February 4, 2025 // Bishop

Students are ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ at Bishop Dwenger High School

“What has Bishop Dwenger done for my faith?” repeated senior Catherine Hill. “Bishop Dwenger has given me a faith life,” she said earnestly. 

And on Tuesday, January 28, Hill and other students were able to put that faith on display during Bishop Rhoades’ annual pastoral visit to Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, where he visited classrooms, spoke with students, and celebrated Mass.

Photos by Joshua Schipper
Bishop Rhoades preaches at Mass during his pastoral visit to Bishop Dwenger High School on Tuesday, January 28.

During his homily, Bishop Rhoades urged students to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and allow for an outpouring of grace. 


Click here for more photos from the visit.


Hill told Today’s Catholic that Bishop Rhoades’ visits to the school allow students to see that “he’s just like us.”

“Sometimes when you see Bishop Rhoades saying Mass at the cathedral, it’s like ‘whoa – there’s the bishop!’ We all have to face him, and he’s way up at the altar,” Hill said.

“When he’s at Dwenger, though, he’s cracking jokes and saying relatable things to the students,” she explained. “[The bishop’s visit] makes him seem super approachable, because he’s just having lunch with us or walking around the school. He cares about us and tries to understand us teenagers – though he is not exactly a teen anymore,” she said with a smile. 

During Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades, one student was baptized and three others were confirmed. Students told Today’s Catholic that seeing their classmates receive the sacraments had a profound effect on them.

Bishop Rhoades baptizes Bishop Dwenger student Dylan Culbertson during his pastoral visit to the school on Tuesday, January 28. Below, Culbertson receives the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Bishop Dwenger High School students Kayden Bush and Ava Parsons receive the Sacrament of Confirmation during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades during his pastoral visit to Bishop Dwenger in Fort Wayne on Tuesday, January 28.

“The confirmations and baptism say something about the faith at Dwenger: It’s contagious,” said senior Grant Hilgar.

“Seeing the baptism and confirmation is like a refresher for us on our beliefs,” added sophomore Elizabeth Veerkamp.

For junior Bethel Solomon, what resonated the most was Bishop Rhoades’ visits to several classrooms.

“I heard some of my friends talking about him visiting their theology classes,” Solomon said. I think it’s nice that he took the time to answer questions and talk about faith,” she said.

Students and teachers were especially proud of the various faith-related clubs at the high school, which include Decade Club, Saints for Life, St. Gemma Club, St. Joseph Club, and Baking with the Saints.

Principal Jason Schiffli attributed the multitude of faith–filled activities to a “hunger” in the students to live out their faith.

“They’re hungry. [These kids] want more,” he said. “It’s natural for people to want to know why they were made and why they were put on this earth,” Schifffli said. “I don’t think you can truly understand this unless you look to our Heavenly Father.”

Schiffli also told Today’s Catholic that isolation from the pandemic has driven kids to search for community.

Bishop Rhoades looks at photos of Bishop Dwenger graduates who went on to be priests or consecrated religious.

“The other reasons – they thrive in the community. Shortly after COVID was a dark time for many students. There was a certain malaise to the students shortly after quarantine. The future looked bleak for everyone,” he said. “The moral relativism was running rampant, but now there’s momentum in faith amongst our youth,” Schiffli continued. “These kids are coming to me and saying, ‘Hey we want to do a praise and worship every Wednesday morning in the chapel.’ Who am I to stop them?”

This has led the staff and students at Bishop Dwenger to feel a deep sense of pride in their faith.

 “When I see the bishop outside of school and go to meetings with other principals, we all can brag about our students like we brag about our own children,” Schiffli said. “That’s what I do; I honestly brag about the faith of our students, and it’s really nice to have the bishop here to see what we’ve been talking about.”

“I’m very much filled with hope for the future of the Church, the future of our kids. They are truly pilgrims of hope, and that’s why it’s so important for Bishop Rhoades to come. He can see for himself the work that is being done.”

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


ABOUT BISHOP DWENGER

Address: 300 E. Washington Center Rd., Fort Wayne

Phone number: 260-496-4700

Founded: 1963

Number of students: 906

Nickname: Saints

Principal: Jason Schiffli

bishopdwenger.com

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