On May 1st, the feast of Saint Joseph the worker, Bishop Kevin Rhoades visited our school. During his visit, he did everything from baptisms to eating spaghetti. Bishop Rhoades is the 9th Bishop Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese and has been Bishop for 14 years.
The Bishop’s visit is an enormous event for Saint Joseph High School and its community. The day was reconstructed to allow for a two hour mass, a student government luncheon, and a faculty picture – this ended with shortened classes for students. During the mass four members of the community were baptized, and six, including the newly baptized, received first communion and were confirmed. Each of the six individuals have spent the past few months preparing to enter into the church – one of whom included Saint Joe’s own Chemistry teacher Ms. Jonatzke.
After this outpouring of God’s grace, Bishop moved on to having lunch with the student leaders, the superintendent of the diocese, and Saint Joe administration. Bishop Rhoades met with heads of student government – including the executive council and the president of each class. Bishop asked how the year was progressing and where each of the seniors would be attending college. Later into the lunch Bishop spoke casually to the students about a variety of topics – ranging from his status of a Nigerian tribe chief to how non-dairy diets impact health.
Unfortunately, after this lunch Bishop Rhoades had to depart early. Regardless, Saint Joe’s time with Bishop Rhoades is always invaluable and a blessed time.
