noll notes

1949

Jim and Lois Carlin Martin celebrated their 70th anniversary on June 27. The couple has four children: Jim, Sister Mary Beth, Linda and Mike.

“Finally we said, let’s go back and look at Congressional records. We started looking at bills presented by North and South. They couldn’t even tell what day it was. That’s the part that’s relevant today. Neither side can agree… the ability to compromise has been one of the greatest things this country has ever had and they lost that.”

1970

1974

1952

Clifford Jenkins worked at U.S. Steel for 31 years, worked at Gary Steel Products for 25 years and did odd jobs for 10 years before retiring.

1955

Monica Bomba Horan writes her beloved spouse passed away in 2022.

1957

Laurie Finerty Koselke writes that her husband, Bud, passed away March 8, 2022.

1958

Mike Puskar and his wife have called Naples, Florida, home for the past 15 years. “The wife and I are very fortunate to be blessed with good health,” he writes.

1960

Robert Horn has written a book titled “The Miracle of War,” which focuses on the soldiers’ perspectives during the Civil War. After Noll, Horn worked as a banker for 35 years. As a retiree, he found a passion for history and began researching the book with his co-author, also a retired banker. The pair wanted to find out the cause of the Civil War and spent months researching at the Library of Congress.

The book is available as a paperback or e-book through Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and at all major bookstores.

“It has some comedy in it. It’s a fictional novel but there are also things that actually happened,” Horn said. “I think it’s a good read.… We did one thing nobody has done in a Civil War book, we rated the generals solely based on their performance.”

1961

Don Cipowski and his wife, Claudia, are proud of their continued legacy at Bishop Noll: Don ’61, Jeff ’83, Karen ’85, Jason ’92, Liza ’92, Joel ’95, Gina ’95, DJ ’97, Addison ’22, Kyle ’24 and Thomas ’27.

1964

Kenneth Gunia is a retired teacher. He taught at E.C. Roosevelt and E.C. Central from 1978–2011.

Diana Danko Gora (above, white sweater) visited BNI this spring to talk to prospective healthcare workers currently taking anatomy classes with Ms. Rosalie Schmidt '70. Gora retired from a career as a perinatal clinical nurse specialist, IBCLC. Thank you to Diana and all of our alumni who visit throughout the year to share their expertise with students.

Mary Anne Pullen Neiner writes, “after retiring last year from my ‘day job’ as a track design engineer for a major North American railroad. I am devoting my attention to our nonprofit, Planting Possiblities, which provides job skills training to adults with autism and other developmental disabilities in Lake County, Indiana.”

BNI FISH FRY FUN

The class of 1970 had a fun mini reunion at the March 24 Fish FryDay. Thanks to Rosalie Schmidt for submitting this photo.

1973

Pamela Ann Greski Rose has retired as a registered nurse and is married to Gregory Rose.

1976

Dave Dolak (below) visited BNI this spring to talk to students taking AP Environmental Science and anatomy. Dolak is a senior lecturer in the Department of Science and Mathematics at Columbia College Chicago. He teaches Historical Geology, Environmental Science and Physics of Musical Instruments.

1978

Congratulations to Carol Mullaney, who in April received the prestigious James E. Armstrong Award from the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association.

Pierogi Fest is advertised as a wacky, zany festival held the last full weekend of July in Downtown Whiting. East Chicago native Panek graduated from Purdue University Northwest with a degree in communications and works at WJOB/JEDtv in Hammond.

Panek took over the role from Matt Valuckis, a 1994 BNI grad, who hung up his pierogi suit to enjoy the fest with his kids.

2016

The award is conferred on an ND alum who has rendered distinguished service to the University while under its employ.

Currently a senior director in ND’s Office of the President, Carol was hired by the University in 2010 as Director of Continuous Improvement. Seven years later, she assumed the role of Senior Director of Sustainability and Logistics, which she held until joining the President’s Office in 2021. Carol also has served as an instructor in ND’s Mendoza College of Business MBA program and for the Moreau First Year Experience.

During the 2020–21 academic year, she provided leadership to several initiatives associated with the University’s response to COVID-19, ultimately becoming director of ND’s COVID Response Unit with oversight of the pandemic hotline, testing center, student compact compliance, contract tracing and housing teams.

Carol and her husband, Brian McMorrow, live in South Bend.

1996

Congratulations to Michelle BielOndas, who was named principal of St. John the Baptist School in Robertsdale. Ondas is an alumna of St. John the Baptist and BNI.

2008

Tony Panek represented the Region and his Polish heritage well in his first year as Mr. Pierogi.

Thomas Starks is an admissions counselor at Indiana State University, from which he received his bachelor’s degree in communications, media studies and public relations.

2018

A number of BNI classmates and friends attended Mass on Aug. 15 in Chesterton to support seminarian Nicholas Emsing at the top girls basketball scorer in the state of Indiana her senior year. Courtney is majoring in accounting.

Family Ties

When Abigail Buksa ’26, right, earned her letterman jacket this year, she joined siblings Elizabeth ’18, Mary ’21, Luke ’23 and Grace ’24. They are the children of Dan ’84 and Julie Buksa.

