NWI Catholic Stories

Bishop Robert J. McClory distributes communion, along with Father Roque Meraz during the Mass for Migrant Workers at Garwood Orchards on July 12. (Michael Wellinski photo)
Living Our Faith in Community
Tim Wheeler
FOCUS missionary returns to serve the Valparaiso community 
A Call to Serve
Jennie Weer
Catholic Foundation hires executive director to expand its impact
Guiding Strategic Growth, Inspiring Philanthropy
Deacon Dan Lowery
Dyer parishioners gather for renewal for mission following parish changes
Spiritual Retreat
Garett Bonk and Daniel Rodriguez
Upcoming seminars set to provide a healthy attitude toward money 
God Never Stops Giving
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)
Bishop brings message of parables to small town congregation
Know, Love And Serve God
Father Ivan Alatorre blesses Rosaries following the Mass for Migrant Workers at Garwood Orchards on July 12. (Michael Wellinski photo)
Mass for Migrant Farm Workers brings the Church and community to migrant workers
'That Meal Didn't Magically Appear'
Roberto Martinez (left) of St. Mary in East Chicago offers comments on a scripture passage from the Book of Matthew, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike,” during a small group discussion with Javier Carrillo, of Nativity of Our Savior in Portage, and others at the July 17 meeting of the Hearts Aflame Yong Adults group at St. Mary. Just over a year old, Hearts Aflame boasts 84
Young adults from throughout diocese share faith and fellowship
Fired Up For Jesus
Vicky Hathaway and Saraidee Reyes-Villa
Diocese welcomes faithful of all ages to walk with purpose
Emmaus Conference 2026
The Media Team for the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, including Zach Dotson of Hammond, answers questions during a press conference at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington D.C. (Provided photo)
Local perpetual pilgrimage returns to diocese after participating in 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 
Iron Sharpens Iron
Roxanne Franko teaches a fourth-grade religious education class at Our Lady of Grace in Highland. The parish serves about 65 youths from 25 families during the school year. (Provided photo)
Religious education classes help parents teach children the Catholic faith
Learning the Faith
Father Franciszek Czaicki (right), OCD, unwraps an unearthed package as Father Andrzej Gbur (back), OCD, looks on at the opening of a 50-year time capsule on July 12 at the Carmelite Monastery in Munster. Well-preserved artifacts such as photos, papers and coins were discovered in the steel case, originally buried on the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Carmelites open bicentennial time capsule at Munster monastery  
Unearthing History
Sister Mary Amata Naville, OSF, (center) signals that the runner, Father Alexander Kouris (front), is safe at third base as seminarian John LaCorte (right) walks away during the Collars vs. Scholars Classic, hosted on July 10 at the Marquette Athletic Complex in Michigan City. The annual recreational event brings out a competitive spirit in the clergymen and discerners who participate, but is mainly designed to encourage support for priestly vocations from among area faithful. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Diocesan clergymen slug past seminarians in fellowship game  
Priestly Pastime
Andrean classroom
Andrean announces school year will start as scheduled
Campus Update
Diocese of Gary receives Enduring Partnership Award at Lindenwood.
Lindenwood honors diocese with Enduring Partnership Award
A Welcoming Sanctuary
Cathedral of the Holy Angels
Tuckpointing and restorative work continues at Holy Angels 
Cathedral Receives Needed Maintanence
“When you meet (after Mass) for coffee and doughnuts, what do you talk about?” Father Jerry Schweitzer asked parish leaders meeting with him on July 11 for a Coffee and Conversation session on “Hospitality for Those 50+ in Your Parish” at the Diocese of Gary’s Pastoral Center in Merrillville. “Do we pass on to others (what we talk about) during the week, because that’s what we are supposed to do,” he advised a gathering of close to 50 people. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Parish leaders reminded that hospitality is important to evangelization for all ages
Coffee and Conversation
jubilarians
Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ celebrate milestones in ministry
2026 Jubilarians
God's Groceries
St. Mary food pantry works to meet the growing needs of the community
God's Groceries
festivalvolunteers
Volunteers are devoted to making summer festivals fun for all
Festivals Create Family Atmosphere
Rite of Admission to Candidacy Mass for the Diocese of Gary seminarian
Seminarian Leo Marcotte takes important step in his vocational journey
Rite of Admission To Candidacy
Marachi band at St. Joseph the Worker
Music and culture thrive at Gary parish thanks to mariachi youth band
Traditional Mexican Music
Homeowner Patricia Howe, a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville, and Jim Koeling from Rebuilding Hope stand among the debris of her home, damaged by the tornado that swept through Merrillville. (Provided photo)
Rebuilding Hope Ministry stays busy with ramp and tornado clean-up work
The Hands and Feet of Jesus
Karen Callaway
Award winning photographer began her career in the Diocese of Gary
St. Francis de Sales Award Recipient 
Merrillville Recovery Clean Up
Andrean students join Merrillville community cleanup efforts 
Merrillville Storm Recovery
CYO summer camp open house at Camp Lawrence
Counselors and campers reflect on ‘camp magic’ during open house
CYO Summer Program Kicks Off
Len Clark
Portage author earns first place in CMA book awards
'Leadership isn't Complicated’
Sister Patricia Peters PHJC
Sister put teaching and computer skills to use during ministry
Sister Patricia Peters (1941-2026)
Kevin Matthews
Chicago shock jock, now a roadie for the Blessed Mother, visits diocese
“Will You Deny Me?”
