Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana

Our parish is within the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, under the guidance of Bishop Timothy L. Doherty.  The local Church comprises 63 parishes and missions located in 24 counties across North Central Indiana.

Diocese’s Mission Statement

The Mission of the Catholic people of North Central Indiana is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to praise the name of Jesus and follow Him by LOVING God and our neighbor, especially those in need; WORSHIPPING God as a faith community in word and sacrament; RESPONDING to ongoing personal conversion; TEACHING of the Gospel message in the Catholic tradition; and ENGAGING in renewal, outreach, evangelization, and ecumenical cooperation. 

We, the people of the Local Church, gathered by the power of the Holy Spirit, are committed to responsible stewardship of our human and financial resources.

Our Former Bishop - Apostolic Administrator William L. Higi

Bishop William Leo Higi is the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana. He will begin his 26th year as Bishop in 2010. William Leo Higi was born in Anderson, Indiana, August 29, 1933, and ordained a priest May 30, 1959. Appointed Secretary to Most Reverend John J. Carberry August 13, 1962, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese on January 14, 1965 and Chancellor on June 16, 1967. Pope Paul VI named him a Prelate of Honor on November 16, 1976.

Appointed Vicar General of the Diocese on June 29, 1979 he was elected Administrator of the Diocese on January 26, 1984, upon the death of Bishop George A. Fulcher. He was appointed Bishop of Lafayette-in-Indiana by Pope John Paul II, and ordained and installed as Bishop of the Diocese on June 6, 1984. During Bishop Higi's reign, he not only expanded the Diocese by dedicating new churches, but also added the second high school to the diocese, St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville. Not only did Higi work within the diocese, but also made connections to Haiti with many outreaches the third-world country. After over twenty-six years as head of the diocese, Bishop Higi retired in May of 2010. It was announced that same month that Timothy Doherty would succeeded Higi as the sixth bishop of the diocese. At the current time Doherty has not been ordained bishop, so until that time he is only Bishop Elect while Higi will remain Apostolic Administrator until the consecration.

• Information from A History of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana by Rev. Anthony Prosen
• Information also from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Leo_Higi

Timothy L. Doherty (born September 29, 1950) is an American Roman Catholic priest. Currently a priest of the Diocese of Rockford, he was appointed Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana by Pope Benedict XVI on May 12, 2010.

He was born in Rockford, Illinois, the eldest of seven children of Lawrence and June (née Anderson) Doherty. He attended St. Mary Minor Seminary in Crystal Lake from 1964 to 1968. He then attended St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. He studied for the priesthood in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1975.

On June 26, 1976, Doherty was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockford by Bishop Arthur J. O'Neill. His first assignment was as an associate pastor at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford, where he remained for five years. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in moral theology from the Alfonsian Academy in 1982.

Following his return to Illinois, Doherty taught religious studies at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford from 1982 to 1986. He served as assistant principal and head of the religion department at Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock from 1986 to 1991. Then beginning his doctoral studies at Loyola University Chicago, he received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in in Christian Ethics in 1995. That same year, he was appointed diocesan ethicist for health care issues, a position which he continues to hold. From 1996 to 1999, he was an associate pastor at OSF St. Anthony College of Nursing Rockford, teaching courses in theology and health care ethics.

In 1999, Doherty served as parochial administrator of St. James Church in Lee. He served as pastor of St. Mary Church in Bryon from 1999 to 2007. Since 2007, he has been pastor of both St. Catherine of Siena Church in Dundee and St. Mary Mission Church in Gilberts.

On May 12, 2010, Doherty was appointed the sixth Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana by Pope Benedict XVI. He will succeed Bishop William Leo Higi, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in August 2008. He is scheduled to receive his episcopal consecration from Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein on July 15, 2010.

• Information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Doherty