NWI Catholic Stories

Connie Salas, owner of Whiting Flower shop, is seen here after Mass on Oct. 8 at St Michael the Archangel in Schererville where she serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. The 77-year-old mother of two and grandmother of two hopes to sell her business to an ideal candidate who loves flowers and serving others. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
Faithful Catholic flower shop owner is retiring and hopes to sell her business
Bishop Robert J. McClory (center) stands with jubilarian religious (left to right) Sister Maria Jyoti, M.C., Sister Angela Mellady, O.S.F., Sister Julie Marie Oxley, O.S.F., Sister M. Rachel Dinet, O.S.F., Sister Angeline Benz, S.F.C.C., and Sister Gloria Jean Kozlowski, S.S.J.-T.O.S.F. as nuns working in the diocese are gathered at the Eucharistic Liturgy in Thanksgiving for Women Religious on Oct. 25 at St. Matthias parish. Sisters celebrating milestone anniversaries of religious life were presented with
Liturgy gives thanks for service of women religious
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Dyer native comments on new book, finding peace amid Christmas season
Music Ministry members (front row from left) Arlene Biocic, Lorna Nietzel, Mary Cusic and Jan Koble, all from St. Edward in Lowell, pair up to "share their story and their goals for their music ministry during their specific Liturgical Conference '23 session on Oct. 28 at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. "We want to share our witness when we sing," explained co-presentor Allson Powell, director of music at St. John the Evangelist in St. John. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Liturgical ministers train and renew mission to celebrate the Eucharist
Father Greg Bim-Merle, guest speaker at the Annual Day of Reflection held by the Seniors of STM on Oct. 18 at St. Thomas More in Munster, plays a piece of classical music to close out his talk on Music in the Ministry. An accomplished musician and singer, Father Bim Merle was ordained to the priesthood six years ago and is administrator at St. James the Less in Highland. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Seniors sing and share with talented musician and priest
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Diocese, parishes remember the deceased throughout the month of November
Terminal cancer didn't stop mom (Pat Wellinski) from continuing to do her job as a bookkeeper from a hospital bed a month prior to her passing. Her son, Greg, sits in a chair beside her. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Son shares final two month of mom’s journey from diagnosis to death
Deacon Chris McIntire, a physician on the staff of Hospice of the Calumet Area, admires photos of organizational events, in Munster on Oct. 25. Known for his gentle but realisitc consultations with patients and their loved ones, the Gary-based deacon said his work and prayer life is inspired by the compassionate charity of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
End-of-life caregivers inspire and are inspired in journey
Father Nate Edquist, pastor of Holy Family Parish blesses a mural painted by Felix Maldonado, of East Chicago. during an unveiling/blessing on Sept. 10. The mural wasn't completed for the unveiling due to rain and heat. It was completed the following week. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Graffiti artist creates mural focusing on LaPorte community’s new identity
Father Nathaniel Edquist (right), diocesan vocations director, speaks of the commitment to serving the Church exhibited by the seminarians on stage (along with assistant vocations directors) at the Black Tie White Collar gala on Oct. 20 at Avalon Manor Banquet Center in Merrillville. The dinner benefit attended by 335 people featured introductions of seminarians, silent and live auctions and music. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Large crowd gathers for seventh annual gala for priestly vocations 
Pam Matambanadzo, national vice president of Friendship and Community for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, delivers remarks about making charity personal at the diocesan SVDP conference Voice of the Poor seminar on Oct. 21 in the gymnasium at St. Bridget school in Hobart. Presentations, including interactive role-playing of charitable delivery scenarios, were part of the event’s theme of ‘Going Beyond Charity As We See the Face of Jesus in Our Neighbors.’ (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Vincentians participate in seminar to make charity personal
Father Walter Ciesla has shared his musical talent through the years, including leading St. Stanislaus Kostka School students on a Christmas carolling visit to a Michigan City McDonald's restaurant. Folk music is his favorite genre, and he once performed for a bishops retreat, prompting then-Bishop Andrew G. Grutka of the Diocese of Gary to exclaim, "That's my boy!" (Provided photo)
Priest settles in Gary diocese to continue life of service
Father Jon Plavcan spends time with students at St. Patrick School during recess on Oct. 4 The pastor of the Chesterton parish said their is joy in being assigned to church with a school as he is able witness the children grow in their faith. (Erin Ciszczon photo)
Father Plavcan finds joy every day in the priesthood
Father Paul Quanz sits in Our Lady of Sorrows church, where he is pastor, on October 11. The Valparaiso-based priest and New York State native first arrived in the Diocese of Gary to serve as a teacher, then principal at Andrean High School in Merrillville when he was a part of the Basilian Fathers order. An early on-again, off-again interest in the religious life led him to the priesthood and a sense that he "is one lucky guy." (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Valparaiso pastor, former principal cultivates Christian culture
The Most Rev. Robert McClory, Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, conducts the Workplace Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Oct. 18 at Franciscan Health Munster.
