March 28, 2017 // Diocese

In MY diocese: St. John the Baptist and Corpus Christi parishes of South Bend highlighted

Claire Kenney

Freelance Writer

Community engagement is the mission of St. John the Baptist

The South Bend road appropriately named St. John’s Way, leads the way to the parish and school community of St. John the Baptist.

“St. John the Baptist is a parish with a small school that we hope to see grow,” Father Glenn Kohrman said. “Its staff is extremely dedicated, and the students vibrantly participate in our school Masses.”

One of those dedicated staff members is Father David Violi, the new associate pastor of St. John the Baptist. Both Father Violi and Father Kohrman also serve at Holy Family Parish in South Bend. “I am very excited to be assisting Father Glenn in his ministry at these wonderful parishes,” Father Violi commented.

Not only are the staff of St. John the Baptist exceptional, but likewise are the parish premises.

“The grounds at St. John’s are amazing; we have a ball diamond, a soccer field and a lot of space that someday, hopefully, will have a nice gym that could serve as a community center,” Father Kohrman said.

Click here for Corpus Christi Parish

This summer the parish will share its athletic facilities with the local community, when it hosts a summer camp for children on the west side of South Bend. Associated fees will be nominal, in order to make the camp affordable and accessible to more families.

“I do not have the details of the sports camp yet, but there will be a cost, but it should not be prohibitive,” Father Kohrman explained. “If people would like to attend, we would do what we can to make that possible.”

In addition to sports camp participants, the parish will host several other guests soon, in varied capacities.

At the end of March the parish has planned for a small missionary group to lead several weeks of talks for the community. The group includes a family with seven children, two seminarians and a priest. The individuals will lead a series of talks as part of the Neocatechumenal Way, which is an evangelization and adult formation movement within the Catholic Church.

Father Violi said he and Father Kohrman “are greatly looking forward to the start of the Neocatechumenal Way catechetical talks this coming week.” Members of the missionary group will go door-to-door to personally invite people from the surrounding area to participate. The one-hour talks will take place biweekly in the parish’s Father Jacobs Hall. More information can be found on the parish’s website, www.stjohnsb.com, by clicking on the bulletin.

As part of a different outreach, Father Kohrman mentioned the parish will soon begin to house some Franciscan Brothers entering formation through the University of Notre Dame. The brothers will stay at St. John the Baptist’s convent, right on the parish’s grounds.

“The brothers will be in residence onsite, but also will provide a real presence to those in our neighborhood,” he explained.

Certainly St. John the Baptist is a parish that very much values community and brings joy to its members through opportunities to engage in prayer and fellowship.

Father Kohrman’s email signature line says it all: “Holiness is happiness!”

St. John the Baptist

3526 St. John’s Way
South Bend, IN 46628
574-233-5414

www.stjohnsb.com

Mass Times:

Sunday: 9, 11 a.m. 

Saturday: 8:15 a.m., 5 p.m.

Weekday: 8:15 a.m. M-W-F

Reconciliation: 

Weekdays 7:30-8 a.m.; Saturday 4-4:45 p.m. or by appointment