About

Mission Statement

We are the people of God uniting in the heart of Jesus Christ. We join the whole Church in proclaiming the Gospel in Word, Sacrament and Charity for the salvation of all people.

Nuestra Declaración de Misión

Somos el pueblo de Dios unido en el corazón de Jesucristo. Nos unimos a toda la Iglesia en la proclamación del Evangelio a través de la Palabra, los Sacramentos y la Caridad para la salvación de todas las personas.

Uniting in Heart

Our Mission is grounded in the Uniting in Heart 2030 Pastoral Plan.

History

Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana on October 21, 1944. The Diocese of Fort Wayne, the Mother Diocese, was established in 1857. Then, the territory now occupied by the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana had only three small brick churches with resident pastors and four frame missions. Total Catholic population was about 5,000 people. Missionaries were still active in the area.

On November 11, 1944, the Holy See made the announcement regarding the partitioning of the Fort Wayne Diocese creating the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. The name was expressed in that manner to distinguish it from the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The new diocese had 54 parishes and a Catholic population of 31,700. The area designated had 9,832 square miles and comprised 24 counties in Northcentral Indiana extending from the Illinois to the Ohio state lines. Catholics comprised fewer than 6 percent of the total population. The area was largely rural.

John George Bennett was consecrated first bishop of the Lafayette See on January 10, 1945. He was a son of a parish in the new diocese, St. Mary's in Dunnington. His successors have been John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Bishop Raymond Gallagher, Bishop George Fulcher, Bishop William L. Higi, and the current ordinary, Bishop Timothy L. Doherty.