Founded in 1890, the parish is ready to embark on a yearlong celebration to honor the 125th Anniversary with parishioners from the past, present and future. As we look back, we are grateful for the wonderful work of the clergy, religious and faith parishioners throughout the years who called St. We are proud of our past, and it through knowing and celebrating our history that we are able to do som
ething new. Our world, nation, and neighborhood are very different than when we were founded. When our parish began, we were part of a different diocese. In 1957 we became part of the newly formed Diocese of Gary. In 1890, the city of Gary didn’t even exist! Along with many changes, some things have stayed the same. Our parish was founded to serve an immigrant Catholic population. Now, as in the past, we are serving the needs of those from other countries and cultures. However, as we continue to care for Catholics from many distant lands as we always have, we are doing something new. For most our history we were bi-lingual, as are many parishes in our diocese. However, now we are tri-lingual, unique among the all the parishes in northwest Indiana. We are the only parish where the Mass is celebrated every Sunday in Polish, Spanish, and English. The Polish culture and language have greatly influenced our parish, and this continues today. The Polish Mass, Confessions, and devotions care for the needs of the people of our area. We also have a vibrant population of Spanish speaking immigrants who are helping our parish grow in number and in faith. A great model for our diverse parish is St. He demonstrated a great love for immigrants and had a deep affection for the Catholic Faith of his native Poland as well as Mexico. In the past, many parishes we recreated to care for the needs of only one ethnic group; as a tri-cultural parish, we are doing something new that is not new. Our Lord said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Faith never changes; yet the way we teach it must respond to the ever changing needs of the world. While the various cultures are an important part of our parish, the heart of who we are is our faith in God. The foundation of the faith that we have celebrated for so many years at St. Casimir is prayer, especially Sunday Mass. In addition to the six weekend Masses, we offer daily Mass and Confession. We have Adoration, a special prayer before the Holy Eucharist, twice each week and all night every month in our Divine Mercy Chapel, which open for prayer every day. Pope Francis went to the Holy Land in May 2014, perhaps the most important trip of his papacy. He celebrated Mass in Bethlehem and said:
“Who are we, as we stand before the Child of Jesus? Who are we, standing as we stand before today’s children? Are we like Mary and Joseph, who welcomed Jesus and cared for him with the love a father and a mother? Or are we like Herod, who wanted to eliminate him? Are we like the shepherds, who went in haste to kneel before him in worship and offer him their humble gifts? Or are we indifferent?”
We hope you experience a welcome at our parish like that which Jesus received from Mary and Joseph. Come with us, be drawn to Adoration, to know Him, His love and experience that love at St. Whether you have been a former parishioner, a member for years, or come to St. Casimir for the first time, know that the Lord has something that is ever new for you: HIS LOVE!
