NWI Catholic Stories

Several members of the St. James the Less in Highland bible study group gather after their May 2 meeting. In attendance were (back row) Thomas Taylor, Bill Sonaitis, Georgia Helfen, Alicia Montalvo, Art Zuhl, (front row) Stephen Schwegman, Mirthala Taylor, Cathy Bartczak, and Dorene Albright. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
Parishioners of St. James the Less celebrate feast day and grow in relationship
Caption: Social Studies Teacher Clare Majchrowicz dresses up as St. Casimir school principal Matt Chico on May 1 in honor of School Principals' Day. The following week, many diocesan schools held special activities in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10. (Provided photo)
Schools take time to celebrate principals and teachers
Bishop Robert J. McClory presents a candle in remembrance of her child to Chris Petro of Chesterton, a parishioner at St. Patrick, during the Mass for Pregnancy and Infant Loss on May 5 at Queen of All Saints in Michigan City. Petro lost Baby Petro through miscarriage, and joined dozens of other parents at the annual liturgy on Bereaved Mother's Day. (Marlene A. Zloza photo).
Pain stems from love for families gathered at memorial Mass
Bishop Robert J. McClory (center) raises a communion plate as transitional Deacon Zachary Glick raises the chalice during the Eucharistic prayer at Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Angels where the fifth Bishop of Gary joined invited family and friends and diocesan faithful to mark his 25th anniversary of priestly ordination, on May 10. Growing up in Royal Oak, Mich., Bishop McClory was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1999, after seminary studies, which followed his brief caree
Bishop gives thanks for his vocation and the love of God
Augustinian Father Tom McCarthy delivers an extended homily based on the day's Scripture readings and his parish mission entitled, "Our Restless Journey," to more than 100 faithful and guests at St. Joseph church in Dyer on April 24. Father McCarthy, who hails from the South Side of Chicago, is vocation director for the Augustinian’s Our Mother of Good Counsel Midwest Province and is the director of St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Augustinian leads mission to keep St. Joseph parish on journey with Jesus
Luis Reyes, originally from Bucaramanga, Columbia, stands at Father Robert Ross’s first Mass at St. Stephen the Martyr, in Merrillville, in June of 2023, with Amy O'Donnell and her son, William O'Donnell, who is on the path to ordination for the priesthood in June 2026. Reyes has become like an adopted son and a brother to the O'Donnell family. (Provided photo)
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mothers are role models in helping young men discern for priesthood
International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, formerly in the care of Blue Army custodian Eugene O'Brien, is kept holy reverence on display in the DeVault family's home. (Angela Hughes photo)
Catholics honor our Blessed Mother through May Crownings, personal devotion
Then-Monsignor Robert McClory spends a moment at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France in October 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Detroit)
Joy of ministry work grew into deeper love for Jesus
Celebrating 25 years
Bishop Robert J. McClory blesses Mary and Jake Neary during a visit to Sacred Heart Church in LaPorte on March 5, 2020. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Shepherd continues to guide faithful as Bishop of Gary
Celebrating 25 Years
The Sacred Heart Major Seminary priestly ordination class of 1999 gathers with Cardinal Adam J. Maida (center) in Detroit. Then-Father Robert McClory stands at bottom, left. (Archdiocese of Detroit photo)
Friends, clergymen confident bishop would build on success
Celebrating 25 Years
Robert J. McClory (center) gathers with his parents Ann and James McClory after passing his bar exam at the Oakland County Circuit Court House in Pontiac, Mich., in 1991. (photo courtesy of Therese Norris)
Youngest brother’s priestly vocation came as no surprise to family
Celebrating 25 Years
Members of the St. Paul Respect Life group are seated at their table during the Lake County Right to Life’s annual fundraiser banquet at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville on April 19. The event featured talks by local pro-life leaders and state politicians with the keynote presentation delivered by singer and inspirational speaker Jason Upton, who shared his “Divine Adoption Story.” (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Lake County Right to Life hosts banquet focused on adoption
Happy to return to St. Clare's Kitchen on April 25 after a four-year hiatus from Holy Name of Jesus in Cedar Lake are dinner guests (from left) Carol Comstock, Patty Hegyi, Miriam Serini-Simmel, Frances Holtz and Joe Porter, all Cedar Lake residents who ate almost weekly at the church before the COVID-19 pandemic closed the soup kitchen for more than four years. It has now reopened on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, offering free meals and fellowship from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. in Sacred Heart Hal
St. Clare’s Kitchen back in business offering food and fellowship
Father Frank DeSiano, of Washinton, DC, president of the Paulist Fathers and one of the Eucharist preachers named by the USCCB, holds the Bible for Tina Pysh and Kristin Kantrowski to reverence during the first session of a three-day Eucharistic Mission hosted by St. Paul in Valparaiso on April 23. Morning and evening sessions were held with four speakers, folloiwed by fellowship. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Paulist evangelization leader leads faithful closer to Word of God
Father Rick Holy, director of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Gary and pastor at St. Edward in Lowell, talks at an April 22 meeting about some of the resources available for parishes interested in starting a Walking with Moms in Need Ministry.. Lay leaders from seven parishes in various stages of development attended the semiannual meeting hosted by the diocese to disseminate infirmation and share ideas, including (at left) Dave Brown from St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. (Marlene A. Zloza
Parish leaders meet to discuss ways to support mothers and babies
At Holy Family Parish's Sacred Heart campus in LaPorte, hosts of a marriage tribunal talk (left to right) diocesan staff member Milly Virus, Deacon Frank Zolvinski, and Father Brian Chadwick, diocesan judicial vicar, gather after the presentation on April 25. The main topic of discussion, annulments, were examined through the Catholic canonical lens, which allows a process for faithful or those seeking to join the Church remedy when relational bonds end and life moves forward. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Vicar, canon lawyer shares insight into Catholic remedies for divorce
Franciscan Health’s Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults (VASIA) swore in new volunteers Dr. Celeste McGill, LaFayetta Boone and Steven Bowling in March. (Provided photo)
Volunteer court-appointed guardians advocate for the elderly, incapacitated
Joanne Besich concentrates on her brush strokes as she paints a hummingbird on April 17 in Sacred Heart Hall at Holy Name of Jesus church in Cedar Lake. Part of the “Crafting with a Purpose” series, parish volunteers were happy to see more than 50 church members and guests attend the class featuring guidance for hands-on art projects. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Holy Name parishioners, guests paint with purpose
Father Leo Gajardo and Father Charles Niblick anoint and bless people at St. Maria Goretti in Dyer during an April 18 Mass of Anointing. More than 100 parishioners, caregivers, families and friends attended. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
People of faith receive blessings, renewed at Mass of Anointing 
Eighth graders of St. Mary in Griffith toured Captial Hill in Washington D.C. in April. Fundraisers including pancake breakfasts, bingo nights, pizza lunches and other donations helped to secure funds for the trip taken during Spring Break. (Provided photo)
Spring Break trip combines educational and spiritual components
Renee Scearce displays framed photographs taken by eighth graders entitled, "St. Michael Through Our Eyes." This item was one of dozens auctioned April 13 during the St. Michael the Archangel School fundraiser, Passport to Our Heritage." (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
Building community is key to annual Passport to Our Heritage’s successful fundraising
Audience members listen to a talk about estate law on April 10 at the Knights of Columbus Marquette council 3631 hall in Griffith. Gary Bonk, a Schererville-based lawyer, joined K of C product specialist Tim Wozniak delivering presentations hosted by K of C field agent Jim Cassoday as an educational seminar promoting financial security and long-term care funding options. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Knights host estate planning and assisted care seminar
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