Catholic News Around Indiana
Compiled by Brandon A. Evans
Diocese of Evansville
‘The Saint John’s Bible’: Newburgh parishioner’s reproduction is on display during Lent
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Twenty years ago, Myles Towne and his wife, Ruth, moved to Newburgh and joined St. John the Baptist Church there. He found the parish to be both welcoming and friendly. “We really love the parish,” he said.
So when the parish asked to borrow one of his treasures, Myles said “sure.”
He owns a full-color reproduction of one of the sections of “The Saint John’s Bible,” and the parish wanted to put it on display in the church during Lent.
The original bible was commissioned by St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn., and was executed by calligrapher Donald Jackson, the senior scribe to Queen Elizabeth II’s Crown Office, and a collaborative team of scribes and artists in Wales.
It was the first illuminated, handwritten bible of monumental size — 24 1/2 inches by 15 7/8 inches — to be commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in 500 years.
The planning and the work began in 1998 for the seven volumes which are expected to be completed this year. The work has been done in Wales, but the volumes will be housed on the campus at St. John’s.
Craftsmen, under Jackson’s direction, use traditional materials such as vellum (calfskin), ancient inks, gold and silver leaf and platinum. They use quill pens fashioned from goose, turkey and swan feathers.
As each section is completed, full-color reproduction books have been made available for purchase.
Myles was not familiar with the project when his cousin arrived for a visit in Newburgh. “My cousin lives in Minnesota, and we entertained them for a week. He brought the bible along as a gift.”
It featured the four Gospels and the Books of Acts. As Myles and his wife looked at their gift, he thought “as soon as I saw it — that’s a treasure.”
Photo caption: Myles Towne and pastoral associate Lynda Provence stand behind a display which includes Myles’ reproduction of “The Saint John's Bible” which is on display during Lent at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes)
(For news from the Diocese of Evansville, log on to the website of The Message at www.themessageonline.org)
Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Celebrating the gift of sacred song
By Tess Steffen and Kay Cozad
NOTRE DAME — Angelic voices rose with the incense to fill the vaulting of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart during Mass at the University of Notre Dame on March 16. A select group of musically-gifted students from 33 diocesan Catholic schools, one school from Indianapolis and several who are home schooled combined as one choir to perform at the inaugural Pueri Cantores Indiana Regional Mass and Choral Festival, which was conducted by Paul French.
The program began with a choral prelude showcasing the rich, traditional liturgical songs each choir had been practicing at their own schools and with other choirs in their feeder high schools for the past several months. The inspired vocalists, age nine to 18, were identified through auditions last fall. Each school or parish was allotted 10 seats in the special choir that gathered in four regional practices.
Pueri Cantores is a century-old practice established in France in 1907, according to its website www.puericantores.org. A special boys choir was formed there to sing during the liturgy. After faltering under the pressures of World War II, Pueri Cantores was reestablished in 1944 as an international organization led by Father Fernand Maillet.
In 1947, the first international Congress of the federation was held in Paris in which 90 European choirs participated, and by the mid 1960s Pueri Cantores was recognized as a Church movement. With the Second Vatican Council, girls choirs were permitted to participate and currently there are over 60,000 youth from 35 countries who sing in Pueri Cantores. The movement continues its commitment to teaching children the traditional sacred liturgical music of the Catholic Church.
The Pueri Cantores Indiana Regional Mass and Choral Festival was a unique model, said Jan Schmidt, executive director of the American Federation of Pueri Cantores. Typically the students who sing in Pueri Cantores are accepted into the organization with its high musical standard without audition. However, Fort Wayne organized auditions at each school for the selection of their choir members.
Schmidt reported, “In Indiana, the students are presented as honors singers — special singers from many schools. It’s working beautifully. … They did a phenomenal job of organizing this festival.”
