May 12, 2026 // Diocese

St. Cyril of Jerusalem Institute: ‘Spiritual Food for a Hungry Mind’

Christian Towalski

 

In 2022, while delivering his homily at Mass on the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis discussed what he considered a major problem facing the world — namely, the “eclipse of desire for God.”

Society, he said, was facing a “crisis of faith,” where fewer people were engaging with the Church, and fewer still were using their spiritual knowledge to help guide their children, friends and loved ones toward a more spiritually fulfilling life.

Although it may seem disheartening on its face, Pope Francis’ message resonated with believers across the world, with many of them taking on new responsibilities to help mold the future of the Church and the Faith.

Over the past two years, one such story has unfolded in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. In 2023, concerned parishioners and faith leaders at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Fort Wayne banded together to establish a catechetical program — then known as the St. Paul School of Leaders — to educate the laity, encourage evangelism and empower members of the parish to take an active role in the spiritual lives of their friends and family.

Robert Gregory, a founding member of both The St. Paul School of Leaders and Armor of God — a men’s organization dedicated to forming husbands and fathers into spiritual leaders — said he approached Bishop Rhoades about expanding his work at Armor of God.

“At one point, I came to [Bishop Rhoades], as we had so many men recognizing that they are the primary educators in their family, but they [didn’t] know enough about their faith to convey it to their family,” Gregory said.

“I expressed to him, [saying,] ‘Hey, I have six kids, and I’m figuring this out late in life: Where do I go to get formed properly so that I can be the primary educator in my family — so that I can take my vocation and role seriously?’” he added.

The St. Paul School of Leaders formally began operations in 2023 as a catechetical program to help lay men and women become better spiritual leaders in their households. After a successful first year, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend undertook the program and greatly expanded it into what it has become today — the St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Institute.

Now, the institute offers a robust curriculum covering everything from the foundations of the Catholic faith, the history of the Church and related beliefs, the Trinity, ministry, Catholic social teaching and prayer. Completing the entire curriculum takes around three years.

The Institute is led by a dedicated team made up of leaders in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, including Father Mark Hellinger, pastor of St. Jude and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes in South Bend; Dr. Alex Giltner, secretary of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis; and Megan Quigley, director of adult faith formation. Melinda Doak serves the institute as its administrative assistant.

Mary Lynn Hamrick, a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, is one of the many laypeople who have taken advantage of the program. She’s taken one class every term since the fall of 2024.

“Being raised Catholic, there are many things that you do, and for some of them, you may not really understand the ‘why,’” Hamrick said. “The institute has provided answers to questions that I didn’t even know I should be asking — things I took for granted that I never really thought deeply about,” she said.

Joelle Wisnieski, a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Elkhart, agrees.

“It has been refreshing to connect with others who are seeking deeper truth and understanding of our Catholic faith,” Wisnieski said. “I have a deeper understanding of how to navigate conversations around philosophy, worldview, faith and the Church in a way that is more articulate than I was able to before attending these classes,” she said.

Nathan Moellering, a newcomer to the faith and a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, expressed similar praise for the mission of the St. Cyril of Jerusalem Institute.

“My wife and I came into the Church at the Easter Vigil of 2025,” Moellering said. “I essentially began taking classes at the institute immediately. It is spiritual food for a hungry mind and heart that didn’t know how hungry they were,” he said.

Moellering said the institute has helped him more fully understand his role in the Church and how best to apply the teachings of the Faith to his daily life.

“The Catechism is my roadmap, but not in a rigid way — in a way that a mother lovingly corrects her child,” Moellering told Today’s Catholic. “Our Holy Mother Church always calls me back into living and loving in a rightly ordered way: faith, family, formation and vocation,” he said.

“Dr. Giltner talks often about God’s mercy and grace and the transformation that brings and radiates outward to the world,” he added. “The institute has helped me take the head knowledge and not just learn it but live it.”

The institute not only equips the faithful to better serve their families and parishes but also helps lay ministers more fully live out their vocations.

Lily Marquez is a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger. While she personally benefits from the institute’s courses in her own faith life, she also brings that knowledge and guidance into her career as an educator.

“I am a catechist for the first year of confirmation, and now I am able to explain [concepts] to my students much better – in a way that is refreshing and joyful,” Marquez said. “My teachers [at] St. Cyril of Jerusalem give us tips. The way that they [present] the classes give us clear tools [to] evangelize at home and with our students,” she said.

Marquez also recalled a moment she experienced in one of the institute’s classes. Two students who had studied at some of the top theological programs in the country approached St. Cyril’s professor and told him the course was on par with some of the best courses available.

“I told myself that I am a simple catechist who has a ministry of prayers at my parish,” Marquez said. “How am I in classes with people who are in a higher level of theology?” she remembered.

Hamrick, from St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, said she is now participating in her fifth class of the program. After taking these courses, she said she is better equipped to live out the Faith in her everyday life.

“Our faith is so rich and beautiful,” Hamrick said. “I have a much greater appreciation for God’s plan and His design for humans. I am also better able to recognize and identify the things that work to draw me away from God so I can put them in their place. These classes have provided an absolute feast for the improvement of my faith life and for understanding my purpose.”

Registration for the St. Cyril of Jerusalem Institute’s 2026 summer term is open now. For more information, visit diocesefwsb.org/cyril-institute.