Closing Mass and Feast:
August 15 | Feast of the Assumption of Mary
5:30pm Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral
Closing Party in Cathedral Courtyard following Mass
Location: 1701 Miami St. South Bend, IN 46613

Beth Hlabse is program director for the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health at the McGrath Institute for Church Life. A mental health counselor, Beth has provided therapeutic care for adolescents and adults with histories of trauma and adverse child experiences. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, attending to neural-developmental influences and the intersection of spirituality and psychology. Beth obtained her masters in clinical mental health counseling from Divine Mercy University. Prior to transitioning to counseling, Beth worked at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Beth is a Domer (‘11), having graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Theology and Peace Studies; she pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in Christian Ethics. Beth and her husband Pete treasure their community in South Bend, IN and delight in visits back to the great outdoors of Beth’s hometown in Wyoming.

Fr Arthur Joseph Ssembajja is pastor at St Anthony de Padua parish, South Bend. He hails from Uganda, East Africa. With his interest in Integral Human Development, Fr Arthur is a Notre Dame 2022 Master of Business Administration & Master of Global Affair dual degree graduate. Fr Arthur is the last born of eight and thus has had a rare privilege of learning from seven siblings about sacrificial love, how to get away with things, what not to do and what works. His philosophy to friendships is, ‘loving people into loving others.’ When he encounters people, Fr Arthur desires to leave them better, happier & more joyful. Fr Arthur hosts a weekly Tuesday night dinner at his rectory for Young Adults – Catholics and non-Catholics alike. As a result, a beautiful community has emerged, and deep friendships started. Fr Arthur has a devotion to the Divine Mercy & Blessed Virgin Mary.

Panelists will include Joe Ryan, CFO of the Diocese of Fort Wayne South Bend, Andrew Weiss of Knights of Columbus Financial Advisors, and Monica Markovich, CFO of Holy Cross College. 

Mr. Joseph Ryan is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend in Indiana. Mr. Ryan oversees investment assets of $200M for the Dioceses, while overseeing all accounting; health, property, and liability insurance; pension/403(b); both lay and priests; and payroll functions for over eighty parishes and 2,500 employees. Mr. Ryan has served in this post for the past 26 years. Prior to joining the Diocese, Mr. Ryan served four years as the CFO for a trucking firm and ten years prior to that as Controller for a truck dealership. Mr. Ryan serves as a member of the Catholic Charities Corporation, St. Anne Retirement Home Board, the Catholic Cemetery Corporation, a Director with the Catholic Community Foundation of Northeast Indiana, and as a Secretary in the Bishop’s Cabinet. Mr. Ryan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with a minor in Computer Science from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In his spare time, Mr. Ryan enjoys gardening, farming, and spending time with his wife and children.

Andrew Weiss is a Knights of Columbus Financial Advisor with 10 years of experience in the financial services sector. He serves the Catholic families of South Bend, Notre Dame, and the Greater Michiana Area while also managing a team of financial professionals spanning the state. Consistently a top producer, Andrew is a member of the Supreme Knight’s Club representing the top 10% of Advisors at the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Million Dollar Round Table, which represents the top 1% of financial professionals in the world! Andrew is passionately committed to the mission of Knights of Columbus founder, Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney to protect Catholic families in their greatest time of need. That passion is apparent in his uncanny ability to circle every conversation back to Fr. McGivney. Andrew and his lovely wife Danielle have four children, Titus, Philomena, Otto, and Finnian. They are parishioners at St. Joseph Parish in South Bend. 

Monica Markovich is the Vice President of Finance and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and earned her Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in financial management from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In her role, she is the chief financial officer of the College. Following graduation, she worked for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, advancing from program manager to director of policy and programs for Adult, Career and Technical Education during her five years there. In that position, she managed a $25 million budget, a significant portion of which involved federal and state grants. Before coming to Holy Cross College, she worked at the University of Notre Dame as an analyst for the Office of the Executive Vice President. She oversaw a variety of special projects, as well as conducted extensive analysis and drafted reports on strategic university issues.

Fr. Andrew Budzinski was pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Wayne and Vocations Director for our diocese, until recently (June 20th, 2023) and is now assigned as Pastor of Cathedral Parish of St. Matthew in South Bend. A native of South Bend, Fr. Andrew grew up at Holy Family parish, attended the University of Notre Dame, and while a parishioner at St. Pius X in Granger, sensed a call to the priesthood. His fifteen minutes of fame was as the Leprechaun mascot for Notre Dame during his junior and senior years. However, he is extremely sensitive about his Leprechaun-like height and baldness and doesn’t like to talk about this dark period of his life. Immediately before entering seminary, Fr. Andrew worked in the radio industry in South Bend. It was the perfect storm of spinning “MMM Bop” by the Hanson Brothers and “If You Wanna” by the Spice Girls every night that convinced him he was called to a different life.