By David Frederick
Learning to tell a compelling story is one of the hallmarks of the New Dollars/New Partners training program — developed by Partners for Sacred Places and collaboratively offered to many congregations over the years by Indiana Landmarks. A stellar example of the impact this training has had is St. Adalbert’s Catholic Church in South Bend, Indiana.
St. Adalbert’s sanctuary.
In the mid- to late-19th century, working-class Polish immigrants were among the first groups to arrive in South Bend, forming a prominent ethnic community that would become intimately interwoven with the history and culture of this industrial city. Early arrivals worked on constructing the Michigan Central Railroad line between Chicago and South Bend. Later arrivals found gainful employment in the factories of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, Studebaker Manufacturing (first wagons, later automobiles), and the Singer Sewing Machine Company.
Ultimately, four Polish parishes were established in South Bend: St. Hedwig, St. Casimir, St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, and St. Adalbert. The 175-foot-tall, twin-spired neo-Gothic church of St. Adalbert was the last to be completed, in 1911. The sanctuary’s original artistic excellence was somewhat diminished by a 1980s remodel which changed the paint scheme and light fixtures (which will be restored in future years). Nonetheless, treasures abound. Tiffany artist Arthur Michaudel fabricated the dramatic stained-glass windows that were designed by Czech American painter and muralist John Mallin, who decorated more than 100 churches in the United States). Mallin philosophized, “As there is nothing too good for God, so there is nothing too rich or too precious for God’s earthly home, His churches.” In 1940, Mallin painted several murals for St. Adalbert’s, one of which depicts a heavenly Christ overlooking an industrial South Bend and its workers. In Polish a banner reads, “By the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19).
The parish joined the 2022 New Dollars training cohort led by the Sacred Places Indiana program at Indiana Landmarks, the nation’s largest statewide preservation organization. Parish leaders received training in building stewardship and fundraising skills, building their capacity to take on a major capital project. Parish leaders were especially interested in asset-based community development and the economic and community value of their church, subjects that are integral to New Dollars.
Lay leader Don Popielarz believes that the immigrant story is at the core of St. Adalbert’s renewal. “We were and continue to be an immigrant parish—first
St. Adalbert’s First Communion Class of 2024.
Poles, now Hispanics,” he said. “Ninety percent of our members are first- or second-generation immigrants, primarily from Mexico. Sixty percent speak only Spanish. Thirty percent are bilingual. Their story and their goals are the same as those of the Poles who arrived from Warsaw 150 years ago: they want their children to be educated. They want to take part in the sacraments. St. Adalbert’s is a compelling place with a compelling story to tell.”
Rev. Ryan Pietrocarlo and team leaders used an innovative approach to create an asset-mapping event that parish leaders devised meeting their unique needs. Church leaders paired English- and Spanish-speaking congregants together, with translators at each table, to identify parish strengths, create connections, and draft an action plan.
Church leaders also encouraged the parish to reframe its outlook. “The challenges faced by parishes like ours often have us thinking in terms of scarcity,” said Father Ryan. “We want to turn that around and think of our parish and its gifts in terms of abundance—and know that we have much to offer our community, as they have much to offer us.”
The parish lives out its historic mission of serving first-generation immigrants by melding South Bend’s expanding Hispanic population into a congregation that celebrates both Polish and Mexican cultural heritage. St. Adalbert welcomes community members to take citizenship classes, to have documents and letters translated, and to gain access the parish food pantry. Of course, the historic church is also the site for baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations, first communions, and quinceañeras—essentials for the 3,000+ parish members.
A class from the University of Notre Dame studies the Polish Worker Mural.
With a vision, a plan, and training, Father Ryan and Popielarz tackled the daunting task of raising the multimillions of dollars needed to achieve their dreams, starting with the replacement of the church’s enormous roof. The duo is a dynamic force, and they fully grasp the compelling nature of the St. Adalbert story and how best to market it. “The more we told our story in the broader South Bend community, the more support we attracted,” said Popielarz.
Father Ryan concurs: “A parade of angels keeps appearing. Indiana University South Bend Choral Union held a benefit concert in our sanctuary, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame gave us the Second Offering on a home football weekend, Notre Dame alumni clubs request private tours. Over 1,000 of the faithful appeared on the doorstep of the sanctuary on Ash Wednesday.” When it was time to approach the parishioners of St. Adalbert, they followed Christ’s model of the mission of the 72 disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:1-10) .
With the imprimatur of a $250,000 grant from Partners’ National Fund (managed in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation) and an additional $400,000 grant from the Sacred Places Indiana program at Indiana Landmarks, fundraising opportunities erupted, and not one, but two $1 million anonymous gifts have been received.
Father Ryan and Popielarz are confident about raising the funds necessary to complete the required repairs and restoration. “After all, we have momentum,” says Father Ryan, “and the angels truly are on our side.”
