Answer the call by God to serve as a strong Catholic leaders in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

At some point, most teachers felt the call to be a teacher. Perhaps a family member or a former teacher said to you, “have you ever thought about being a teacher? You would make a good one.” Perhaps God planted the seed in your heart to consider the vocation of teaching. Hopefully, you have found joy ministering amongst the children amongst whom our Lord himself loved to be near.

If you notice in the scriptural passage above, Andrew and Peter had jobs. They were busy working as fisherman. Then our Lord came to them in the midst of their daily work and invited them to follow him and to be fishers of men.

The calling to be a Catholic school leader is not unlike the call of Peter and Andrew. It is a call within a call. There is a call to be a Catholic school teacher, and an additional call to serve as a Catholic school leader. Indeed, the vocation of every Christian is to aspire to answer the call to follow him.

The Aspiring Catholic Leaders program, formerly the prospective principals program, is for teachers who aspire to answer the call by God to serve as a strong Catholic leaders in the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend. The goal of the program is to develop school principals that have a strong foundation in the National Benchmarks and Standards for an Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary School.

A Catholic school leader has three basic roles; as the spiritual leader, educational leader, and as a manager. The principal provides leadership designed to maximize the spiritual, educational, social, and personal development of each individual student and every member of the school community. The program provides the necessary training, professional development, and faith formation for those three basic roles of a Catholic school leader.

The Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend has partnered with the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Regional Principal Institute to provide professional development in Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality in addition to the Diocesan training.

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Aspiring Catholic Leaders Program?

The purpose of the Aspiring Catholic Leaders Program is the development of Catholic school principals. The Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend is committed to developing strong Catholic leaders for our schools. The Diocese has partnered with the National Catholic Education Association to create a program to help develop strong Catholic leaders.

What are the commitments required as part of the program?

Professional development and other trainings are required as part of the program. A participant will be required to attend New Principal Induction meetings, the four NCEA Regional Principal Professional Development workshops, and additional faith formation days. Participants will also be required to shadow a Catholic school administrator one day at a time with a total of four days per semester.

What are the requirements for the program?

The candidate must be Catholic, have 5 years of teaching experience, willing to pay 1/3rd of tuition cost, have a recommendation from their current principal or pastor, have good evaluations, and provide an essay/philosophy of Catholic school leadership. A letter of acceptance to an approved educational leadership program is required. Candidates must apply to administrator openings in Diocese.

What educational leadership programs accepted to be part of the Aspiring Catholic Leadership Program?

See approved program list

How do I apply?

Complete the Aspiring Catholic Leaders Program application below. You will need to upload a brief resume, a letter of recommendation from a current principal or pastor, a letter of acceptance into an educational leadership program from an approved college or university, an essay on your philosophy of Catholic school leadership, and the principal signature page from your current principal. Applications are due to the Catholic Schools Office by July 15.

Is there tuition assistance covered by the Diocese for the educational leadership programs?

The Diocese provides tuition assistance through the educational assistance plan.

What is the educational assistance plan?

The educational assistance plan furnishes educational assistance to employees of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The plan covers a portion of the tuition fees. The plan does not cover the cost of books, supplies, or meals, lodging, and travel. Contact the Catholic Schools Office for more details.

Downloads & Resources

Approved Educational Leadership Programs

National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools

Interested in becoming an Aspiring Catholic Leader?

APPLY

Contact Us

915 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46801
Phone: (260) 422-4611
Fax: (260) 426-3077

