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Embracing our Catholic Identity

The Office of Mission and Ministry at Calumet College of St. Joseph advances the Catholic identity and Precious Blood heritage of the only Catholic college in Northwest Indiana by supporting the integration of learning, faith and service through an array of programs that engage students, faculty, staff, College leadership, in the understanding and practice of our religious identity, values and commitments.

Campus ministries strive to meet students where they are and help them to grow spirituality through their college experience. Campus ministries are available and eager to meet with students.

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Catholicism at CCSJ

MISSION & MORE

Mission Statement

Calumet College of St. Joseph is a Catholic institution of higher learning informed by the values of its founding religious community, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.). The mission of the College is to cultivate the academic, spiritual, and ethical development of our students by affirming the inherent dignity of all people, promoting social justice and an ethic of service, and providing opportunity and empowerment.

Vision Statement

At Calumet College of St. Joseph, our vision is to be a vital and valued resource for the region and beyond where students can be known, be successful, and belong.

For more information, visit our Mission Page.

Distinction

Our students, whether traditional or non-traditional, undergraduate, or graduate, come to Calumet College of St. Joseph to share our commitment to learning as a lifelong endeavor. We provide an environment where students are known, can be successful, and belong. They come to join a community whose members — faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni and friends alike — believe that education must encompass the whole person: spiritual and moral as well as intellectual, the heart as well as the mind. We strive to keep education accessible for our diverse student population. We are able to offer personal attention accessible to students, our student/faculty ratio being 10:1 as well as many student support staff.

Throughout the year the Office of Mission and Ministry sponsors events to bring the College community to celebrate. Such events include: the Halloween party and Día de los Muertos, a soup luncheon prior to exam week, a Mardi Gras Party, and St. Joseph’s Day celebration.

Faith

As a Catholic college in the Precious Blood tradition, we are committed to the pursuit of truth through the lenses of faith and reason. Our Catholic identity is expressed in our choices of curricula, our sponsorship of programs and activities devoted to the cultivation of religious and spiritual character, our ecumenical outlook, and our support of Catholic beliefs and values. Catholicism is inclusive. We are open to all who share our mission and seek the truth about God and the world. We welcome and benefit enormously from the diversity of our institution, as we freely choose and celebrate our Catholic identity.

We sponsor a Busy Student Retreat each semester, where students meet with a director at their convenience and spend time reflecting and praying with the Scriptures. The retreat lasts for four days.

Leadership

As a Precious Blood college, Calumet College of St. Joseph embodies the intellectual and religious traditions of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Through a comprehensive academic program and a values-centered curriculum, our students receive a firm grounding in the liberal arts, preparation for work in a world of increasing complexity and diversity, and formation for life as ethical and informed leaders in their religious, cultural, professional, and civic communities. They work with and learn from faculty who are true teacher-scholars, whose research not only advances knowledge, but also informs their teaching, and whose commitment to students is fundamental to their intellectual and professional lives.

Service

As a college sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, we try to instill respect for the dignity of all human life, with a special concern for those on the margins of society. We strive to be a reconciling presence among our diverse students to enable them to be agents of reconciliation in their lives. Members of our college community participate in service projects in the local community. We strive to provide students with the knowledge to be successful but with the wisdom to live a meaningful life.

Through both our academic and co-curricular programs, Calumet College of St. Joseph strives to develop persons who will dedicate their lives to the service of others, actively entering into the struggle for a more just society. We expect all members of the Calumet College of St. Joseph family, whatever their faith traditions, to give concrete expression to their beliefs by giving of themselves in service to those in need.

There are several opportunities for service including assisting with the sandwich project that supplies sandwiches for the hungry in the local area. In addition, our students help at the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations. Additionally, our athletic teams offer service to others including sponsoring the annual Earth Week celebration in April.

C.PP.S. AT CCSJ

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) have sponsored and staffed Calumet College of St. Joseph in various capacities since the institution began in 1951.
These C.PP.S. members are currently serving full-time at CCSJ:

Br. Jim Ballmann, C.PP.SBr. Jim Ballmann, C.PP.S.

Br. Jim is a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and currently serves as database administrator and instructor of Computer Information Systems for Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Br. Jim has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Saint Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, IN., a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Information Systems from Calumet College of St. Joseph, and a Master of Arts degree in Education from Purdue University, Calumet.

Br. Jim spent the first nine years of ministry working in the dairy at the CPPS motherhouse, West Central, OH., and in maintenance at St. Joseph’s College. For the next six years, he was manager of the Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue, OH., sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. For the past thirty-one years, he has served as facilities director, payroll manager, and computer services where he installed the College’s first internet connection in 1996.

Br. Jim enjoys swimming, cycling and walking. In addition to swimming on a regular basis, he also teaches Red Cross lifeguarding and swimming lessons. Until recent health issues, Br. Jim supported the Red Cross by donating blood. In forty-four years Br. Jim has donated twenty-one gallons of blood.

