After growing up at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, Josie Werhowetz-Neiman wanted to get married at the church. But, nine years ago, that almost wasn’t an option for her.
“At the time, they were going to close it,” Werhowetz-Neiman said. “They told me, ‘You need to find a new place to get married.’ But, it was a church that meant so much to me, and the people were really like a second family.”
Werhowetz-Neiman is one member who helped start the church’s outreach time, which helped prevent St. Mary of the Lake’s closure in 2015. Now, the church is preparing to celebrate its 95th anniversary with a celebration mass and gala.
The mass will start at 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary of the Lake, located at 6060 Miller Ave. in Gary. An evening celebration at Gino’s Banquet Hall at 1967 E. 37th Ave. in Hobart will follow the mass.
The gala starts at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails, and dinner and dancing will follow at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $65 per person, and those interested can contact the church’s office, according to its website.
In 2015, St. Mary of the Lake was given a “year of opportunity” where the parish had to prove it could get numbers back up. Jim Wiseman, member of the church, said about 50 people would attend mass each weekend.
“It was, of course, sensitive to the community because part of our parish is some great community leaders,” Wiseman said. “We wouldn’t have survived to this day if it wasn’t for the community.”
The outreach team came up with ideas to get Miller community members involved, Werhowetz-Neiman said, which she thinks helped save the church.
In the “year of opportunity,” St. Mary of the Lake hosted a Festa Italiana, an Italian-themed fundraiser that had 800 visitors. The outreach team also went door-to-door evangelizing in the community, which Wiseman believes brought in more visitors.
“Next thing we knew, we’re getting 70, 80, 90 people in the church,” Wiseman said, adding that Sunday mass now usually has a crowd of 110 people.
Rev. Dale Melzcek retired as bishop of the Gary Diocese in 2014, but he volunteered to be part of the parish administration in 2015. Having Melzcek help during the “year of opportunity” benefitted St. Mary of the Lake, Wiseman said. Melzcek died in 2022.
Stephen Grandfield is the church’s deacon. He became a deacon in late 2016 and attributes his involvement to Melzcek.
The two bonded on a trip to a twin diocese in Haiti, and Grandfield said Melzcek ordained him to become a deacon.
“He’s one of the best pastors I’ve ever seen,” Grandfield said. “He did everything by the book, and that’s a breath of fresh air.”
Bishop emeritus Dale Melczek prepares himself for Maundy Thursday mass at St. Mary of the Lake church in Gary on Thursday, March 29, 2018. Melczek, who volunteered to be part of the parish administration in 2015, died in 2022. (Kyle Telechan/Post Tribune)
Melzcek had the idea to go door-to-door in Miller, telling people that the church was open and had a food pantry and other services, Grandfield said.
St. Mary of the Lake has a reputation for being a friendly parish, which Grandfield believes helped get more members when they needed it most.
“There’s just a sense of community that’s not evident at other parishes,” he said. “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Therese Carey became involved with St. Mary of the Lake in 2015. She spoke with the church’s choir director, who told her that they had to close to the parish.
She went to a meeting about the potential closures and later became involved with the church, helping clean the gardens.
“I supported them,” Carey said. “Pretty much everybody did everything that they could possibly do during that year of opportunity.”
The “year of opportunity” showed that St. Mary of the Lake was still capable of being a functional parish, Carey said. In the last nine years, she’s watched people get more involved with the church and seen firsthand how much it means to all members.
“It’s overwhelming to even think about,” she said. “When you join a church and community, you know you’re going to be part of their lives. … But I’m just happy that we can keep the parish open and serve not just our own faith-based community, but the Miller community in general.”
Judy Tonk has been a member of St. Mary of the Lake for about 50 years, and she volunteered for years before taking on a position to help organize scripture readers and ushers for each mass.
Without the community, St. Mary of the Lake couldn’t stay open, Tonk said, and the congregation has tried to be welcoming throughout the years.
“Everybody’s welcome,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are; everybody’s welcome. That’s kind of our slogan.”
At the 95th anniversary celebration, Tonk is excited to talk with people who were involved with the parish at one time or another. St. Mary of Lake had an elementary school, which closed in 1993.
Former students were invited to the celebration, Tonk said, and she’s excited to chat with them.
The future of St. Mary of the Lake depends on the future of Miller and Gary, Tonk said.
“We’re not moving away,” she said. “New people are coming in, and they’re joining the church and seeing that we’re friendly. I think we have a good future.”
