A Few Notables in Lake County, Northwest Indiana

It's been one year since the installation of Bishop Donald Hying of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary, covering a few counties in northwest Indiana.  This installation took place at the fine Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary.

I have had the opportunity to attend both a priest and a diaconal ordinations at the Cathedral.  It's modestly sized, but has all the trappings befitting the seat of a see, and it is #5 on my list of 200 things about Indiana for its Bicentennial.  The Diocese of which it is the Cathedral is #6, and its metropolitan see, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, is #7, as I was privileged to get to know the Diocese of Gary during my time at St. Teresa of Avila (Roman) Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso.  (The Holy Angels are the Diocesan Patron Saint, and so October 2 is the Diocese' patronal Feast Day--#8.)

During this break for the Nativity and New Year's holidays, I had the opportunity to visit with good friends I have in northwest Indiana, spending most of my time with my longtime college roommate who now lives in Lake County, IN, which has a number of notable locales.

My gateway into Lake County, IN, was the East Chicago, IN, stop on the South Shore Line, which has an enormous parking lot to serve the many people from throughout Lake County who commute into Chicago, and it is #9 on my list.

Merrillville, #10, is a big shopping commercial area centered around I-65 and US Route 30.  It is the home district base for Congressman Peter Visclosky, of the Indiana 1st Congressional District, which covers Lake and Porter Counties, and part of LaPorte County--and is #11 on my list.  (He does a fine job keeping in contact with constituents, and is a very reasonable man, making him #12 on my list.)  Just a little bit east on US 30 is the Albanese Candy Factory and Outlet Store, #13.

Nearby is Schererville, #14, which has some historical markers for the Lincoln Highway running through its downtown area.  It also has St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Parish, #15, which is an amazing church building.  It was the first assignment of Father Ted Mauch, #16, after his ordination on December 4, 2010, which I was privileged to attend at the Cathedral of Holy Angels.

There's also Gary, #17, once a big, bustling industrial city and the birthplace of Michael Jackson, and now home to the Railcats Minor League Baseball Team, #18.  Gary also has the northern terminus of Interstate Route 65, which is #19, in the state that is known as the Crossroads of America.  Gary's eastern section, an area called Miller, #20, contains some of the westernmost sections of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which will be expounded upon further in a subsequent post.  The area in Miller has some lovely wooded areas.