July 20, 2016 // Uncategorized

Around the Diocese: July 24, 2016

Todays Catholic

Father Robert Epping elected Superior General

In an announcement from Rome, Holy Cross Father Robert Epping has been elected as the 13th Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

The chapter delegates met on July 18 in a morning of prayer and reflection and a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit in preparation for the election of the Superior General. Father Epping has served in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend since 1985 when he was appointed pastor of Christ the King Parish in South Bend and served there until his appointment as Assistant Provincial for the Indiana Province in 1994. In 2013, after nine years as pastor in Colorado Springs, Epping was assigned to Holy Cross and St. Stanislaus Parish in South Bend. He continues to serve as pastor of Holy Cross Parish.

Join Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades on a pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions 

The trip will take place place July 7-July 16, 2017. The itinerary includes: 

July 7: Depart USA for Madrid.

July 8: Arrive in Madrid and travel to Avila, the birthplace of St. Teresa of Jesus and the beginning of her reform of the Carmelites. Dinner and overnight in Avila.

July 9: Full day in Avila with visits to the Carmelite monastery of the Incarnation, where St. Teresa’s religious life began, and St. Joseph’s Monastery. Dinner and overnight in Avila.

July 10: Full day in Segovia with visits to the majestic Cathedral and the Monastery and Tomb of St. John of the Cross. Overnight in Avila.

July 11: Depart Avila to visit Alba de Tormes. Visit and celebrate Mass at the Carmelite Monastery, where St. Teresa died in 1582 and is buried. In the little museum of the Carmelite Monastery, see the incorrupt heart and left arm of the saint. Dinner and overnight hotel in Salamanca.

July 12: Tour of the historic city, depart Salamanca and travel to Coimbra and visit the Carmelite Convent, where Sister Lucia, seer of Fatima spent most of her life. Visit the museum which highlights her 88 year journey after the apparitions of Our Lady. Dinner and overnight at Fatima.

July 13: Celebrate the anniversary day in Fatima at the Mass with pilgrims from around the world. In the afternoon visit the homes of the children in Adjustral and the site of the August 19th apparition at Valinhos. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.

July 14: Day in Fatima for prayer. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.
July 15: Depart Fatima and visit the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle in Santarem, then continue on to Lisbon. Dinner  and overnight in Lisbon.
July 16: Depart Lisbon for USA.

For information, call 877-513-1917, 908-246-6626 or e-mail  [email protected]. 

On Sunday, July 17, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades blessed the brand new parish hall and narthex at St. Robert Bellarmine in North Manchester. Called the St. John Paul II New Evangelization Center, the project was completed in about 3 years of planning and construction. Father Drew Curry, pastor, said that this new space is so important to the growth of the parish community. “During the celebration breakfast, there was a lady in a wheelchair who came to me and said that she has been attending St. Robert’s for over 10 years and this celebration was the first parish event that she was able to go to because the space is handicap accessible.” Father Curry continued, “This gathering space is a place for people to mingle and to deepen their friendships in Christ or meet new people — it’s very important. It will also allow for more silence in church after Mass for those who want to stay and pray because people will be able to socialize in the gathering space.

Natural Family Planning awareness week begins 

Natural Family Planning: Love, Mercy, Life — Opening the Heart of Marriage is the theme of this year’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, a national educational campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to celebrate God’s vision for marriage and promote methods of Natural Family Planning. NFP is an umbrella term for the safe, natural, effective and morally sound methods of both achieving and avoiding pregnancy. NFP methods teach couples how to observe and interpret the signs of fertility that naturally occur in a woman’s body. If you would like to learn more about the methods of NFP offered in the diocese and to see a current schedule of classes, visit www.diocesefwsb.org/Natural-Family-Planning or call 574-234-0687.

Don’t have time to attend a class? Learn NFP in the comfort of your home by contacting one of the NFP providers listed at www.usccb.org/nfp/nfp-distance-learning.cfm. The Catholic Church invites all husbands and wives to embrace God’s plan for married love. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, NFP methods “respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them and favor the education of an authentic freedom.” (CCC, no. 2370).

Learn more about the beautiful teachings which support the use of NFP in marriage at http://www.usccb.org/nfp/catholic-teaching.

American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals (AAFCP) 35th annual meeting  

On July 27-30, the Saint Joseph FertilityCare Center will host hundreds of medical and allied health professionals from around the world who teach and promote the Creighton Model FertilityCare System and NaProTECHNOLOGY during the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals (AAFCP) 35th Annual Meeting. The conference’s focus, “A Higher Degree of Life and Love: Innovation in Women’s Health through FertilityCare and NaProTECHNOLOGY,” promises to deliver the latest advances in women’s health from some of the industry’s most regarded medical professionals. The conference will be held at the Morris Inn on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. For more information, visit www.aafcp.net/annualmeeting

Provided by Deb Farmer
These Bishop Dwenger students were selected to play All Star Rugby for the North Indiana All Stars, and the team came in 2nd out of 14 teams at the South Challenge Regional All Star tournament in Charlotte, NC June 17-19. From left, coach Sam DiFilippo, Jared Monnier, Derek Farmer, Isaac Blume, Simon Perez, Max Coffee and Liam Holly.

Provided by Amanda Petrucelli
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades blesses Ancilla College’s second residence hall, the dining hall and student life Center Monday, July 18. A large crowd welcomed the Bishop Monday as he blessed Ancilla College’s second residence hall, the dining hall and student life Center Monday, July 18. School staff and supporters unveiled the new buildings’ names and community members were treated to refreshments and tours of the buildings after the ceremony. Under the direction of President Dr. Ken Zirkle, the school has added many academic programs, including agriculture, sports management and more as well as doubling its athletic team offerings, including bowling, wrestling and lacrosse. The private Catholic college in Donaldson, near Plymouth, is home to nearly 600 students each year. Traditionally a two-year commuter college, Ancilla opened its first residence hall in the fall of 2015 to monumental response requiring the school to build a second hall.