Saints Casimir & Adalbert
For more than a century, two churches on South Bend's West Side have welcomed immigrant families looking for a home. Now, a new partnership will restore St. Adalbert and protect both churches for the next 200 years.
Support Sts. Casimir & Adalbert
In 1910 they came from Kraków. Today, they come from Michoacán. The mission is the same. St. Adalbert was built by Polish factory workers. It has become the spiritual home and community center of South Bend’s Spanish-speaking West Side, and it is young, growing, and full on Sunday mornings.
The parish was introduced to The Catholic Initiative through the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate at the University of Notre Dame. When our team toured St. Adalbert, they saw more than a historic building in need of repair. They saw a vibrant Catholic community with a strong school, faithful families, and a future worth investing in.
The heart of the West Side
St. Casimir
- Where it began — founded by Polish immigrant families as South Bend’s second Polish parish, affectionately known as “Warszawa,” and served by Holy Cross priests since its very first day
- Built by families, for families — parishioners raised the funds themselves. Their church at Dunham and Webster Streets was blessed in 1925 and consecrated in 1949
- Renewed by a new generation — a Spanish Mass added in 2005 brought new growth, and each March the parish honors St. Casimir on his feast day with a traditional Forty Hours devotion
St. Adalbert
- The Cathedral of the West Side — founded by Polish families from the Kraków region. Its Polish Cathedral–style church, with twin 175-foot steeples, was dedicated in 1926
- A vibrant sacramental life — two of three Sunday Masses are in Spanish, with about 76 baptisms, 78 First Communions, and 25 quinceañeras each year
- Home of the parish’s ministries — St. Adalbert School, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the parish offices for both churches
Today: Saints Casimir & Adalbert Parish
- Two churches, one parish — St. Casimir and St. Adalbert, about a mile apart, are now one parish led by one pastor, Rev. Ryan Pietrocarlo, CSC, with Holy Cross priests from Notre Dame serving both
- A young, growing community — more than 900 families and 3,000 parishioners, about 90% of them first- or second-generation immigrants from Latin America
- A community lifeline — a food pantry, citizenship and English classes, youth ministry, and a school serving 200 students
A model built to last
- St. Adalbert will be fully restored — The Catholic Initiative will cover the remaining cost of the roughly $15 million restoration through its own funding and additional fundraising
- A $10 million endowment — a permanent fund for major repairs, upkeep, and emergencies at both churches and the school
- Protected for 200 years — The Catholic Initiative holds the properties and leases them to the parish for $1 a year for 99 years, renewable for 99 more
- Approved by the Church — Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend and the Holy See approved the partnership
Built by immigrants, for generations
St. Casimir and St. Adalbert sit about a mile apart. Both were built by Polish families who came to South Bend to work in its factories, and both now welcome a mostly Spanish-speaking congregation.
St. Adalbert
Known as the Cathedral of the West Side, St. Adalbert is a brick, neo-Gothic church in the Polish Cathedral style, designed by Chicago architects Worthmann & Steinbach. Its twin 175-foot steeples are the tallest in the city, and its pews seat more than 800 people.
St. Casimir
A Romanesque Revival church with a red brick façade, vaulted ceilings, and hand-carved woodwork. St. Casimir is known for its rich devotions, vibrant feast-day celebrations, and deep Marian spirituality.
A treasure worth saving
-
10
Murals by John A. Mallin (1941)
The murals include Polish saints, the Holy Family, and the rare Polish Worker mural, a tribute to the working men and women who built the parish.
-
1945
Stained glass by Edmund Serbicki
Preservation experts say the windows rival Tiffany glass in quality.
-
175′
Twin steeples
The tallest structures in South Bend, now being repaired in the final step of the exterior restoration.
A century of faith, secured for the next 200 years
St. Adalbert Church turned 100 this year. A working-class parish can't restore and maintain two historic churches and a school on its own. Your gift restores the Cathedral of the West Side and endows its future.
Make a Gift Today
Four phases to restore St. Adalbert
The church is structurally sound, but a century of weather has left it with water damage, an aging heating system, and a damaged interior. The plan is to seal the building first, then modernize it, and finally return its art and architecture to their original grandeur.
Seal the building
Replace the roof, seal the masonry, and repair the twin steeples so the weather can no longer get in. Work on the towers, the final step of the exterior, is underway now.
New heating system
Replace a boiler system that is nearly 70 years old with an efficient new heating system that will keep the church warm through South Bend winters.
Accessible entrance & restrooms
Build a code-compliant accessible entrance and new restrooms. Today, a church that seats more than 800 has a single restroom.
Interior art & architecture
Restore the water-damaged ornate plaster, the ten Mallin murals, and the stained glass so the church's interior looks as it did when it was built.
An endowment so the work never has to be done in crisis again
The endowment's principal is invested and kept whole. Its earnings pay for major repairs such as roofs, walls, windows, and doors at St. Adalbert, St. Casimir, and the school.
Phase estimates from the parish's Case for Support (September 2026). Figures are approximate and subject to final bids.
More than a church — a lifeline
For families on the West Side, St. Adalbert is often the first call when they need help. The parish contributes about $2.7 million a year to the neighborhood's economy, and its volunteers give more than 4,500 hours of service each year.
A Venezuelan mother of four came to the parish food pantry with nothing. The volunteers walked alongside her family for years. This past spring, they celebrated her daughter's graduation from a distinguished Indiana university.
Parish meeting on the partnership
Fr. Ryan and members of The Catholic Initiative team will explain the partnership and answer questions. All parishioners are welcome.
- When
- Sunday, October 25 · 3:00 p.m.
- Where
- St. Adalbert School cafeteria
- Language
- English & Spanish
Reunión parroquial en inglés y español · domingo 25 de octubre, 3:00 p.m.
Common questions
The Catholic Initiative will own the St. Adalbert and St. Casimir properties and lease them to the parish for $1 a year for 99 years, with the option to renew for another 99 years. This structure protects the money given to restore and care for the churches and keeps the endowment dedicated to that purpose.
No. The Catholic Initiative does not operate parishes or schools. It provides financial support and handles fundraising, construction, and the endowment. The pastor and the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend continue to lead the parish’s spiritual and pastoral life.
Yes. Bishop Kevin Rhoades approved the partnership, and the Holy See gave its approval in July 2026. The same Vatican-approved model is in place at the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit and Josephinum Academy in Chicago.
No. Partnership funds pay only for major repairs and emergencies, such as roofs, walls, windows, and doors. Staff, utilities, and other daily costs are still covered by Sunday giving, so parishioners are asked to continue their regular support.
Help write the next chapter
Your gift restores the Cathedral of the West Side, endows its future, and makes sure both churches keep serving South Bend's newest families for the next 200 years.