September 2, 2025 // Diocese

‘Mission Day Is at the Heart of Our Catholic Schools’

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

Diocesan Teachers Gather for Annual Retreat

Each year, hundreds of teachers and staff from Catholic schools throughout the diocese endeavor upon the same mission: bettering themselves as Catholic educators and bringing their students to Christ at Catholic Schools Mission Day.

The annual event takes place at local Catholic high schools across the diocese, giving teachers an opportunity for prayer, fellowship, and continued education.

On Thursday, August 28, Fort Wayne-area teachers reported to Bishop Dwenger High School for the retreat, while teachers on the South Bend side travelled to Marian High School the following day, Friday, August 29. At each location, the lineup of events included Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades, a keynote address, and a roundtable discussion on technology and its effects.

During the Masses, Bishop Rhoades addressed the teachers, encouraging all to pray for more hope during this Jubilee Year.

“We must remember this year is the Jubilee Year of Hope,” Bishop Rhoades said. “Hope is a virtue, according to St. Paul, that ‘does not disappoint.’ It is an anchor in times of trial and tribulation, and we must hold onto it,” he said. 

“Today, there is an alarming trend among our youth: There are increasing numbers of kids suffering from depression, anxiety, and isolation. Phone addiction is at a high and contributes to these issues. It is your job as teachers to be signs of Christ to students, showing there is another way,” he said. “These students look to you as models in both education and spirituality.” 

At the events at both Bishop Dwenger and Marian, Tom Kostielney, a theology teacher at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, gave the keynote address, where he echoed Bishop Rhoades’ sentiments on modeling Christian virtue.

“Talking with teachers has always been such a beautiful experience because I have either been changed directly by so many of them or people like them,” Kostielney told Today’s Catholic. “They are all trying to bring kids to Christ in our diocese.”

Will Kohrman, a middle school English teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Fort Wayne, was particularly inspired by Kostielney’s words.

“The keynote address was fascinating,” Kohrman said. “He has so much interesting content, and I found the fact that he is a local diocesan teacher to be so great. The keynote is not always by a Fort Wayne-South Bend teacher, so this was pretty special,” he explained.

In the keynote address, the image of sowing seeds resonated with Kohrman.

“He made a lot of Scripture accessible for educators, like with an analogy of the parable of the sower. We heard that we are forming young minds … which can be seen as putting seeds in good soil.”

Kohrman added: “He asked the question, ‘What type of soil are you in?’ … but then, ‘What type of soil are you providing for other people?’”

While looking around the room at hundreds of educators, the St. Vincent English teacher told Today’s Catholic, “All of our Catholic teachers are in the room right now. Mission Day tells us we are not alone when we face trials and tribulations in this profession – and especially as Catholic educators,” he said.

Alex Giltner, secretary of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, sat down with Dr. Melanie Williams of Catholic Charities, keynote speaker Tom Kostielney, and Mary Glowaski, who serves in the diocese’s Office of Pastoral Care. With a variety of backgrounds such as ministry work, education, and psychology, this roundtable discussion sought to answer questions about faith and technology.   

Dani Prudden, a middle school teacher from St. Mary Catholic School in Avilla, took much wisdom from the discussion.    

“Alex Giltner [in the roundtable] said as Catholic educators we should start seeing our practice through the lens of the Incarnation and Resurrection. This set the stage for me for the entire rest of the session. I was able to think deeply about this and figure out ways to implement it in my classroom,” Prudden said.

“I also loved how we had a conversation about technology today and how it can lead to negative behaviors in the classroom,” Prudden said. “[The speakers] talked about how we’re meant to be in the world but not of it. Thinking with this lens, I want to really foster the virtues in my classroom and also have it be a safe place. It is a constant battle for students to not open their tablets or laptops. … We want to teach them virtue so they know how to combat this,” Prudden continued. 

“Overall, it was super cool to see we are all unified around the same vocation,” Prudden concluded. “We all have the same passion and partake in the Eucharist along with Bishop Rhoades.”

Emily Brumbaugh, a physical education teacher at St. Pius X Catholic School in Granger, reflected on the purpose of the retreat day while enjoying lunch. Surrounded by her fellow teachers, she said, “Mission Day is at the heart of our Catholic schools. All the teachers come together to celebrate Mass and to talk about how we can integrate our faith life more fully into the life of the school, because we are aiming to educate the whole child.”

At Mass in Mishawaka, a handful of priests from surrounding parishes joined Bishop Rhoades to assist at the altar. Brumbaugh took much joy from witnessing the group. 

“It’s so nice to see our local shepherds celebrating with Bishop Rhoades,” she said. “My heart is happy when, on a day like today, I see a priest that may have been transferred and it’s been a while, but we can all see them today.”

Brumbaugh has been teaching in Catholic schools for about three years, and she told Today’s Catholic that the ability to openly discuss faith and actively pray throughout the day has transformed her view of education.

“I feel like it’s so much easier for me to come from teaching in public schools to now teach in Catholic schools and live out my faith. I can tell the students about the Gospel and about how we should treat other people. It is just so amazing,” she said.

She added: “In P.E., especially with Christ in our lives, it is not about winning or losing, because no one is really going to remember who won. People will remember how they were treated. We and our students can become saints through this.”

In the end, prayer is a necessity in Catholic education, Brumbaugh said, and she delights in praying for her students and asking for their own intentions.

“All of us have bad days sometimes, including myself,” Brumbaugh said. “It is a great learning opportunity to ask students to pray for me – and likewise, when I see a student struggling, I let them know I am praying for them.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.