St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, “While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of faith” (6:10). Through generous support of the faithful of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the Annual Bishop’s Appeal allows good t o happen to those in the family of faith who could use some extra support via the annual Parish in Need Grants. Generally speaking, the money requested could cover building repairs, capital expenditures and the funding of new programs. For the 2026-27 fiscal year, 19 parishes requested funding. Of those 19 requests, 10 were awarded, spreading a total of $224,971 across the diocese. A broad scope of completed projects will assist selected parishes. Tuckpointing, or the repair of masonry, will happen at multiple locations. There will be parking lot repairs, HVAC updates, and boiler refreshes. Some will be school-specific improvements, with one replacing Chromebooks and another removing asbestos. Our Lady of Hungary in South Bend was awarded one of the grants to have the brick covering its school tuckpointed. With just under 150 students and about 500 people attending weekly Mass, Father Ben Landrigan, the pastor at Our Lady of Hungary, told Today’s Catholic that the Parish in Need Grant is much appreciated. “Financially, we are never going to be able to make that kind of money internally,” Father Landrigan said. “It is very appreciated. It doesn’t go unnoticed. It makes certain things a reality that would not have happened otherwise.” The community at the 100-year-old parish, Father Landrigan said, “is very energetic. The vast majority are Hispanic, so they’re very enthusiastic about the Faith. … Lots of families go to church. We have a core group of English speakers who have been in the parish for a long time and have an institutional memory of this place and still have the Hungarian roots, and I think those two cultural communities get along really well with each other. We have a great festival in the summer that combines all those elements.” Father Landrigan said the school and church on the south side of South Bend are a source of Christ-centered optimism in the neighborhood where they operate. “I would say it is a place of hope and encouragement, particularly as we are serving a lot of the migrant community,” Father Landrigan said. “It is a place where they can get practical help … but also receive spiritual nourishment and guidance that is essential, especially if they aren’t as familiar with everything else that is around; they know the Mass and can come and receive the sacraments. It is a beacon of hope.” On the northwest side of South Bend, St. John the Baptist Parish “is becoming a source of light where people can come in and experience the love of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” said Father Augustine Onuoha, the parish’s pastor. “And we are making it a very welcoming place where people are invited to come, and when they are invited, we welcome them, and we befriend them, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI.” With money from the Parish in Need Grant that was awarded to it, St. John the Baptist will be able to be a more welcoming place from the moment visitors arrive, as the grant will help fund desperately needed repairs to the parish’s parking lot, which has been in a state of disrepair for years. “The parking lot is a horrible mess,” Father Onuoha said, “and we have a big problem here. …  So, Bishop Rhoades, in his generosity, has asked that the Parish in Need Grant take care of that. That is a beautiful gesture for the bishop to be able to help us here. The Parish in Need Grant will fund the replacement of our parking lot.” Father Onuoha is grateful that the diocese sees the needs of his own parish — and those like his. “I am sure there are many other parishes, too, that are like St John the Baptist that struggle,” Father Onuoha said. “I think the Parish in Need Grants are important to help those parishes who struggle to grow, and so it is a very important gesture of love and attention given to those struggling parishes. It means to me that Bishop has this parish, my parish, at heart, and it shows that we matter and that every parish matters to the diocese. It is an important gesture of love.” St. Therese Catholic Church in the Waynedale neighborhood of Fort Wayne is another parish making an impact in its community. The parish was awarded a Parish in Need Grant to repair masonry and update its HVAC system. Father Glenn Kohrman, pastor of the church, told Today’s Catholic that while the parish is in “great need,” the community has “responded generously to my requests for a capital campaign to make serious improvements, and the [Parish in Need Grant] made it possible to address the needed tuckpointing and updates to the HVAC system sooner than later!” Calling the people of his parish “generous and committed and resourceful” and “the most valuable resource” of the parish, Father Kohrman said that “many may not notice” the changes, but it will be good for “everyone who attends [the] church and uses the gym.” He called such maintenance “being a good steward of our facilities.” Those well-stewarded facilities can then be used as evangelization tools. Amy Carsten, St. Therese’s business administrator, said the parish is an active member of the community. “We have been very active in supporting the city with ideas on how to improve the Waynedale area and bring the family back as a priority,” she said. “The Parish in Need Grant has helped revive our activities. … The Waynedale area is working on rebuilding, and our Catholic church is a big part of that. We are very grateful for the Parish in Need Grant.” 2026 Parish in Need Grants 19 Applications — $610,015.17 requested 10 Grants Awarded — $224,971 given Name of Parish 2026 Amount Granted Purpose St. John the Baptist, South Bend $55,000 Parking Lot Repairs SS. Casimir and Adalbert, South Bend $16,605 Urgent tuckpointing on St. Casimir Campus Our Lady of Hungary, South Bend $30,000 School Exterior Treatment St. Joseph, LaGrange $30,000 Ceiling Replacement Project St. Therese, Fort Wayne $13,093 HVAC Dehumidification System St. Therese, Fort Wayne $26,907 Tuckpointing Most Precious Blood, Fort Wayne $11,866 Asbestos Abatement in School Classroom and Hallway Queen of Angels, Fort Wayne $30,000 Church and School Boiler Re-work Holy Cross, South Bend $1,500 Student Chromebook Replacements St. John Bosco, Churubusco $10,000 Church Boiler Project TOTAL $224,971   The post Parish in Need Grants Awarded to 9 Diocesan Communities appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less