February 22, 2018 // Diocese

Around the Diocese: February 25, 2018

St. Joseph, Bluffton, plans parish mission

BLUFFTON — “Families: Living Stones of the Church” will be the theme of a parish mission at St. Joseph Parish, taking place Sunday through Thursday, March 4-8.

On March 4, Father Steve Colchin will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m., followed by brunch. Beginning at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday evenings, an invited guest will speak and refreshments will follow. The guests will be: March 5, Father Daniel Scheidt; March 6, Lisa and/or Frederick Everett; March 7, Father Jonathan Norton, with confessions at approximately 8 p.m.; and March 8, Steve Higgins, director of youth ministry.

There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit www.stjosephchurchbluffton.org. The parish is located at 1300 N. Main St. in Bluffton.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades is pictured with legislators from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend who attended a Catholic Legislator Dinner in Indianapolis Feb. 12. The annual gathering is organized by the Indiana Catholic Conference, and affords the opportunity for the bishops and legislators to engage in discussion. From left are Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, Fort Wayne; Sen. Joe Zakas, Granger; Sen. Liz Brown, Fort Wayne; Sen. Blake Doriot, Syracuse; Bishop Rhoades; Rep. Bob Morris, Fort Wayne; his wife, Erin Morris; Rep. Dennis Zent, Angola; and Sen. Andy Zay, Huntington. — Sean Gallagher

Selfie video campaign to commemorate ‘Humanae Vitae’

SOUTH BEND — To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” this summer, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is inviting couples to submit 30-second horizontal selfie videos in response to the question: “How has ‘Humanae Vitae’ made a difference in your marriage?”

Videos should start with the first names of the spouses and must be submitted by Easter Sunday to the following Dropbox account: https://tinyurl.com/hvvideos. Selfie videos will be posted on the Office of Family and Pro-Life Facebook page leading up to the 50th anniversary of “Humanae Vitae” in July. An assortment will be used in a longer promotional video later on.

Direct  questions to Lisa Everett, director of Marriage, Family and Pro-Life Ministry, at [email protected].

Father James Shafer, St. Joseph Parish, Garrett, imparts ashes to the children of St. Joseph School during a Mass on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. Across the diocese, Catholics entered into the season of Lent by seeking the traditional symbol of repentance and penance. — Provided by Jill Hamblin

National Call-in Day for ‘Dreamers’ Feb. 26

WASHINGTON — Late last week, the Senate failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to move forward with debate on legislation to provide relief to “Dreamers.” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president, and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, together issued a statement and call to action.

“We are announcing a National Catholic Call-In Day to Protect Dreamers. This coming weekend, we will be asking the faithful across the nation to call their members of Congress on Monday, Feb. 26, (and ask them) to protect Dreamers from deportation, to provide them a path to citizenship, and to avoid any damage to existing protections for families and unaccompanied minors in the process.” 

Dial 855-589-5698 to reach the Capitol switchboard, then press 1 to connect to the individual senators. Once you are connected to your senator, ask the person on the phone to deliver your message. Then redial the number and press 2 to connect to your representative.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades met and enjoyed dinner with students from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend who attend Ave Maria University, Florida, while attending a board of trustees meeting there Feb. 16. The students are, from left, Dan Berg, freshman from St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Fort Wayne; Colin Stroud, a prospective Ave Maria student and senior at Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne; Corinne Zay, junior from SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Huntington; Patrick Sullivan, sophomore from Sacred Heart Parish, Warsaw; and Allison Kelty, senior from St. Jude Parish, Fort Wayne. — Provided by Bishop Rhoades

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