Rev. Emmanuel Abuh

Pastor

St. Jude

260-484-6609

Name	Place	Phone
Rev. Emmanuel Abuh	St. Jude	260-484-6609
Rev. Gregory Abuya	Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Jude	574-291-0570
Rev. Tegha Afuhwi Nji	St. Mary of the Annunciation	574-848-4305
Rev. Jonathan Agbedo	St. Mary of the Presentation	260-997-6558
Rev. Sunday Akuh	St. John the Baptist	St. John the Baptist
Rev. Tyrell Alles, OSB	St. Louis, Besancon	260-749-4525
Rev. Kenneth Amadi	St. Joseph	574-255-6134
Rev. Michael Ammer	St. Joseph – Hessen Cassel	260-639-3748
Rev. Samuel Anderson	St. Vincent de Paul	574-293-8231
Paul Arend	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Business Office	260-888-1224
Rev. José Arroyo	St. Michael, St. Michael School	574-936-4935
Deacon Dan Avila	St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Joseph	260-672-2838
Rev. Thadeus Balinda		574-936-9936
Erika Barron	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Secretariat for Communications, Today’s Catholic	260-399-1449
Rev. Zachary Barry
Rev. Kevin Bauman	St. Joseph	260-432-5113
Rev. Dale Bauman
Ellen Becker	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Diocesan Tribunal	260-422-4611 Ext. 3352
Julie Bills	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Catholic Schools Office
Anne Blombach		260-424-1485
Jeff Boetticher	St. John Paul II Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend	574-258-6571
Christine Bonahoom-Nix	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Vocation Office	260-422-4611
Rev. Craig Borchard	St. Vincent de Paul	574-293-8231
Cathy Bracht	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Business Office	260-422-4611 ext 3333
Rev. Edward Brodsky, FSSP	Sacred Heart	260-744-2519
Matthew Brower	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Good Shepherd Books and Gifts
Rev. Andrew Budzinski	St. Matthew Cathedral	574-289-5539
Caty Burke	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Secretariat for Pastoral Ministries and Catechesis	260-422-4611 Ext. 3396
Deacon Steve Burkins	St. Dominic	574-546-3601
Deacon John Burzynski	St. Matthew Cathedral	574-289-5539
Deacon Robert Byrne	Queen of Peace	574-255-9674
Deacon Juan Campos	St. Patrick	260-894-4946
Rev. Felipe Campos, CSC	St. Casimir, St. Adalbert	574-288-5708
Janice Cantrell, M.A.	Archbishop Noll Catholic Center, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend	260-399-1459
Rev. Brian Carpenter	St. Stanislaus Kostka	574-654-3781
Rev. Carlos Casavantes	Sacred Heart
Deacon Marco Castillo	Our Lady of Guadalupe	574-267-5324
Rev. Brian Ching, CSC	Basilica of the Sacred Heart	574-631-7721
Rev. Michael Chukwudi	St. Patrick-St. Hedwig	574-287-8932
Rev. Daniel Chukwuleta	St. Francis Xavier	574-594-5750

Frequently Asked Questions

Downloads & Resources

Interested in becoming an Aspiring Catholic Leader?

Contact Us

Rev. Emmanuel Abuh

Rev. Gregory Abuya

Rev. Tegha Afuhwi Nji

Rev. Jonathan Agbedo

Rev. Sunday Akuh

Rev. Tyrell Alles, OSB

Rev. Kenneth Amadi

Rev. Michael Ammer

Rev. Samuel Anderson

Paul Arend

Rev. José Arroyo

Deacon Dan Avila

Rev. Thadeus Balinda

Erika Barron

Rev. Zachary Barry

Rev. Kevin Bauman

Rev. Dale Bauman

Ellen Becker

Julie Bills

Anne Blombach

Jeff Boetticher

Christine Bonahoom-Nix

Rev. Craig Borchard

Cathy Bracht

Rev. Edward Brodsky, FSSP

Matthew Brower

Rev. Andrew Budzinski

Caty Burke

Deacon Steve Burkins

Deacon John Burzynski

Deacon Robert Byrne

Deacon Juan Campos

Rev. Felipe Campos, CSC

Janice Cantrell, M.A.

Rev. Brian Carpenter

Rev. Carlos Casavantes

Deacon Marco Castillo

Rev. Brian Ching, CSC

Rev. Michael Chukwudi

Rev. Daniel Chukwuleta

Rev. Francis Chukwuma, JCD

Deacon Joe Cochran

Rev. Stephen Colchin

Rev. John Conley

Rev. Terrance Coonan, Jr.

Very Rev. Matthew Coonan

Rev. Cameron Cortens, CSC

Rev. Wilson Corzo

Rev. Andrew Curry

Rev. Donald Davison, CPPS

Ms. Karen DeRose

Rev. Peter Dee De

Rev. Paolo Degasperi

Rev. John Delaney

Rev. Dennis Di Benedetto

Deacon Joseph Dietz

Rev. Quang Dinh, SVD

Deacon Roger Dinius

Melinda Doak

Rev. Oscar Duarte

Rev. Robert D’Souza

Rev. Theodore Ekwem

Deacon Frederick Everett

Lisa Everett

Rev. John Eze

Rev. Matt Fase, CSC

Rev. Matthew Fase, CSC

Rev. Stephen Felicichia

Rev. James Fenstermaker, CSC

Rev. Cyril Fernandes

Vicki Ferrier

Karen Fitzpatrick

Rev. Brian Florin

Deacon Michael Forbes, JCL, MCL, MSBE

Rev. LeeAllen Fortin

Rev. Louis Fowoyo