those involved with the booth had many conversations reflecting on the prices. While they could charge more based on the caliber and portions of the food, they wanted to provide a good deal.
“We want to make sure that people come to Holy Name Food Booth and get more quality than they would expect for their money,” Varenkamp said.
There are multiple reasons why the parish became involved with the Cedar Lake SummerFest, but number one is evangelization.
“It shows that we're here, and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty, that we're not afraid of hard work.” Varenkamp said.
Another reason for the participation in the festival is community involvement. It creates a shared ministry among those who become fully hands-on with the food booth, and those who may simply stop by to make a purchase and show support. According to Varenkamp, the booth continues to be well-received.
“You can't imagine how busy we are,” she said. “Especially in the evenings. It's just constant work; constant serving people.”
Varenkamp believes the extra effort is worth it to showcase the church’s presence in the community. She said, “Pope Francis and Pope Leo have said the faith is about encountering others, and we encounter all kinds of people out at the fest.”
Some people, Varenkamp stated, may not be aware there is a Catholic church in Cedar Lake or they are new to the area and perhaps looking to join a faith community.
“Being involved with the fest shows that we're a vibrant, growing and enthusiastic parish,” she said, “and that we're also a very welcoming parish.”
Varenkamp acknowledged it does require a lot of volunteers in order for the food booth to operate smoothly, which begins with the set up that requires moving all the needed items from the church to the festival including the tent, refrigerator, stainless steel food prep station, coolers and more. She noted the “many, many hands,” it takes to operate the food booth and added that it is also done in conjunction with Holy Name’s Fundraising Committee.
Holy Name uses a central banking model of finances. That means its parish groups do not fundraise for themselves, but everything goes into the common fund. Budgets are drawn up from the common fund to ensure that everything is fairly distributed according to each ministry's needs.
“It does not specifically fund anything in particular except the ongoing mission and ministry of the parish, and that holds true for all of our fundraisers,” Varenkamp said. “Nothing is ever earmarked for one specific group, so it supports all the ministries”
While parishioners of Our Lady of Grace won’t be serving up a hot meal, they will be providing a great parking location for the Highland Fourth of July Festival, July 2-6. Church volunteers will help direct festival-goers to park their cars close to the festival by permitting them to use the parking lot of the parish for a small fee. They have bottled water available for purchase all five days and coordinated a bake sale on July 5-6 after Masses.
Parishioner Patty Michalak complimented the town of Highland’s organization of the event and explained that OLG used to set up a beer garden during the 4th of July festival, but now focuses on fundraising through their parking lot as do other churches in the nearby area.
“We are blessed,” she said. “We have a great group of people who work hard.”
For more events and activities within the Diocese of Gary this summer, contact your local parish or visit https://dcgary.org/calendar.
Caption: Members of Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake worked at a food booth during the Cedar Lake Summerfest over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in 2022. Among the volunteers were Lucy Silerio, Eddie Garcia, Olivia Garcia and Alvero Garcia. (Provided photo)
