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Happening ... in the Local Church
Parish Portrait:
Blessed Sacrament, West Lafayette
At a parish where people are always willing to
step up for their church and their community, “extreme volunteerism” is part
of the gift and ... the blessing of Blessed Sacrament
 As
Blessed Sacrament Parish in West Lafayette closes a yearlong celebration
of its 50th anniversary, pastor and parishioners agree: The “amazing”
volunteer involvement of its members has been a gift to the church and
the greater community. Here, they say, “people are always willing to
step up.” (File photo) |
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  Left:
An earlier view of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament (File photo)Right: Founding pastor Father Donald Hardebeck (Photo provided) |
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 The
Holy Family statue (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) |
 A
window depicts works of mercy (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) |
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| Christa Keck has been a parishioner for 15 years and serves on the parish council. (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) | The baptismal font and mural made of mosaic tile. (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) | A parishioner since 1972, Joe Borowitz is in his 23rd year of teaching fourth-grade CCD. (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) | |
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| Dan Blomeke has been chair of the parish finance committee for 20 years. (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) |
The Our Lady of Lourdes shrine (Photo provided) |
Business manager Jan Scarcelli says Blessed Sacrament has “extreme volunteerism.” (Photo by Caroline B. Mooney) | |
By Caroline B. Mooney
The Catholic Moment
WEST LAFAYETTE — What was once an empty field on the outskirts of town is
now the site of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, which just ended a
yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Two hundred and ninety families made up the parish founded by pastor Donald
E. Hardebeck in 1957. He would remain at the parish until 1985, when Father
David M. Douglas became the second pastor.
Today, Blessed Sacrament has 751 registered families, with 1,925
individuals.
“The involvement of our parishioners wanting to serve the parish in various
ways is amazing,” said Father Douglas. “There is a lot of ministry here, and
I am truly grateful for all the people who volunteer their time and talent.
“I really think Blessed Sacrament has a special gift within the parish and
beyond our parish,” he said. “That is really part of the blessing of our
church — so many different parishioners are involved in the community as
well. Whenever there is a need for advice, change or help of any kind, our
members quietly come forth and give of their time and talent to promote the
good of the community. I feel it’s a gift.”
The parish began in temporary quarters. Father Hardebeck’s house was used
for weekday Masses, baptisms, catechism classes and parish group meetings.
Then, the gymnasium at Morton School in West Lafayette was used for Sunday
Mass.
In April 1958, the church moved to the second floor of the Jacques Building
on State Street. The facility was used for four years while plans for a new
building were under way. Construction of the present building was finished
in 1962, and renovations to the facility were dedicated in 1985.
Blessed Sacrament has a welcome committee to greet newcomers, a Ladies of
Charity group which provides funeral luncheons, and an active Knights of
Columbus group. There is a parish council, finance committee, advisory
planning committee and personnel committee.
Other ministries include a bereavement ministry, family life ministry and a
Christian outreach program for low-income members of the community.
Since 1989, the parish has been actively involved with a sister parish, St.
Margaret Mary in Bogota, Colombia.
Through weekly tithes, special donations and Lenten collections, Blessed
Sacrament aids its sister parish in feeding the elderly and poor, providing
books for children, allowing drug programs in schools and building a new
church facility.
“Blessed Sacrament is a parish that has extreme volunteerism,” said Jan
Scarcelli, business manager. “I am so glad that Father Douglas started a
yearly Parish Appreciation Dinner — it honors all those who have volunteered
throughout the year.
“One thing we are clearly called to do is help families stay together,” she
said. “We are comfortable now when someone calls in with a problem — if it’s
not a religious problem, we can refer them to our parish counselor, who was
added to the staff in 2006.
“The parish has had some annual events — the Jonah Fish Fry and Bruno’s
Famous Spaghetti and Lasagna Dinner — that have really contributed to making
this a debt-free parish,” Scarcelli said. Both of those events have been
ongoing since the parish’s early years.
The parish appreciation party in 2006 featured the ceremonial burning of the
mortgage.
“Father Douglas has a real strength in having successfully set up laity
involvement that goes beyond the norm for most parishes,” said parishioner
Doug Sutton, who is head of the parish facility committee as well as an
usher. “Father Hardebeck laid an excellent base and Father Douglas has
really added to it. When we had renovations to the church, he solicited
every part of the parish for suggestions.
“Our Mass attendance is pretty good compared to the national average,”
Sutton said. “It is a challenge to engage all the parishioners — everyone
here is very, very busy. Despite that, we get a lot of volunteerism. Our
stewardship is good — I think in a busy community that is always a
challenge, but we keep faith in the picture.”
“Blessed Sacrament is a wonderful parish,” said Christa Keck, parishioner
for 15 years. “We are very active and have a great staff. There is a lot of
outreach, including work on the community’s Jubilee Christmas.”
A past-president and member of the parish council for five years, Keck
really enjoys working with people. “In planning, we do depend heavily on
volunteers,” she said. “I am glad to serve in that capacity.”
The parish offers pre-school, elementary, high school and adult education
classes, with Vacation Bible School each summer. CBS SAINTS is the church’s
new high school service group, focusing on doing service projects throughout
the school year.
“I think teaching CCD is a very important job,” said Joe Borowitz,
parishioner since 1972. An extraordinary minister of holy Communion and
usher at the parish, at age 74 he is in his 23rd year of teaching
fourth-grade CCD.
“I do my best to give these kids something to hang their hat on,” he said.
“Sunday school is a major commitment. Every Saturday night I can’t socialize
— I have to prepare my lessons.
“I love Blessed Sacrament,” Borowitz said. “It’s my church home. I think
it’s a neat place. Father Douglas does a fine job, and our parish facility
is beautiful.”
“I have been chair of the finance committee for 20 years,” said Dan Blomeke,
parishioner for nearly 30 years. “We’ve had quite an interesting transition
with staff. When I started, we still had another priest in residence. But
without an extra priest, we’ve really had to build up lay staff — it’s been
a challenge.
“But, it’s been enjoyable,” he said. “We have great people coming through.
People are always willing to step up. We paid off our mortgage early and
we’ve always exceeded Fruitful Harvest — it’s a great compliment to our
parish. Parishioners are always willing to share their time and treasure.”