Franciscan Health Dyer, Munster conduct dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Volunteers from Ss. Cyril and Methodius assist with the Catholic Charities Mobile Food Pantry distibution in North Judson on Oct. 3. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Catholic Charities Mobile Food Pantry delivers much needed food to Starke County
Tracie Clayton and Lamont Jones, of Hammond, light a candle in remembrance of their daughters, Kimberly and Jessica, miscarriages in March and October 2007. The couple attended the annual National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day hosted by Miscarriage Mothers & Others on Oct. 15 at Calumet Park Funeral Chapel in Merrillville for the first time just a day after participating in a Walk to Remember in Indianapolis.
Families light candles to remember children who died too soon
Sharing memories and celebrating the first 25 years of operation at St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center on the St. Paul parish campus in Valparaiso are Valparaiso supporters (from left) Joan Chrustowski, a former volunteer from St. Paul; Bobbi Galler, current volunteer from Temple Israel in Gary; Mary Jo Van Syoc, a St. Paul volunteer; Jeanne Bugyis, a St. Paul volunteer; Phyllis Lyons, a St. Paul volunteer; and Joe Chrustowski, a past St. Agnes board president. “Many people have benefited from the services
St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center a place of joy for 25 years
Held in Hope founders Kenzie Covarrubias and Amber Hassett display items found in one of the kits. The two LaPorte County residents created the kits to aid mothers who are experiencing a first trimester miscarriage. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Loss of Hope allows LaPorte County women opportunity to offer hope
Father Leo Gajardo, pastor of St. Maria Goretti, sits on the porch step of the rectory in Dyer with his new puppy Sir. A member of the parish community for less than two months, the mini schnauzer is a "chill" companion and brings joy to those he meets. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
In time for the Feast of St. Francis, new puppy is a blessing at St. Maria Goretti 
Melissa Czekaj, 18-year Saint Paul Catholic School secretary, arrives early for the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association awards banquet on Sept. 28 at Avalon Manor in Merrillville. At the gathering, the Valparasio resident advanced to the finalist round where she was among twelve females determined to be the most influential women in the Region's education sector. (provided photo)
St. Paul secretary earns finalist honor for professionalism
For the first time, Holy Trinity Croatian hosted an Alumni Mass and Reception for graduates of the former school on Oct. 1. The event brought together 50 graduates to reconnect with the East Chicago parish. (Provided photo)
Holy Trinity holds first alumni Mass and reception for school graduates
Lawyers rise and raise their right hands during the reading of the Indiana Attorneys Oath at the Red Mass in Merrillville on Oct. 5. After the liturgy at Our Lady of Consolation presided over by Bishop Robert J. McClory, the guests from legal and financial professions participated in a seminar hosted by the Catholic Foundation for Northwest Indiana. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Red Mass brings legal and financial professions together to ponder ‘Why?’
Pilgrims from the Diocese of Arlington, Va., pray in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City Oct. 10, 2023. Pilgrims who were in Israel following a surprise terrorist attack by Hamas against civilian communities in southern Israel Oct. 7 lit candles and said prayers of peace at the church as fighting continued in southern Israel. (OSV News photo/Debbie Hill)
Oct. 17 is day of prayer, fasting for peace in Holy Land
Father Sengole Gnanaraj, administrator of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Richmond, Ind., says a prayer before using holy water to bless David's House in Richmond Sept. 10, 2023. Tony Talbert, looking on at right, is president of the Tri-County Good Samaritans conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which opened the center as a new ministry. (OSV News photo/Natalie Hoefer, The Criterion)
Abandoned laundromat that is now Catholic outreach center helps change lives
St. John Paul II smiles during a 1980 visit to Paris in this file photo. (OSV News photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, CPP)
Papal collaborators recall Polish pope as 'a witness of inexhaustible faith'
A group of St. John Bosco parishioners and friends gathers around a heating unit during the inaugural Fall Fest on Oct. 7 at the Hammond parish. Engagement commision members responded to the church’s synod 2.0 goals of parish revitalization by coordinating events such as the adults-only gathering to promote “visibility” and fellowship. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
First Fall Fest provides visibility for Hammond parish
Msgr. Pasquale Iacobone, president of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology, gives a tour of Rome's Catacombs of St. Sebastian to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops' conference, and Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, as part of a pilgrimage with participants in the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Oct. 12, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Pilgrim path: Synod participants journey to roots of faith in Rome
Family and friends mourn Danielle, 25, and Noam, 26, an Israeli couple who were killed in a deadly attack by Hamas gunmen from Gaza as they attended a festival, as they are buried next to each other during their funeral in Kiryat Tivon, Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. The Israel-Hamas war so far has claimed more than 2,600 lives. (OSV News photo/Shir Torem, Reuters)
Israeli families missing loved ones wait for proof of life; patriarch appeals for prayer, fasting
Participants in the assembly of the Synod of Bishops attend Mass presided over by Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 13, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Synod is "new Pentecost" that will renew the church, cardinal says
Among students gathered from several local Catholic schools, Donald Sherls (front. left) and Oscar Oceguera (front, right), sixth graders from St. Mary School of Griffith, join in fellowship and song at the annual Respect Life Prayer Service on Oct. 4 at the Franciscan Health campus in Dyer. The event included prayer, song, Scripture readings, memorializing the lives lost to abortion and testimonies from medical professionals who offer neonatal care and support of women. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Schoolchildren gather to learn respect for life through faith
