St. Mary Catholic Church, Crown Point
Description
Saint Mary’s Church is a Faith Community of Disciples following Jesus Christ in the Roman Catholic Tradition. Our History
It began in 1865.
People gathered to celebrate Mass with our first pastor, Father H. Paul Werhle.
The first church building, a frame structure on South Main Street, was dedicated by Bishop Luers on Rosary Sunday in 1868.
A Sisters’ Residence was built in 1872 for the Sisters of Saint Agnes, a religious community of dedicated women destined to serve at Saint Mary’s for over a century. Their residence served as the first school-house.
Father Werhle was succeeded by Father L. Weiser (1868 – 1871), Father Henry Meissner (1871 – 1875) and Father Matthias Zumbuelte (1875 – 1876). The parish was given to the Benedictine Fathers in the hope that a seminary would be established . Benedictine priests served the people of Saint Mary’s until a diocesan priest, Father Philip Guethoff, was appointed pastor in 1889.
Father Guethoff realized the church building was too small for the growing congregation. Despite opposition from some parishioners who were quite satisfied with the existing church building, he was able to convince the community to build the present church on Joliet Street in 1890.
A convent and the present rectory were erected in 1911.
Father Guethoff remained pastor until his death in 1943 when he was succeeded by Father Joseph Hammes who had been serving at Saint Mary’s as an assistant since 1926.
Father Hammes led the effort to construct a new convent, school building and gym in 1959.
Father Hammes served as pastor until his retirement in 1972 when he was succeeded by Monsignor Vincent Lengerich.
Monsignor Lengerich served as pastor until 1983 when he was succeeded by Monsignor Don Grass.
Father Grass led the effort to enlarge the school building in 1992 and renovate the church building in 2002. He was succeeded as pastor by Father Patrick Kalich in 2003.
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Saint Mary’s Food Pantry “God’s Groceries” Food Pantry’s next distribution date will be on Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Food Pantry will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. and the distribution will take place out of the garage next to the yellow house (the house of Martha & Mary) located at the northwest corner of the school’s parking lot. If you know of any person or family who could benefit from “God’s Groceries,” please pass this information to them. Questions, call the Parish Office at 663-0044. Just a reminder: We are always in need of non-perishable food items to restock our shelves after food distributions. Your donations may be dropped off at the Parish Office during regular business hours during the week.
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Young Adult Catholic Outreach Ministries College-aged young adults are invited to be part of Collegiate Catholics, a ministry serving ages 18-24 in the Diocese of Gary. Join us for prayer, worship, and fun! Gatherings are tailored to the needs of those our age from the Region, and we want to walk with you as we grow deeper in our faith. This summer we meet weekly, rotating locations, each Thursday evening (monthly during semesters). To learn more, text or call Lena Barajas at 219 765-2200.
Eucharistic Adoration Tuesday, June 13th Eucharistic Adoration is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13th, beginning after the 6:20 a.m. Mass and will continue until a special closing Mass at 5:30 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration is a wonderful part of our Catholic Faith that we have inherited from our parents and grandparents. Are you passing it on to your children and grandchildren?
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Bishop Donald Hying will ordain seminarian Jeff Burton a deacon on Saturday, June 10th at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels; then, he will be serving as a transitional deacon here at Saint Mary’s - anticipating his ordination to the priesthood in 2018. Deacon Jeff will serve as a deacon at Saint Mary’s for the first time on the morning of Sunday, June 18th at the 9:00 Mass - and after that Mass we will gather in Hammes Hall for a coffee and donut reception to welcome him to Saint Mary’s. All are welcome!
St. Mary High School Youth Group Y.E.S. (Youth Expressing Spirituality & Service) Upcoming Events: Sessions are held in the High School room (upstairs in the Saint Agnes Center) unless indicated otherwise. All high schoolers are welcome to join us! Contact smcpyouthgroup@aol.com if you have any questions.
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Camp Lawrence Camp Lawrence, on beautiful Moss Lake in Valparaiso, Indiana is now accepting applications for residential summer camp. Camp runs from June 18th through July 29th. For more information, call the CYO office at 219-736-8931 or you can visit our website at: www.nwicyo.org.
St. Mary's School CP Alumni
Notre Dame Club of Northwest Indiana - Home
Notre Dame Sports Night 2017 The Notre Dame Club of Northwest Indiana’s Sports Night 2017 will be held Wednesday, June 14th at Villa Cesare, 900 Eagle Dr., in Schererville. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:15 p.m. Guest speaker is Fighting Irish football recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach Mike Elston. The evening includes several raffles, including a pair of Notre Dame season tickets for 2017 home games. Cost is $30.00 for adults, $13.00 for children ages 4-11. Proceeds benefit the Notre Dame club’s summer service scholarships. Register for tickets online at www.nwidomers.com.
St. Mary Catholic Community School - Faith, Academics, Life Lessons & Compassion - Tradition Since 1872
Saint Mary Catholic Community School Preschool is currently accepting new students for the 2017-2018 school year. Our school office closes for the summer in June 16th. Call today to learn about our amazing teachers and awesome program! You can also find us on the web at: www.stmarycp.org/school.
Summer Newsletter | Andrean High School
Andrean Summer Camp Programs To find out about all the Summer Camp programs that Andrean High School is offering this summer, please visit our website: andreanhs.org/summer camps/ or call Andrean High School at 219-887-5959 for more information.
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