January 21, 2025 // Bishop
Visit to Bishop Luers a Joyful Occasion for Students, Staff
Kara Nahrwold, a social studies teacher at Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne, said that while she was “nervous to be baptized in front of my students,” she hopes “to inspire my students, especially when it comes to faith.”

Kara Nahrwold, left, and Brayden Mygrant, newly baptized, pose for a photo alongside Bishop Rhoades after Mass at Bishop Luers.
For the past year, Nahrwold was preparing to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist alongside some of her students during Bishop Rhoades’ annual pastoral visit to Bishop Luers. As Bishop Rhoades poured water onto her head, her nervousness went away, she said, adding that it felt as if everyone else disappeared also, Nahrwold told Today’s Catholic.
“It was just me and God, and I was finally home. I finally found where I belonged.”
On Wednesday, January 15, Bishop Rhoades made his annual visit to Bishop Luers, where he spoke with students and staff and celebrated Mass for the school community.

A candidate, ready to be confirmed, steps forward at the Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades at Bishop Luers High School on Wednesday, January 15.
This year, what made Bishop Rhoades’ visit special was the number of catechumens and candidates: nine receiving various sacraments for the first time. Along with Nahrwold, the following students received sacraments: Brayden Mygrant, Daniel Murphy, Collin Ritzenhaler, Wisin Ramirez, Erick Salinas, Hadley Wilchar, Christofer Rodriguez, and Yair Nieves.
As a teacher, Nahrwold, said she initially thought she was too old to join her students in preparing for the Sacraments of Baptism, first Communion, and Confirmation.
“I thought I was too old to receive [the sacraments]. … But something told me that I should ask Ann [Isch, chair of the theology department at Bishop Luers] about receiving them,” she said. Isch was offering a class on the sacraments after school, which interested Nahrwold.
She was encouraged by her fellow teachers, including Mercylynn Mbuguah, to learn more about the Church, despite her fears.

Bishop Rhoades speaks with students about faith, football, and movies during his annual pastoral visit to Bishop Luers High School on Wednesday, January 15.
“I’m so glad I listened,” Nahrwold said. “It was through the kindness of others who led me to the Church. Family friends started going to Mass with me around this time. I checked out different parishes to see which ones I liked.”
This led to hundreds of students and their teachers witnessing this momentous moment in the young teacher’s life.
In fact, Bishop Rhoades even said: “Today is the most important day in the lives of our two catechumens, Brayden and Kara, as they receive the Sacrament of Baptism. They will become our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said in his homily addressed to the student body.
“It is a joy for the whole community of Bishop Luers High School. This joy springs from love, the love of God that the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts,” Bishop Rhoades said with a smile.
After coming into the Church, Nahrwold concluded that “this has been one of the greatest decisions I have ever made.”
As Narhwold stood beside her students in a white baptismal gown, Bishop Luers Principal Scott Kreiger couldn’t help but smile. He shared his joy at seeing the Luers community provide a safe place for the Holy Spirit.
“I caught myself smiling through the entire [Mass],” he said. “First of all, we were so excited to have Bishop Rhoades visit and celebrate the Mass. He was in the zone with his homily and in his exchange with students,” Kreiger continued. “His joy and love of the faith emanates, and it’s impossible to not be affected by that.”
Kreiger largely attributed the faith-filled culture at Bishop Luers to the community’s openness in allowing the Spirit to move amongst the students and faculty.
“The first thing is our theology department – they’re wonderful,” Kreiger said. “They’re very intentional and share their faith,” he added.
“The second thing is just the culture of our school,” Kreiger explained. “We talk about Catholic identity, and embracing truth, beauty, and goodness in the classroom. We’ve just normalized it.”
He added that Bishop Rhoades’ presence enlivens the student body with this Catholic identity even more.
“[Bishop Rhoades] is very engaging and loves the kids,” Kreiger said. “You can tell that because they can have fun with him. The first impression of a bishop is usually, ‘Oh, he’s different,’ but he is just like the rest of us.”
Shortly after Mass, the gymnasium erupted with a cheer as Bishop Rhoades granted the school a two-hour delay on Tuesday, January 21, so students could stay up late to watch Notre Dame play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
While at Bishop Luers, Bishop Rhoades made visits to theology classrooms, including that of theology teacher Christopher Lushis, where students were given the opportunity to ask questions to the shepherd of the diocese. Questions included, “How do you become a bishop?” and “have you met the pope?”
One student even enquired about Bishop Rhoades’ favorite “Rocky” movie, to which he replied, “the first.”
Living in Philadelphia, Bishop Rhoades shared that he would often run up the iconic steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Sylvester Stallone did in the film.
“I didn’t know that he had gone to seminary in Philadelphia when the first movie came out, which was pretty cool,” Lushis told Today’s Catholic. “The students had fun.”
Lushis added that “since the beginning of the year, I have allowed students to submit a score prediction for the weekly Notre Dame and Bishop Luers football games. The winner would win a bag of candy. Bishop Rhoades put up a score prediction for the National Championship [of Notre Dame 24, Ohio State 21], which was fun to see.”

Bishop Rhoades writes his prediction for the National Championship Game on the whiteboard in theology teacher Christopher Lushis’ classroom.
In the end, Lushis thought the visit was fruitful because of the sacraments and Bishop Rhoades’ connection to the Church.
“Our principal emphasized to the teachers beforehand that this was the most important day of the year – Bishop Rhoades’ visit to our school, coupled with the sacraments that occurred,” Lushis said. “Christ established the Church, ultimately through the apostles,” he added. “Bishop Rhodes is our connection to the apostles – a successor of the apostles in our midst – and for [the students] to see him in their midst, who is also a joyful image of Christ, that is life changing and transformational for the students at Bishop Luers.”
Clare Hildebrandt is a staff reporter for Today’s Catholic.
ABOUT BISHOP LUERS
Address: 333 East Paulding Road, Fort Wayne
Phone number: 260-456-1261
Founded: 1958
Number of students: 528
Nickname: Knights
Principal: Scott Kreiger
Website: bishopluers.org
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