Members of the St. John the Evangelist Men's Club met Sept. 7 in Trinity Hall for a regular meeting. The social organization, which meets for dinner and comradery, regularly host fundraisers to donate money to the parish and community. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)
St. John the Evangelist’s Men’s Club is one of many offerings helping guys grow in faith
Fourth degree Knights of Columbus member Patrick Glavan (left) holds the casket cover during funeral services for Bishop Dale J. Melczek on Aug. 29, 2022 at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary. Glavan, a St. John resident and member of the Abraham Lincoln assembly 235, was appointed on Sept. 1 as the master of the Indiana district, leading men of the fourth degree throughout the state. (Northwest Indiana Catholic file photo)
Local member takes leadership role among Indiana Knights of Columbus
Volunteer crafters Yolanda Garza (left) and Pauline Creutzburg (right) examine knotting on a cord in the Mary’s Rosary Makers workshop at St. Paul parish in Valparaiso on Sept. 28. The ministry where parishioners make the sacramentals from cord and beads was founded in 1995 and continues to accept requests for rosaries from local churches and groups in the U.S. and abroad. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
St. Paul group continues far-reaching rosary-making ministry
Sharing Meadows Villagers Mary McKenna, Chelsea Oliver, and Chris Urbanski make rosaries in a craft room of the St. Timothy Center on Sept. 19. (Bob Wellinski photo)
Sharing Meadows group uses their God-given talents to make rosaries
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Pope condemns terrorism, but expresses concern for Gaza civilians
Stewardship: Five keys to help disciples respond to Jesus' call
Sister Grazia Loparco, a Salesian sister of St. John Bosco, poses for a photograph at the Jesuit-run Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome Oct. 9, 2023. She is a professor of church history at Rome's Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences "Auxilium." (CNS photo/Carol Glatz)
Despite prejudices, many Catholics helped rescue Jews in Nazi-occupied Italy
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Bishops respond to violence in the Holy Land with call for prayer
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Voice of the Poor Committee hold a meeting on Sept. 14 at St. Paul in Valparaiso. The committee is organizing a free workshop this month to help diocesan faithful learn ways to go beyond charity to assist neighbors in need. (Provided photo)
Workshop provides education on Catholic doctrine and helping neighbors 
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Diocesan faithful given opportunity to learn how to spread the Gospel message
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, listens as Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general, introduces the beginning of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops' work in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall Oct. 9, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Synod call to communion can help a fractured world, theologian says
An Israeli soldier patrols near a police station in Sderot, Israel, Oct. 8, 2023, which was destroyed following a mass infiltration by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip. The attacks have left at least 600 Israelis dead, among them civilians and dozens of soldiers and police who were killed battling the Hamas fighters, and more than 2,000 people are injured. (OSV News photo/Ronen Zvulun, Reuters)
Jerusalem church leaders call for peace following deadly Hamas attack
"There are all sorts of ways to prayer - none are wrong, none are right," Father Michael Yadron, pastor at St. Thomas More in Munster, told the parish's Live Christ, Share Christ group during a program titled "A Simplified Prayer Life" on Sept. 9 the Weis Center. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
Discussion group shares different ways to pray
Family Rosary for Life founder Mark Gabrione (center) leads in prayer during a rally on Sept. 9 at the gazebo on Lake George in Hobart. Through public Rosary recitation, devotional invocations and singing spiritual songs, the prayer group founded three years ago has prioritized seeking God's assistance as they advocate for the end to abortion and the protection of religious liberty. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
Family Rosary for Life group marks three years of lifting up intentions
Caption: Father Carlos Saligumba, pastor of Christ the King Church in Wonder Lake, Ill., poses with John Shiel and Dave Zeiger at a sign for the St. Francis prairie restoration project, which was 22 years in the making. About 20 people gathered Sept. 24, 2023, for the dedication of the project to St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology and animals. (OSV News photo/Megan Peterson for The Observer)
Illinois parish dedicates a prairie restoration project to St. Francis of Assisi
Antonia Salzano Acutis, mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, stands in front of her late son's body, entombed in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 1, 2020. Antonia Acutis spoke at gatherings in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington and Texas during a Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2023, tour. (CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino)
Bishop O'Connell of Trenton, N.J., dedicates new Diocesan Shrine of Blessed Carlo Acutis
 Pope Francis prays in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall at the beginning of a working session of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops Oct. 6, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Synodal silence: Pope says church must pause, 'fast' from public words
SYnod opening
In Sync with the Synod: Universal Synod sessions begin in Rome
Sister Anita Holzmer, a 1965 graduate of the former St. Bridget School and one of 13 daughters of St. Bridget in Hobart to enter religious life, addresses the 150th anniversary dinner crowd on Sept. 30, teling them "it is so great to be part of a parish where people live their faith." She also saluted the Servite Sisters, "who taught me the joy of religious life" as her teachers. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
St. Bridget faith community gathers for sesquicentennial Mass and dinner