Catholic News Around Indiana

Compiled by Brandon A. Evans

Diocese of Evansville

Ground broken for new church at St. Clement, Boonville

By Paul R. Leingang (Message editor)

“Finally!” That was the first word shouted enthusiastically by Elaine Ritzert as she welcomed people to “Sing a New Church” at St. Clement Church in Boonville. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the church Nov. 1.

The ceremony was attended by about 125 people — enough to nearly fill the small church structure that has served the parish since the 1880s. Following the opening hymn in the church, Father Lowell Will began the ceremony with a prayer written for the occasion by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger, who celebrated two confirmations that day and was not present for the Boonville ceremony.

Father Will and Deacon Thomas Lambert led a procession to the site of the new church building, which had been marked off in chalk just behind the current structure. Father Will noted that all of the people present were inside the location of the new worship space.

“It’s a great project,” said Ritzert in an interview following the ceremony, explaining her enthusiastic shout. “We’ve got to rejoice, we’re going to the house of the Lord!”

At the building site, Ritzert led the participants in the hymn, “All Are Welcome,” which includes the words, “Let us build a house where love can dwell,” and where “the love of Christ shall end divisions.”

“Yes, there were differences along the way,” Father Will noted in his comments. But now he prayed that the parish would “unite in love to move forward.”

“This is a victory for our entire parish,” said the pastor. He offered “congratulations and sincere thanks” to the parish community “on this momentous and God-blessed moment.”

Photo caption: Among participants breaking ground for the new St. Clement Church in Boonville are Ron, Tubbs, Dan Harpenau, Richard Lasher, Kevin Callahan, Father Lowell Will, Bob and Ann Martin, Bernard Peter and Joe Derr; also participating but not in the range of the photograph were Boonville Mayor Pam Hendrickson and Julie Malone. (Message photo by Paul R. Leingang)

 

Woman has served as judge in diocesan Tribunal for 20 years

By Mary Ann Hughes (Message staff writer)

The strong deep faith of her parents was planted like a seed when Mary Gen Blittschau was a child, and over the years it has grown and flourished in her.

For the last 20 years, she has cherished that faith as she has served as judge and assistant to the judicial vicar in the diocesan Tribunal. She says she sees her work not as a job or career but as a vocation.

Until the early 1980s, Tribunal judges had been priests. That changed in 1983 when Pope John Paul II promulgated a revised code of canon law, updating the code from 1917. “I picked up a copy, read it, and found it fascinating — that these were the laws of the universal Church.

“I decided at that point to study cannon law,” she said

She was a pioneer. At the time, “it was a rarity to have a lay woman who was not a nun going into this field.” And when she completed her studies — at age 25 — she was told she was the youngest canon lawyer in the world. She is also the first lay person to be appointed to hold an ecclesiastical office in the Diocese of Evansville as judge.

Father Ken Walker is the diocesan Judicial Vicar and Vicar for Canonical Matters. “He has been a wonderful mentor, and a devoted priest with whom to work,” Mary Gen said. “He is a very approachable person who has a deep respect for the law of the Church and a genuine concern for the people we serve.”

Her 20 years in the Tribunal have “flown by,” she says.

Regarding petitions for Declaration of Nullity, she said that “ultimately, the Tribunal “must stand — first and foremost — to uphold the dignity and sanctity of marriage since the Church strongly teaches the indissolubility of marriage.”

Each case that she works on “has its own unique set of circumstances and is evaluated on its own merits,” she said, adding, “we pray that we are effective ministers in the Tribunal of canonical equity which is justice tempered with mercy.”

Photo caption: Mary Gen Blittschau has served as judge and assistant to the judicial vicar in the diocesan Tribunal. She says she sees her work not as a job or career but as a vocation. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes)

(For these stories and more news from the Diocese of Evansville, log on to the website of The Message at www.themessageonline.org)

 

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

A gift to the people: Two ordained to the priesthood

By Tim Johnson

FORT WAYNE — The priesthood is a gift to the people. And that gift was celebrated Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne as Bishop John M. D’Arcy ordained to the priesthood two young men — Father Jacob Runyon and Father Fernando Jimenez.

The ordination was historical in that Father Jimenez is the first Mexican-born priest to be ordained for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

The Mass began with the sounds of the richly blended voices of the cathedral choir as the procession of diocesan and visiting priests and seminarians, bedecked in the traditional celebratory white and gold vestments, processed up the aisle to the sanctuary. The two soon-to-be priests, took their places before the altar and the rite of ordination began.

The rite of ordination includes the election of the candidates in which the readiness of the candidates is affirmed, followed by the homily, then the promise of the elect in which both candidates declared their intention to assume the responsibility of the office of priesthood and promise their obedience and respect to the bishop and his successors.

In his homily, Bishop D’Arcy spoke of what is expected of the priest and what Jesus Christ will give to the priest if his heart is open.

This freely chosen is so demanding, yet so beautiful, Bishop D’Arcy noted, “through which the people receive the body and the blood of Christ, and their sacrifices are joined with the sacrifice of Christ so they are enriched and elevated to God through the Eucharist.”

Bishop D’Arcy spoke of the Year for Priests, the first time in the history of the church that the year was set aside for priests for their sanctification, for their holiness. The church, through its priests, has lived through much in its last 50 years, but now it seems, what John Paul II in a vision of faith declared to be the coming of a new springtime for the church and for Christianity. “It’s coming especially to the priests.”

Photo caption: Father Jacob Runyon, left, and Father Fernando Jimenez, right, pose with Bishop John M. D’Arcy on the steps of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne after their ordination to the holy priesthood on Saturday, Oct. 31.