“I was reluctant to accept the assignment to Calumet College of St. Joseph in 1984. My provincial superior asked me to try it for a year. That was 37 years ago. The years here at Calumet College of St. Joseph have been rewarding and, at times, challenging.”

Br. Ben Basile, C.PP.SBr. Ben Basile, C.PP.S.

Br. Benjamin Basile, C.PP.S., is a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and currently serves as faculty member in the Mathematics program at Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Br. Ben has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Saint Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, IN., a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, and he pursued further studies in Education at the University of Akron in Ohio and in Computer Science at Depaul University, Chicago.

A native of Moorestown, New Jersey (fifteen miles outside of Philadelphia), Br. Ben made his first religious profession as a member of the Precious Blood Missionaries on August 15, 1969, two weeks after the first Lunar landing.

Br. Ben was a high school math instructor for his first teaching assignment at a school where he eventually became principal. He then joined the faculty of Calumet College of St. Joseph in the Fall of 1981 as a computer and mathematics instructor, eventually co-founding the College’s first Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems in the mid-1980s. He also served as Registrar of the College and enjoys teaching “all-math-all-the-time” for almost two decades.

Concurrent with his duties at Calumet College of St. Joseph, he has participated in liturgical music ministry as organist and music director at St. John the Baptist and Sacred Heart Catholic Churches, Whiting, IN., and The Cathedral of the Holy Angels, Gary, IN.
Some of his other interests include audio restoration of vintage recordings, vintage audio equipment, historic pipe organs, and he most recently completed the project of restoring a Kimball pipe organ from 1898 and installing it in the Bernard Art Gallery at Calumet College of St. Joseph.

“I am amazed at how quickly and with how much joy three and one-half decades have passed at Calumet College of St. Joseph.”

Fr Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., Ph.D.

Fr Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., is a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood religious order. He is Director of the Theology Program at Calumet College of St. Joseph, Hammond, IN., and is also Director of Mission and Ministry and the Faculty Athletic Representative.

Before CCSJ, Fr. McFarland was a full-time member of the faculty and administration at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN for 32 years, serving with many different titles during that time such as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Chairperson of the Faculty Athletic Committee, and as Director of Compliance. While at St. Joseph’s College, Fr McFarland received a Teaching Excellence award and was recognized several times for service to students.

Fr McFarland holds a Ph.D. in Theology with a specialization in Medical Ethics, having worked in Catholic health care facilities and working to bridge the ideas of sponsorship of Catholic Institutions.

In his spare time, Fr McFarland enjoys photography, especially at student and sporting events, and his pictures can be found linked to games on the athletics website.

Campus Ministry at CCSJ

Larry Cubalchini

Larry Cubalchini serves as a campus minister and adjunct professor of Theology. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in applied studies (Pastoral Studies) and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University Chicago. He also holds a certificate in Lay Ecclesial Ministry from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois.

Larry joined Calumet College of St. Joseph in 2021 as an intern in Mission and Ministry. In 2022 Calumet College Board of Trustees awarded Larry the Saint Joseph the Worker Award.

Larry is also a Lay Ecclesial Minister in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Some of his past ministry assignments were as the Director of RCIA at St. Mary Parish, DeKalb, IL, Director of Spiritual Life at AGLO Chicago, and Director of Faith Formation at St. Tarcissus Parish, Chicago, IL.

MASS & SACRAMENTS

Eucharist and Mass

There is a monthly Mass offered on campus to which all are invited to attend. There is a Mass of the Holy Spirit offered at the beginning of the academic year and Masses on Holy Days. Additionally, there are opportunities for group prayer throughout the week. The chapel is always open for prayer and reflection.

Masses are offered at the following parishes in Whiting.

Monday – Thursday
7:00 a.m. St. John the Baptist, Whiting

Saturday
4:30 p.m. St. Adalbert, Whiting

Sunday
8:00 a.m. St. John the Baptist, Whiting

10:30 a.m. St. John the Baptist, Whiting

10:30 a.m. Sacred Heart, Whiting (Spanish Mass)

Parish Addresses

St. John the Baptist
1849 Lincoln Ave.
Whiting, IN 46394

St. Adalbert
1340, 121st Street.
Whiting, IN 46394

Sacred Heart
1731 LaPorte Ave.
Whiting, IN 46394

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Monday – Saturday Morning
After the 7:00 Mass at St. John the Baptist

Saturday
3:00 – 3:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist

For the Sacraments of Reconciliation or Anointing of the Sick at Calumet College of St. Joseph, please contact Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S. at tmcfarland@ccsj.edu or (219) 473-4386.

For other Sacraments, please contact your parish.

MISSION MOMENTS

Mission Moments

Each month during the academic year, a Mission Moment is published for the CCSJ community. These short reflections are written to describe how an individual sees themselves experiencing or contributing to the mission of the College. A deliberate attempt is made to select members of our College who represent different areas of the College, e.g., faculty, staff and students. We also try to have perspectives that are representative of the multicultural and diverse population of our College.

Listed below are some of the Mission Moments that have been written by our College community.