Hannah’s House: ‘The Maternity Home with a Heart’
By Ann Carey
MISHAWAKA — Each of the young women who come to Hannah’s House has her own unique story, but they also have much in common: Each is pregnant and choosing life for her baby, and each woman needs a safe place to live during her pregnancy and for a few weeks after giving birth. Hannah’s House, known as “The Maternity Home with a Heart,” fills that need in a cheerful and roomy house in Mishawaka.
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades visited Hannah’s House for the first time on March 18 at the invitation of Karen DeLucenay, executive director. Before taking the “grand tour” of the house, the bishop chatted with the seven current residents, who sat in the sun-filled living room and talked about their different paths to Hannah’s House, about the babies they were expecting or had just delivered, and about their future plans to complete their education, find work and live independently.
The residents praised Hannah’s House as a safe haven in the storm, a place that welcomed them and provides a family environment during their pregnancies and for up two months after they give birth. The women also explained that the house mothers and counselors at Hannah’s House encourage them to stay in school or work toward their GED if they lack a high-school diploma, and the staff assists the women with job leads and learning how to apply for a job.
Parenting skills also are taught, and residents who choose adoption for their babies are helped to connect with appropriate agencies. The residents all have household assignments, including cooking, cleaning and laundry, and the women learn how to prepare nutritious food for themselves and their babies.
Staff “house mothers” take turns providing 24-hour mentoring to the residents, and trained counselors provide onsite counseling. Residents also are helped to connect with community resources for medical care, education, employment and parenting support.
Hannah’s House has certain expectations for the women who choose to live there: The women should remain drug-free, participate in regular prenatal and postnatal care, attend a church or synagogue of their choice on weekends, participate in daily devotions and mealtime prayers, participate in weekly goal setting and individual and group counseling, and help with household duties.
Photo caption: Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades got acquainted with the youngest resident of Hannah’s House on his first visit to the “Maternity Home with a Heart,” on March 18.
Quilts bring comfort to students and mother
By Mary Kinder
FORT WAYNE —Last year, Jim and Carol Tosconi of Fort Wayne were visiting the Gibault School in Terre Haute as part of the Knights of Columbus convention. Jim Tosconi serves as the financial secretary for Council 122417, Knights of Our Lady of Good Hope. Gibault has long been a faith-based project for the Knights of Columbus.
Founded in 1921 by the Indiana Knights of Columbus, Gibault was originally a home for wayward boys. But over the years, it has evolved to meet the needs of troubled kids in a variety of ways. Today, Gibault serves boys and girls and has provided life-changing opportunities for more than 8,600 children and their families.
The Gibault School serves as refuge to students who are dealing with a variety of issues, from behavior and social troubles to substance abuse and more. Through a variety of services provided in a Christian environment, Gibault makes a real difference in the lives of young people struggling to fit in. The school’s mission is to provide life-changing opportunities for children, adults, families and communities.
While speaking to a staff member, Carol Tosconi was struck when she was told the children don’t take any of the donated items with them when they leave Gibault. Everything stays at the facility to help care for other children.
She immediately had an idea. She asked if she could make quilts for the students, and if they could keep the quilts when they left. “I thought it was important for them to have something that no one could take away,” she said.
The staff thought it was an excellent idea, but it would be a big undertaking. There are roughly 100 students at Gibault at any one time. Carol was up to the challenge and began excitedly making plans for the project.
A quilter for more than 12 years, Carol did much of the work herself. But, as the project grew, she got help from a variety of sources, including the Knights of Columbus.
Making 100 quilts comes with a large financial cost, as well. While local fabric stores were very helpful, selling material at sale prices to Carol, the couple estimates that they have spent more than $5,000 on fabric and materials. Initially, they were taking the costs on themselves, but eventually, the Knights of Columbus and others stepped in to help.
Photo caption: Jim and Carol Tosconi provide quilts to students who attend the Gibault School in Terre Haute. The quilts were blessed Sunday, March 20, at Our Lady of Good Hope in Fort Wayne by Msgr. Bruce Piechocki, pastor, and then delivered to Terre Haute.
