June 10, 2025 // Diocese

Meet Dominican Father Reginald Wolford, the New Pastor of St. Patrick-St. Hedwig

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

This summer, Father Reginald Wolford, a priest currently serving at Indiana University in Bloomington, will become the pastor of St. Patrick-St. Hedwig Parish in South Bend. As a member of the Dominican Order, Father Wolford told Today’s Catholic that he will bring his order’s dedication to community and love for learning to his new parish.

In early June, the Dominican priest sat down with Today’s Catholic to share his story. From his journey to the priesthood to his ministry at IU, Father Wolford has centered his life on a love of the Eucharist.

“I’m a convert to Catholicism and didn’t have much exposure to religion growing up,” Father Wolford said. “I was baptized in a Protestant denomination when I was about 10, and when it came time for college, I hadn’t been to church for a long time. I got interested in this little Catholic college in Southern California called Thomas Aquinas. I wasn’t really interested in the school for its Catholicism, but when I went there, I was just so impressed with the devotion to the Eucharist in those around me. I could tell that the faith was strong in their lives and that there was great wisdom to the tradition of the Church. This led me to come into the Church at the end of my freshman year.” 

Shortly after coming into the Church, Father Wolford began contemplating the priesthood. 

 “I suspected that God would maybe want me to make priesthood my life,” Father Wolford said. “I think with us converts, it becomes more apparent because we didn’t grow up with the Eucharist. I saw what an incredible gift it was. I had so much gratitude for the sacrament,” he shared. 

“I procrastinated for a while but eventually I started pursuing a religious vocation. I started out in another order … and then after a few years with them, I discerned the desire to come into the Dominican Order. I happened to be living and studying in the Chicago area at the time, and I knew people from the province of the order.”

He continued: “The two main elements that attracted me were strong community life and devotion to study. For those who don’t know, Dominican is kind of a nickname for the order because we’re officially called the Order of Preachers. That is why we have ‘O.P.’ at the end of our names. It was founded by St. Dominic way back in the 1200s. … He realized that people needed more instruction in the faith so that they wouldn’t be susceptible to some of the errors and heresies that were going around. Our community has always had a strong attraction to study, education, and preaching, along with a strong community life,” explained Father Wolford. 

After his ordination, he was assigned to St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University to minister to young adults.

“The St. Paul Catholic Center’s main focus is ministry to the university, so a lot of the student activities are Bible studies and different events,” Father Wolford said. “We have five priests around, and we all hear confessions for half an hour before Sunday afternoon Mass. It is just incredible.”

He added:” I typically would meet with students and get together for a walk or coffee. I would just talk to them, learn about their lives, and hear what was on their minds. I helped them through things, and it was just such a great thing.”

Living in community in Bloomington brought great joy to Wolford, and he hopes to bring such a lifestyle to his new parish in South Bend.    

“In Bloomington, we have about five of us in the community. We have prayer and meals together, and we just try and live out our ministry as a team. And that’s what we’re trying to build here in South Bend. I’ll be involved in St Patrick-St. Hedwig Parish, and then eventually some other Dominicans will live in community with me here,” he said.

“This will also be my first time being a pastor, and I just want to embrace the mission of being a father to this community,” Father Wolford said. “I’ve been walking around the neighborhood and spending time in the parish, meeting new people. These are my people. These are the people I want to reach. These are the people I want to spread the Gospel to,” he explained.

“My faith means everything to me, and I’m just excited to be here,” Father Wolford said. “In our way of life, it’s normal to be moved, and it has been difficult to say goodbye to everyone in Bloomington. I’m relying on everyone’s prayers during this time of transition. I am excited to see what the Lord will do with me here in South Bend.

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic