April 28, 2026 // Diocese

Catholic School Educators Honored in South Bend

Kasia Balsbaugh

 

Teachers don’t often receive recognition for their hard work, but the annual You Can Lend a Hand luncheon offers an opportunity to honor the area’s best. As master of ceremonies (and Catholic school parent), Chuck Freeby from Sports Michiana said during the event, “Today is a celebration of both the program and the fearless educators in this room.”

“When we look at celebrity culture — actors, musicians — it’s tough to find role models,” Freeby added. “And we certainly need them. So where do kids look for a light in a time that seems so dark? Frankly, they look to the people who are being honored here today.”

At the luncheon on Friday, April 24, at the Century Center in South Bend, students also helped as ushers and performers. Saint Joseph High School students played string music, and St. Jude Catholic School students performed selections from their production of the musical “Annie Jr.,” which was produced by the school’s music teacher, Jessica Voll, who was one of this year’s honorees.

The Christ the Teacher awards are given to one educator from each school and voted on by each school community.

In his keynote address, Bishop Rhoades explained the symbolism behind the seventh- or eighth-century icon of Christ the Teacher given to award recipients.

“Jesus is the unseen but ever-present teacher in every classroom, serving as the ultimate model for both educators and students,” Bishop Rhoades said. “Our schools are anchored in Christ.”

Along with being honored as Christ the Teacher award recipients, Linda Waltz from St. Anthony de Padua School in South Bend and Sarah Pellico from the Cathedral School of St. Matthew received surprise awards from the Catholic Community Foundation of Northeast Indiana, which provided them with a personal check as well as money for their classrooms and schools.

Pellico, who teaches second grade, has spent 27 years in Catholic education. “A true model of Christ’s compassion, she weaves faith naturally into her teaching,” said Mackenzie Ritchie, the foundation’s chief executive officer, quoting Pellico’s school community during the award presentation.

Waltz teaches eighth grade and has spent almost four decades in Catholic education. “Her calm presence, strong faith and patient guidance help students navigate life’s challenges with confidence and virtue,” Ritchie said.

Also honored were Tony and Dolores Catanzarite, who are longtime supporters of South Bend’s Catholic schools.

Melissa Green, principal of Saint Joseph Grade School in South Bend, received this year’s St. Mother Theodore Guerin Administrative Award, given to an administrator “demonstrating outstanding dedication to Catholic schools,” as the award was explained at the luncheon. According to the luncheon program, members of her school community pointed out the various ways Green brings Catholic saints, virtues, cultures and service into the Saint Joseph Grade School culture, while involving students and parents in this endeavor.

Dan Fitzpatrick is the co-founder of the You Can Lend a Hand program and the CEO and chairman of Quality Dining Inc. He and his late brother, Deacon Jim Fitzpatrick, both attended Catholic schools and began the program 44 years ago to give back to the Catholic school community. When they brought principals of the area’s Catholic schools together to discuss fundraising, it was the first time many of the school leaders had even met one another. The program expanded from there to promote more contact between schools — “camaraderie, best practices, etc.,” as Fitzpatrick put it. Now, the program sponsors the all-school Masses in South Bend and Fort Wayne, hosts the annual luncheons on both sides of the diocese, and helps with fundraising through coupon book sales. It has raised more than $12 million for Catholic schools in the area.

Dan Fitzpatrick has nine grandchildren, six of whom attend local Catholic schools.

“Every time I ask them about their school experience or their teachers or a particular priest, they beam with both happiness and joy,” Fitzpatrick said to the room. “They love you. They love their teachers. I know I speak for parents and grandparents across our diocese when I say thank you to our teachers for their vocation; thank you for living your life fully for others.”

Each of the speakers at the luncheon also expressed their gratitude for the tireless work of those in the Catholic schools. As Freeby put it to the teachers in the room, “So when you’re getting an email at 8 o’clock at night, or dealing with a difficult day, or somebody throws up in your classroom, hopefully today serves as a positive reminder — some time [to remind you that says,] we believe in you, that you are doing things the right way and that you are appreciated.”

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2026 Christ the Teacher Award Winners

Elizabeth Baker, St. Thomas the Apostle, Elkhart

Erin Cataldo, St. John the Evangelist, Goshen

Kristi Chrzan, St. Adalbert, South Bend

Leah Coming, Our Lady of Hungary, South Bend

Donna Delph from St. Michael, Plymouth

Abby Fink, Saint Joseph High School, South Bend

Jennifer Greenlee, Saint Joseph Grade School, South Bend

David Hooley, Marian High School, South Bend

Megan Kirkland, St. Pius X, Granger

Jill Lopez, Sacred Heart, Warsaw

Nichole Morse, Holy Family, South Bend

Cathy Oosterhoff, Corpus Christi, South Bend

Zoadi Paguada, Holy Cross, South Bend

Sarah Pellico, St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend

Laura Popielski, St. John the Baptist, South Bend

Pam Renner from Mishawaka Catholic, Mishawaka

John Richmond, Our Lady of the Lake, St. Joseph, Michigan

Paige Snyder, Queen of Peace, Mishawaka

Pam Tupper, Christ the King, South Bend

Jessica Voll, St. Jude, South Bend

Linda Waltz, St. Anthony de Padua, South Bend

 

 

___CUTLINES___

 

1: Staff, faculty and supporters of area Catholic schools gather at the annual You Can Lend a Hand luncheon at the Century Center in South Bend on Friday, April 24.

2: Students from St. Jude Catholic School in South Bend pose after performing “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from their musical, “Annie Jr.,” for the attendees of South Bend’s 2026 You Can Lend a Hand luncheon.

3-4: Bishop Rhoades presents Melissa Green, principal at Saint Joseph Grade School, with the St. Mother Theodore Guerin Administrative Award, while her co-workers look on and applaud.