(For news from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, log on to the website of Today’s Catholic at www.todayscatholicnews.org)
Diocese of Gary
Four Star Debate: Hooray for St. Pat's, but why two standards for judging?
Story by Steve Euvino
MERRILLVILLE—The good news out of Chesterton is that St. Patrick School earned the Four Star designation from the Indiana Department of Education. Principal Lee Ann Cosh attributes the honor to staff dedication, parental involvement, a supportive pastor, and students working toward high standards of excellence. While Cosh’s fellow parochial principals congratulate her school, they have a question for the state: Why were there two sets of standards for Four Star designation: one for public schools, another for non-publics?
To qualify for Four Star, schools had to reach the 25th percentile in ISTEP+ test scores in math and English-language arts in grades 3-8. Also, each school had to show adequate yearly progress to qualify for the award.
For the first time, the IDOE reviewed data for non-public schools for Four Star consideration. In the end, 118 of 1,808 public schools and 13 of 261 private schools earned the award.
However, as the state noted in its press release announcing the winners, “both public schools and non-public schools had their own cut scores and were compared only to like schools – meaning public schools were only compared to other public schools, and non-publics only to non-publics. The calculations were completely independent of one another.”
The difference between standards for public schools and non-publics, in some cases, is nearly 20-30 percentile points higher for private schools. And this has local parochial school officials asking one question: Why? At a time when schools are holding open houses for new students, when the economy is putting a crunch on tuition dollars, and when a number of Catholic schools boast the top test scores in their communities, local principals are trying to decipher Four Star for their school parents.
In a weekly update to principals, Dr. Barbara O’Block, diocesan school superintendent, said “because non-public school test scores are higher than those of the public schools, the non-public school cut scores were 9-20 percentile points higher than the public school cut scores. This explains why only 5 percent of non-public schools met the cut score criteria.”
(For news from the Diocese of Gary, log on to the website of the Northwest Indiana Catholic at www.nwicatholic.com)
Diocese of Lafayette
Author sees 'dark nights' as normal part of faith journey
By Kevin Cullen
WEST LAFAYETTE — Dark nights and doubt. Everybody, even the most faith-filled, knows them.
Mother Teresa did. So did Jesus himself. Faith is a curious thing, says Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, syndicated columnist and author of 15 books. Sometimes, people of faith feel that they can walk on water, but at other times, they feel like atheists.
“When Jesus was dying on the cross, the second-to-last words he said were, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” he said. “He wasn’t saying that because he didn’t mean it. Jesus is dying on the cross. He is God himself. And at the second before he died, there is this huge blackness.”
Father Rolheiser, president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, spoke on “Living the Ups and Downs of Our Faith: Dark Nights and Doubt; A Failure of Faith or a Failure of Imagination?” March 8 during a public lecture at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on the Purdue University campus.
For most of his 35 years as a priest, Father Rolheiser taught theology and philosophy at Newman Theological College in Edmondton, Alberta, Canada.
The release of Blessed Mother Teresa’s diaries shocked people around the world. In them, she revealed that for 60 years, she felt doubt about God’s existence. This, from a woman totally devoted to serving God and the poorest of the poor; this, from a woman widely seen as a saint.
“Mother Teresa underwent a classic dark night of the soul,” Father Rolheiser said, but her faith was always there, just as the faith of Jesus was always there.
Faith, he said, is more about surrender and trust than about knowing, clarity and certainty.
People returning from retreats are often filled with a clear, certain faith, he said. But at other times, the same people can’t imagine God’s existence.
Such people don’t lack faith, he said; they simply lack imagination.
Like Jesus and Mother Teresa, “We show our faith in how we live,” he said.
The passion and intense feelings of love felt by newlyweds don’t last a lifetime, Father Rolheiser said, but their faith in marriage does. Faith goes deeper than mere emotion or intellect; it becomes part of a person’s very being, a compulsion that gives meaning to life.