Special visitor

It’s not every day that a great-grandnephew of Archbishop John Francis Noll pops into Bishop Noll Institute to check out the high school named after his famous relative. It happened Aug. 9 when Kevin Noll of Fort Wayne made a surprise visit to BNI to say hello and see the high school for the first time. BNI President Paul Mullaney and Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick were thrilled to hear some of the Noll family stories from Kevin, and they shared some of the anecdotes of Archbishop Noll’s major impact on the school that was founded in 1921 as Catholic Central and today bears his name. The photo was taken in front of the Archbishop Noll portrait that hangs in the school’s main office.

Doctor visit

his Rite of Candidacy for Holy Orders, as he formally declared his commitment before the Church and Bishop Robert McClory to deepen his study and preparation for the priesthood. After spending the summer in Mexico studying the Spanish language, Nick this fall has continued his formation with theology classes at St. Francis de Sales Seminary near Milwaukee. He earned his undergraduate philosophy degree at Simon Brute Seminary in Indianapolis. Nick is the son of Therese (Trojnar) ’71 and Alan Emsing ’69.

2019

After graduating in May from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, Alexis Fortuna is now working as a manufacturing engineer in new product introduction at Cook Medical in Bloomington, Ind.

2021

Courtney Blakely, after two seasons playing basketball at Middle Tennessee State, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, transferred to the University of Arizona in Tucson to continue her basketball career. Courtney, BNI’s all-time scoring leader—boys or girls, was

On Aug. 26 in Indianapolis, a medical legend and a doctor-in-the-making— Bishop Noll graduates separated by 55 years—met one another and shared stories, insights, questions and answers related to the medical profession and pediatrics in particular.

Megan Sullivan, BNI’s 2018 valedictorian, is in her second year in Indiana University’s medical school. She was able to engage with Dr. Richard Schreiner, Class of 1963, about his many years as a neonatologist, including 22 years as physician-inchief at nationally renowned Riley Children’s Hospital, part of the IU Health system. The two were introduced by BNI President Paul Mullaney at the lifesize bronze statue of Dr. Schreiner, located near the Riley entrance, that honors his service to the medical profession in general and Riley Hospital in particular.

For two hours, Megan and Rich shared insights from the past, glimpses into the future, thoughts on the progress of medicine and sentimental stories about the beauty, rewards and heartaches of caring for such vulnerable child patients.

Sophomore theology work

As part of their education on the life, mission, and work of the Catholic Church, more than 130 BNI sophomores spent a day this spring interacting with the Most Rev. Robert McClory, bishop of the Diocese of Gary. Together, they explored ways to become better missionary disciples.

Junior theology teacher Johan Castañeda’s journey from Colombia to Diocese of Gary

All Noll juniors have something in common. They have Mr. Johan Castañeda as their theology teacher. Castañeda was born and raised in a small town in Colombia and is a native Spanish speaker. He completed his high school education in a minor seminary, and then proceeded to pursue religious life. However, he later discerned out of religious life and decided for diocesan life instead.

About halfway through his studies, he was invited to join a North American Diocese by a Colombian-American priest who himself was from Castañeda’s hometown.

“His diocese had been recruiting Spanish-speaking seminarians to assist with their growing Spanish-speaking parishioners,” Castañeda said. “In late August of 2008, I moved to the East Coast to engage in diocesan formation as I resumed my studies. First, I studied ESL, and then, I continued my undergraduate studies of philosophy and religion. I graduated in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2012.”

During this time, he began to wrestle for the first time with whether he felt called to a priestly ministry or to be an educator. After four years of diocesan life in the East Coast, he moved to Chicago to continue discerning at Catholic Theological Union, a religious/lay graduate school of theology.

“Halfway through my self-funded MDiv program, I finally discerned out of the priesthood and decided for academia instead. My interest in academia was always there,” he said. He graduated with his MDiv in the spring of 2015.

It was Castaneda’s CTU classmate, Father Kevin Scalf, C.PP.S, BNI’s chaplain at the time, who encouraged him to apply for a teaching position at Bishop Noll.

“High School education was not originally my primary aim, yet it has become a true passion of mine.… St. Anselm of Canterbury is alleged to have said: ‘Faith seeks understanding.’ Contemporary young Catholics, unlike some older Catholics, seek to understand their faith, they wish to make sense of it. This challenges me every day to best equip students to understand and contextualize the Church teachings so as to better help them discern and apply the faith.”

Castañeda said Bishop Noll students, while similar to high school students everywhere, can excel in several areas and that the small school atmosphere helps them achieve great things.

“Every year, I meet outstanding young women and young men who are interesting and interested,” he said.

Video prayer

A new morning tradition has started at BNI. Campus Minister Matt Pysh and his team wanted to do more to bring Scripture to Noll students on a daily basis, but they wanted to do it in a way that did not disrupt the school day. This is how “Good Morning Bishop Noll” was born. Teachers are asked to show a short YouTube video each morning that features a staff member or student reading the daily Gospel and sharing a short reflection.

“I hope it will be a great way for the school to begin each day focused on Jesus and His Word,” Pysh said.