Wedding Anniversary Mass
Couples encouraged to keep Christ at the center of their marriage
43rd Annual Wedding Anniversary Celebration
Seventh grader Charlie True (standing) gets ready to lead fellow Totus Tuus participants and missionaries in a round of “I’ve Got Mail” during an opening games session at St. Patrick in Chesterton on June 22. Junior and senior high students met for five evenings, June 21-25, for lessons on the Ten Commandments, small group discussions, games and snacks, and a closing Night Prayer in the chapel on campus, while youngsters in grades 1-6 met with the same team of missionaries on June 22-26. This week, the Dio
Youngsters grow their faith this summer with Totus Tuus missionaries
Faith, Fellowship and Fun
priest jubilarians
Diocese celebrates milestones in priesthood among its clergy
2026 Priest Jubilarians
Father Jay
Mission of the Church in Gary continues
Incoming Rector Reflects on Work of Franciscans
Merrillville tornado recovery
Catholic Charities responds to Northwest Indiana tornadoes
Relief Fund for Recovery Efforts Launched
Andrean recovery
Andrean family shows solidarity after tornado strikes school 
Campus Recovery
Franciscan Farewell
Hope is the legacy gifted to the Gary faith community by the Franciscans
Faithful Servants Feted
Dedication of Diocese to Sacred Heart
Diocese hosts outdoor procession and service to share the love of Jesus Christ
Dedicated to the Sacred Heart
Marquette Catholic High School valedictorian Anthony Pecoski gives an emotional speech during commencement ceremony in the Scholl Center on June 10. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)
Marquette valedictorian leaves classmates and audience silenced and teary-eyed
Take Nothing For Granted
Sister Solana Voegsel, OSF, chats with Andrea Fortier, of Merrillville, before the Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration presented a talk on the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 10 at Fortier’s parish, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs South Campus in Merrillville. She urged the young people to find time for Eucharistic Adoration to grow closer to Jesus. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Eucharistic Adoration encouraged as a way to receive the Sacred Heart
Devoted to Jesus
Laura Roeske (left with back to camera) leads a discussion on the first few chapters of “The Art of Living” by Edward Sri at the first night of Summer Gazebo Reflections at St. Helen in Hebron on June 8. The 6:30 p.m. study sessions continue biweekly through Aug. 31, rain or shine. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Book explains how the four cardinal virtues can lead to ‘The Art of Living’
Summer Gazebo Reflections
Parking Lot Lunch
Missionaries spend summer finding Christ in city
The Poverty of Loneliness
ordination
Newly-ordained priest and deacon called to embrace Christ’s Eucharistic Heart
Trusting in Jesus
BNI GRADS
BNI grads sent out to be the hands and feet of Christ
Class of 2026
teacher retirees
Diocese of Gary thanks teachers for time, dedication to Catholic education
Entering into Retirement
Bishop McClory blesses painting at Franciscan Health
Franciscan Health enthrones itself in Sacred Heart of Jesus, blesses new painting
Workplace Enthronement
With fellow “defense attorneys” and the real attorneys who mentored students watching, seventh-grader Annabella Chase of Brittany LaMere’s class at St. Mary School, Crown Point, cross examines the victim in a mock trial held in Judge Julie N. Cantrell’s Lake Superior Court on May 20 at the Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point. The trial was the culmination of a year-long program teaching junior high students about the legal system, sponsored at St. Paul School in Valparaiso and St. Mary School by Big Shou
Catholic students stage mock trials after studying court system
Their Day in Court
St. Mary Catholic Community School eighth graders in Deborah Shea’s class in Crown Point, top investors in the Big Shoulders Fund Stock Market Program that involved 63 schools in the Diocese of Gary and Archdiocese of Chicago, await the start of a capstone award ceremony last month at Harris Theater in Chicago. (Provided photo)
Investments in classroom program earn cash and experience for students
Playing the Stock Market
Bishop McClory
An Invitation to Prayer and Mercy  
Priests retiring
Priests to retire from active ministry, but not from priesthood
Granted Senior Priest Status
Discipleship Journal
Discipleship Journal to be unveiled during diocesan event
Dedication of the Diocese to the Sacred Heart