Mother Teresa experienced deep prayer experiences as a young nun, but “for 60 years God was not in her head or her heart … (yet) every action she did showed she believed God was the living bread,” he said.
College students offer fresh view at confirmation retreats for teens
By Kevin Cullen
RENSSELAER — Alexis Strubing is among hundreds of teenagers who are getting ready for confirmation across the diocese this spring. A member of St. Augusta Church in Lake Village, she will be confirmed April 13.
She was among 10 candidates from her parish who recently attended a six-hour confirmation retreat hosted by Saint Joseph’s College students in the college chapel complex. The high-school and college students prayed together, explored their relationships with Christ and discussed the importance of confirmation, one of the three sacraments of initiation.
“I can relate to them,” Strubing said of her young, enthusiastic college mentors.
“We have classes each week (at the parish),” said Tyler Logsdon, 15, of St. Augusta. “But having them taught by such young people is interesting. They understand you. They experienced it themselves within the last four years so it’s fresh to them.”
The confirmation retreats have been offered for at least 10 years, said Brother Tim Hemm, CPPS, of Saint Joseph’s College, a longtime advocate of peer ministry. Three confirmation retreats were held this year for St. Augusta Church, Lake Village; Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Fowler, and Sacred Heart Church, Remington.
“We have done up to five in one year,” Brother Tim said. “I feel that ministry to young people can be effectively done by their peers, with guidance.”
The retreats are not designed to replace parish confirmation classes, but to complement them. Each confirmation retreat consists of fun, “ice-breaker” activities, small group discussions, presentations, Mass in the college chapel and the opportunity for confession.
Team member Adam Ruggles encouraged the high school students to open up and make the retreat “the best experience it can be. Don’t be afraid to open up. Trust the people in your groups … you’ll see why confirmation is important and why you decided to become adults in your faith.”
Lafayette shelter 'a real gift' to those in need for 25 years
By Caroline B. Mooney
LAFAYETTE — Starting its 26th year, Lafayette Urban Ministry’s emergency shelter has helped thousands of people who had nowhere else to stay.
The shelter opened on Dec. 1, 1985, on the second floor of LUM’s office on Eighth Street.
Before then, those who needed short-term housing stayed at the Lahr Hotel in downtown Lafayette. But when the old hotel was closed, members of the Peace and Justice Committee of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, West Lafayette, were concerned about the problem of homelessness.
The committee went to LUM and its then-director, the Rev. Judson Dolphin, and worked to find a replacement shelter. St. Thomas parishioners organized 70 volunteers to man the shelter: three stayed each night, providing hospitality from 8:15 p.m. to 7 a.m. It remains open on the same schedule today.
The shelter was moved to St. Boniface Church in 1987, and later, into a new LUM building at 525 N. Fourth St. Dinner is served and showers are available. The LUM shelter accommodates up to 42 adults.
LUM is a non-profit ecumenical organization that provides assistance to the needy. Forty-two congregations from 20 faith traditions give volunteer and financial help to LUM as it serves the community through 23 assistance programs.
In 2010, LUM served 424 individuals at the shelter and 7,000 households in poverty in Tippecanoe County. The ministry is funded through grants and private donations.
“It’s one of those programs that involves both residents and students, so its mission appeals to both segments of our parish,” said Father Patrick Baikauskas, OP, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas. The parish sits on the edge of Purdue University’s campus, so many parishioners are college students.
“Our people are really involved,” he said, “and it is really significant that they have a personal involvement. To students, it’s a real testament to be the face of Christ to people we encounter in our lives. We are called to do more — I am proud of the people here at St. Tom’s who are being that face of Christ. Thank God we have LUM — it is a real gift to our community.”
(For news from the Diocese of Lafayette, log on to the website of The Catholic Moment at www.thecatholicmoment.org)