"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” - Matthew 13: 45-46
HAMLET – The definition of a hamlet is a very small human settlement “usually (with) no church, school or local shop,” but the Starke County village of Hamlet in the southeast corner of the Diocese of Gary far exceeds that description, boasting a town hall, post office, public library, fire station, farm co-op and even the Starke County Fairgrounds.
But what brought Bishop Robert J. McClory to the village on July 25 was the opportunity to share the Word of God with the congregation at one of the community’s oldest buildings, Holy Cross Catholic Church on the aptly named Pearl Street, the main north-south road. The bishop celebrated the weekly Saturday afternoon Mass at the church, built in 1927, bringing a simple message of how to reach heaven.
“Jesus uses parables in today’s Gospel to ask the people, ‘What, if you discovered it, would you give everything for?’” said the bishop in his homily. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure, buried in a field, that would make everything right.”
Comparing it to the golden ticket won by the hero of the story “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” who couldn’t believe his good fortune, Bishop McClory likened the factory full of candy to the ultimate prize, heaven.
“To know, love and serve God in this life and be happy with him in heaven forever … is the most precious item, like finding a pearl and selling all we have to buy it,” he explained. “A pearl comes about because something comes into a clam that shouldn’t be there, an irritation, a speck of sand, and the Lord refines it layer by layer into pearl.”
In the same way, said the bishop, “God comes to us with his love, layer by layer, until we come to him.”
When his faithful become close to Jesus, he added, “we can let him know what our needs are,” as did Solomon in the day’s first reading (1 Kings 3:5, 7-12). God, said the bishop, appeared to Solomon in a dream and offers, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” When Solomon, rather than requesting long life, riches, or death to his enemies, asks for “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong,” the Lord responds, “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you."
Like Solomon, said Bishop McClory, “We know we can turn to the Lord and ask him to love him better, serve him better and know him better. What more could we want?”
The bishop said he had no special reason to visit Holy Cross other than, “I hadn’t been here in a while, so I called Father (Anthony) Spanley and asked if I could come celebrate Mass with you good people, and he graciously agreed. This is a long-standing faith community with a lot of loving parishioners, and under Father Spanley they have a real gift.”
The pastor, who also serves St. Dominic in nearby Koontz Lake, has been guiding the two parishes since 1990.
John and Terry Hensler, who have lived in Hamlet for all 55 married years and walked several blocks to Mass from their home, had nothing but praise for their pastor, who was ordained to the priesthood by the diocese’s first bishop, Andrew G. Grutka, in 1968.
“Father Spanley is very active and takes care of the people,” said John Hensler. “He still reports to all fires as a volunteer firefighter, and is an asset to the entire community.”
Terry Hensler, a retired teacher, said Holy Cross is close to her heart because her mother, Betty Shearin, now 98, was the first baby baptized in the church in 1927.
Casey Chaney, of Knox, who has been attending Holy Cross for about eight years with her mother, Ann DeLong, and other family members, also has a close tie to Holy Cross after being married to Terry Chaney at the church two months ago. The best thing about marriage, she said, “is getting to spend so much time with my best friend.”
DeLong, also of Knox, said she likes her fellow parishioners and her favorite thing about the church is “the beautiful stained-glass windows.” Despite being a small parish, she added, “they host a game night and a monthly luncheon at a local restaurant”
Leading the congregation in hymns, including “Amazing Grace,” from his pew was Chaney’s uncle, who sang “You Are So Beautiful” at her wedding. “I was married here, too, in 2024, and I sang ‘There is Love,’ to my wife, Barb,” he recalled.
Cassie Kubaszyk, of LaPorte, calls herself and her husband, Duke, “seasonal parishioners.” “We camp in Groverton in the summer and attend Mass at Holy Cross,” she said. “It is a welcoming community; there is an acceptance and love that makes you feel at home.”
The village of Hamlet was established in 1863, with the first Catholic church built in 1890 as a mission attached to the Wanatah, when the responsibility shifted to St. Patrick in Walkerton, and to St. Thomas Aquinas in Knox in 1923. Father Charles Malay, from Knox, had the present church built.
There have been six resident pastors since just before the Diocese of Gary was established, and Father Dominic Mrena helped to organize the daughter parish of St. Dominic in 1981 in Koontz Lake, five-and-one-half miles to the northeast, due to a burgeoning summer population.
Caption: A family of parishioners from Knox, led by hymn leader John Kleist (standing at left), opened Mass with “Amazing Grace” on July 25 at Holy Cross in Hamlet. Father Anthony Spanley and his congregation welcomed Bishop Robert J. McClory as celebrant, with Father Spanley assisting. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
