Last updated 01/27/2012 1:22 PM
Catholic News Around Indiana
Compiled by Brandon A. Evans
Each week, news from the five Catholic dioceses in Indiana is gathered from the websites of their respective newspapers. Below is the most recent edition of "Catholic News Around Indiana." You can click on the name of the diocese below to see news from that area, check out past issues or just start reading from the top down.
Choose a Diocese: Fort Wayne-South Bend | Gary | Indianapolis | Lafayette
Past issues: January 17, 2012 | January 9, 2012 | January 3, 2012
Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Redeemer Radio celebrates six years, welcomes new chairman
By Tim Johnson
FORT WAYNE —Redeemer Radio, Fort Wayne’s first and only Catholic Radio station, marked six years of broadcasting in early January. The station celebrated the occasion with a birthday party on Jan. 6 and is also airing birthday greetings throughout the month from supporters.
Mike Landrigan, incoming Redeemer Radio Chairman of the Board, said: “Six years ago, a small group of devoted Catholics established a Catholic presence on Fort Wayne radio, dedicated to sharing the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith.”
“The visionary leadership of founders Chris Langford, Jim Roy, Dave Steffen and Greg Erlandson has engendered the enthusiastic and generous support of volunteers, donors, our local priests and religious, Bishop Emeritus John M. D’Arcy and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades,” Landrigan added. “The Redeemer Radio Board of Directors will remain faithful to this vision as we prepare to extend the reach of our broadcast with WRRO 89.9 FM in Eden, Ohio, early in 2012.”
Besides the new board chairman, Redeemer Radio also announced the election of three new members to the board of directors: DeeDee Dahm, Cathy Edwards and Russ Suever.
Dr. Matthew Bunson, board member and host of Redeemer Radio’s original, locally produced “Faithworks” said, “Because of Redeemer’s programs and outreach, Catholics have been strengthened in their faith, inactive Catholics have returned and non-Catholics have been drawn to the joy of Christ’s Church.”
Dave Stevens, executive director of Redeemer Radio, said, “Redeemer Radio’s local programming like ‘Faithworks,’ ‘Knightlife, Culture of Life,’ promoting the pro-life message along with our local priests on ‘Readings and Reflections,’ who share the daily Mass readings and offer a reflection, are several ways in which we serve the local Catholic community. Our broadcasts of diocesan events and local Catholic school sports including Bishop Dwenger, Bishop Luers, University of Saint Francis draw new listeners to Redeemer Radio while sharing the Catholic faith and promoting Catholic education.”
(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
State cuts forcing Carmelite Home to seek new funding sources
Story by Steve Euvino
EAST CHICAGO—A Catholic institution for much of the last century is searching for new ways of funding to serve children from dysfunctional backgrounds. Founded in 1913, St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home for Girls is struggling as it deals with a change in state philosophy.
Carmelite Sister Maria Giuseppe Moxley, administrator of the home, said the facility has had to adapt to a new way of thinking from the state’s Department of Child Services. Regarding the placement of children, Sister Giuseppe said, “the trend now is to keep kids home and provide services at home.”
The state’s second choice, she said, is foster care. If the first two fail, the Carmelites are called.
As a result, the home is caring for fewer children, which means less state funds coming to the home.
The home, Sister Giuseppe said, has capacity for 94 children. As of Jan. 12, 35 children were at the home, and many of those would soon be leaving.
Founded as an orphanage in the early 20th century, the Carmelite Home has evolved to a group home and finally to a residential treatment center. The home is licensed both for residential treatment and for emergency shelter care. Residential care includes teen moms and their babies and pregnant girls.
The Carmelite Home provides children with schooling, full medical care, clothing, food, and, Sister Giuseppe stresses, therapy. “We try to patch up problems,” Sister Giuseppe said. “There are dysfunctional problems that cause families to need assistance. We try to address these problems so families can function.”
The home started experiencing the drop in numbers in January 2011. All other similar homes in the area are affected, Sister Giuseppe said, and “we’re all worried. We know we have a good program. We’re worried – what will happen to these beautiful people? “We can do a lot of things. There’s a place for us. We want to be utilized.” In the meantime, the Carmelite Home, which received most of its funding from state contracts, is relying on community generosity.
“The holidays were wonderful. They sustained the Carmelite Home,” Sister Giuseppe, citing the continued support of Bishop Dale J. Melczek, parishes, businesses, individuals, and the Foundations of East Chicago. That support included money, materials, and gift cards. In some cases, the sister said, donors “adopt” the home and purchase gifts for each child.
(For news from the Diocese of Gary, log on to the website of the Northwest Indiana Catholic at www.nwicatholic.com)
Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Indiana school voucher law upheld by county judge
Criterion staff report
A Marion County Superior Court judge has ruled that the Indiana school voucher program is constitutional—a ruling that means the nearly 4,000 students who benefit from the state’s school choice program can continue to attend non-public schools with state funds.
In his ruling on Jan. 13, Judge Michael Keele upheld the new program that went into effect for the 2011-12 school year. The judge stated that the voucher system is designed to benefit students and their families—not private, religious schools— because the money is given directly to the students’ families.
“This Court therefore concludes that the degree of religiosity of the participating schools is immaterial to the case at hand,” Keele noted. He added that the Choice Scholarship Program “bestows benefits onto scholarship recipients who may then choose to use the funding for education at a public, secular private or religious school.”
Keele made his ruling in response to a lawsuit that was filed in July by opponents of the program. Opponents, which included teachers and school officials of public schools, argued that the voucher program was unconstitutional because it improperly benefited private, religious schools.
Opponents of the voucher program said they plan to appeal Judge Keele’s decision. Advocates of the program applauded his ruling.
“This is a huge victory,” noted John Elcesser, executive director of the Indiana Non-Public Education Association, in a Jan. 13 statement. “It means that the nearly 4,000 low-and-middle-income children in Indiana who are participating in the program can continue to attend a high quality, non-public school using public funds.”
The judge’s ruling was also praised by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, whose office represented the state in the case.
In a news release on Jan. 13, Zoeller said the voucher program “followed the Indiana Constitution in creating broader educational options for Hoosier children since the scholarship funding is directed to students’ families, not to private schools.”
(For news from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, log on to the website of The Criterion at www.CriterionOnline.com)
Diocese of Lafayette
No briefs available this week
(For news from the Diocese of Lafayette, log on to the website of The Catholic Moment at www.thecatholicmoment.org)