 

New St. Henry’s Thrift Shoppe keeps smiles coming

By Mary Kinder

FORT WAYNE — There’s plenty to smile about at the new St. Henry’s Thrift Shoppe. Located on the campus of St. Henry’s on the northwest corner of Hessen Cassel and Paulding roads, the thrift shoppe has been open since July, serving a growing number of customers each week.

rom the twinkling bell over the front door and the hot pot of coffee where “community roundtable” discussions take place, to the warm welcome that greets everyone who enters and the charitable prices, an atmosphere of goodwill is found in every corner of the store.

Once customers find St. Henry’s Thrift Shoppe, they come back again and again. It could be the clean, quality merchandise, ranging from clothing items to knickknacks and small household appliances, neatly displayed throughout the store. It could be the low prices, clearly marked and designed to help shoppers get the items they need in these tough economic times. Or it just might be the warm atmosphere created by manager Jose Tarango and assistant manager Connie Torres.

Tarango, a member of St. Henry’s for over 15 years, enjoys working at the thrift shoppe. Routinely putting in as many as 60 hours a week, Tarango says the best part of his job is the people, “I meet a lot of different people every day coming through our door. When they leave they have a big smile on their faces. That’s what makes it all worthwhile,” he said.

Smiles come easily to Tarango, who not only manages the thrift shoppe, but also finds merchandise for the store — through donations, garage sales and anywhere else he can think of, often driving to other cities for items he can’t pass up. He points out a large, smiling Santa and Mrs. Claus on their perch near the front door. The pair, dressed in faded green velvet, was once a part of the famed Wolf and Dessauer Department Store Christmas display in downtown Fort Wayne.

Assistant manager Connie Torres became involved with the thrift shoppe when she volunteered to help with a parish garage sale, now she’s at the store almost every day. While she doesn’t live in the neighborhood, she does think of St. Henry’s as her home. When her daughter tried to convince her to join a parish closer to her house, she answered, “But they don’t need me there … they need me at St. Henry’s.”

 

Craft show brings community together and helps those in need

By Gwen O’Brien

NOTRE DAME — The Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE) at Saint Mary’s College will host its third annual Christmas Craft Show on Friday, Dec. 11, from noon until 6 p.m., in LeMans Hall. The bazaar helps to raise funds for OCSE’s Twelve Days of Christmas program, an effort that provides holiday gifts and necessities to area families and individuals in need.

The show features the creative talents of local crafters. The vendor fees are donated in support of the Twelve Days program, and some vendors choose to donate all or part of their proceeds to the cause. The more successful the craft show is, the more people OCSE can help this holiday season. Last year 25 families and 25 individuals benefited, and with the recession affecting so many more people this year, OCSE hopes to have an even bigger impact this time.

The show is a win-win for the South Bend region, says Carrie Call, director of OCSE.

“We support the community by supporting the local artists, and we support families in need through the Twelve Days program,” explains Call. “A craft show is a unique way to reach one of the Office for Civic and Social Engagements’ primary goals: to support the community in which Saint Mary’s resides.”

Unique crafters include a jewelry maker from Granger who will be selling pieces from her collection, which features glass pendants with inspirational messages like “Celebrate Life,” “Say your prayers,” “Find your voice and sing,” and “Live your poem.” There’s also a South Bend man who makes jewelry out of antique silverware.

Shoppers will also find everything from hand-painted wooden furniture to knitted items made from the wool of alpacas the artist raises on her property. In all there will be at least 50 booths.

The local agencies and schools that partner with OCSE throughout the academic year choose the recipients of the holiday help. These agencies and schools include Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, REAL Services and select Title 1 schools in South Bend.

Photo caption: Shannon Wilson of Granger has an extensive jewelry collection, which features glass pendants with inspirational and spiritual messages.

(For these stories and more news from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, log on to the website of Today’s Catholic at www.todayscatholicnews.org)

 

Diocese of Gary

Diocesan cemetery dedicates section for miscarriages

MICHIGAN CITY — Surrounded by the greenish-brown leaves of autumn, a statue of Jesus holding an infant now has a home at St. Stanislaus Cemetery. The statue is part of an area set aside for miscarriages. Bishop Dale J. Melczek, commenting on the beauty of the special garden, called the area a “place of great comfort and solace for so many people.”

Delivering the homily at the dedication ceremony Oct. 26, Bishop Melczek noted, “Jesus puts incredible value on every person, especially those set aside by society,” adding that Jesus sees himself in the unborn, those with disabilities, and the very aged.

“Every person is very unique and special to God,” the bishop continued. “Gathering today puts us on the side of the values of God. Today we give testimony to God’s love for every person.”

The yet unnamed area is comparable to the Providence section of St. John-St. Joseph Cemetery in Hammond, a section devoted to miscarriages, stillbirths, and other early childhood deaths dedicated in July 2004.

Although by law miscarriages (up to 20 weeks old) may be discarded as surgical waste, Catholic hospitals, such as Saint Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point and Saint Anthony Memorial in Michigan City, have been burying these children. Some of these children had been buried at Greenwood Cemetery, located across from St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

Others in recent years had been buried near the now-dedicated area in the diocesan cemetery at a memorial placed in 1955 by Mothers of World War II, Unit 157. “It’s just nice to have a special area set aside for babies,” said Kathy Dabkowski, an obstetrics nurse at Saint Anthony Memorial who delivered the intercessions at the dedication service.

(For this story and more news from the Diocese of Gary, log on to the website of the Northwest Indiana Catholic at www.nwicatholic.com)

 

Diocese of Lafayette

No stories available this week

(For more news from the Diocese of Lafayette, log on to the website of The Catholic Moment at www.thecatholicmoment.org)