Rob Giesting ’04 of Rushville, Indiana, accompanied by Father Melvin Bennett of Crawfordsville’s St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, presented Bishop William Higi with a Wabash t-shirt following the rededication of the Newman Center as the spiritual home for Catholics at the College.
The Wabash Newman Center was founded in the late 1960s but was closed last year when the diocese cited financial concerns. But Father Bennett and Bishop Higi reopened the center this fall in a partnership that will more closely link Wabash Catholic students and St. Bernard’s.
"We’ve found that the Newman Centers work well when parishes are directly involved," said Bennett. Noting the larger number of parishioners and students gathered for the rededication, he added, "This is the first time we’ve ever had the parish and the club together at the same time, so we’re off to a good start."