April 15, 2025 // Diocese
Dwenger Students Explore Archbishop Noll Catholic Center
On Tuesday, April 8, Bishop Dwenger High School students flooded into Bishop Rhoades’ office in downtown Fort Wayne, eager to take in the sights of religious icons and paintings. As the students browsed, Bishop Rhoades shared the history that accompanied the pieces.
“This came from my trip to Nigeria and was given to me as a gift,” Bishop Rhoades said as he showed the group a particular painting.
Photos by Clare Hildebrandt
The vocations class at Bishop Dwenger High School, teacher Tom Kenny, and Bishop Rhoades pose for a picture in the Garden Room of the Archbishop Noll Center in Fort Wayne on Tuesday, April 8.
The Bishop Dwenger students toured Catholic sites in Fort Wayne as a field trip for their vocations class. They learned about the various offices within the Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, met with leaders from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, and finished with a trip to the diocesan museum and a tour of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
The vocations class is offered exclusively for seniors who desire to learn more about various vocations of life – single life, the priesthood, consecrated religious, and married life are all discussed within the course.
By visiting the Archbishop Noll Center, the high school seniors encounter these various states of life and witness other concrete ways the Church is called to serve its people.
Tom Kenny, chair of the theology department at Bishop Dwenger, described the goal of the vocations class as “helping students understand the vocations of life and how Christ calls us to live.”
Bishop Dwenger students take part in the poverty simulation put on by Catholic Charities of Fort Wayne-South Bend on Tuesday, April 8.
He explained: “Students learn what it means to live life for the benefit of others and the value in considering a vocation in service to the Christian community.”
In the morning, the teens took part in a poverty simulation put on by officials with Catholic Charities. Students were separated into groups and given dire situations to try and sort through.
“Oftentimes, people are not taught how to budget and spend their whole paychecks on payday,” said Nicole Kurut, marketing manager for Catholic Charities. “Or, people just simply don’t have enough to make ends meet. What do you do then? … At Catholic Charities, we help people make financial decisions. … It is tough to make those decisions on your own without a second opinion.”
Margaret Wheeler, a senior at Bishop Dwenger, gained much insight from this exercise.
Students enjoy pizza and soda at the Archbishop Noll Catholic Center when on a field trip for their vocations class.
“My favorite part was the poverty simulation because it was interesting to see how you’d react in a high-stress situation. Trying to figure out what is best for you and the people you are taking care of is difficult,” the high school senior said.
“It was also cool to see the True Cross [in the Diocesan Museum] because it is the season of Lent in the Church,” Wheeler added. “Everything that we did from talking to the bishop to the poverty simulation gives you a different perspective on the faith and who you are and what you’re doing. It makes you think about your own life and how you are serving.”
Bishop Rhoades welcomes students into his office and shows them his collection of sacred art on Tuesday, April 8.
Anthony Segyde agreed with Wheeler, and told Today’s Catholic his “favorite part was visiting the museum.”
“I was glad I could see the history of the diocese. My favorite part was visiting the museum, and I very much liked the Central Catholic exhibit in the basement,” he said.
Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.
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