About St. Andrew the Apostle Eastern Catholic Church · Fort Wayne, Indiana
St. Andrew the Apostle is an Eastern Catholic mission parish in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the only Eastern Catholic community serving the city. Worship is celebrated according to the Byzantine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic) rite as part of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago, in full communion with the Pope of Rome. The community currently gathers for Divine Liturgy on Sundays at 12:30 PM at St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Road, and is served by Pastor Fr. David Meinzen and Deacon Timothy Woods.
- Established
- 2011
- Patron
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Rector
- Fr. David Meinzen
- Diocese
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas (Chicago)
Why belong here
St. Andrew's is the only Eastern Catholic worshipping community in Fort Wayne, offering a Byzantine-rite experience in full communion with Rome — a way for Catholics (and the curious) to live Pope St. John Paul II's call to 'breathe with both lungs.' Worship is celebrated almost entirely in poetic, comprehensible English, with Ukrainian chant and folk song, iconography, incense, and the full Byzantine liturgical tradition. Parish life pairs the liturgy with fellowship, food and conversation — a warm, small-scale community where visitors can experience Christianity reaching back to the Apostles.
Mass times at St. Andrew the Apostle Eastern Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment with Fr. David, before or after Divine Liturgy
Our Story — Founding of St. Andrew the Apostle Mission
The mission's roots reach back to 1967, when an Eastern Catholic priest drove in from Mishawaka to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Fort Wayne for a small congregation that later dissolved (a plaque from that community still exists in the St. Mother Theodore Guérin Chapel in downtown Fort Wayne). In 2007, Dr. Adam DeVille, a subdeacon of the Eastern Catholic Church, moved to Fort Wayne to lead the Division of Humanities at the University of Saint Francis. In 2008 he published an article in Today's Catholic asking whether anyone remembered the original mission or wanted to form a new one. Eastern Catholic parishioner Erin Kauffman, who would become the parish secretary, responded, and the two began hosting prayer services in their homes. After approval from the Eparchy of Chicago and from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Fr. David Meinzen was assigned as the founding pastor of the new mission — classified from the start as 'in formation' — and he celebrated the community's first Divine Liturgy in 2011. The mission first worshipped at the Oratory of St. Francis of Assisi on the University of Saint Francis campus before relocating to its current home at St. Therese Catholic Church.
Who We Are — An Eastern Catholic Parish in Full Communion with Rome
St. Andrew the Apostle is a Ukrainian Catholic mission parish — the only Eastern Catholic community serving Fort Wayne. It belongs to the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas, headquartered in Chicago, which has pastoral care for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in all U.S. states west of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, plus Hawaii and Alaska. As Eastern Catholics, the parish is in full communion with the Pope and the Church of Rome and forms part of one of the 24 historic sister Catholic Churches worldwide, sharing doctrine and canonical prayer with Roman Catholics while preserving the distinct Byzantine liturgical tradition that goes back to Christ's Apostles. The parish worships according to the Byzantine (Ukrainian) rite and sings nearly everything in poetic, comprehensible English, with Ukrainian chant and folk song as well as selections from other ethnic traditions — the only parish in Fort Wayne where this can be heard. Members are welcomed into the experience with all five senses: the chanting of voices as the principal 'instrument,' bells at solemn moments, incense, vestments, iconography and the rest of the Byzantine liturgical patrimony. After Liturgy the community joins worship with fellowship, food, conversation and shared feasting.
- 24 historic sister Catholic Churches worldwide
- Byzantine rite in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition
- Congregation drawn to English-language liturgical experience
- Welcoming of cross-rite participation by Roman Catholics
Liturgy & Worship — Divine Liturgy on Sundays
St. Andrew the Apostle celebrates the Byzantine-rite Divine Liturgy — the Eastern Catholic name for the Eucharistic celebration — most weeks on Sundays at 12:30 PM. The parish publishes a Holy Week and Pascha schedule each year (the 2026 site already references an 'End of Lent – Holy Week Schedule' and a separate April–May and June–August liturgy schedule), and visitors are encouraged to consult the parish calendar for the complete weekly service schedule.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy — 12:30 PM
- 6th Hour prayed in conjunction with the Sunday Divine Liturgy
- Seasonal Holy Week, April–May, and Summer (June–August) schedules posted online
Sacramental Life
The parish celebrates the full Byzantine sacramental life. The Eucharist is received as in ancient tradition — distributed by the priest and deacon on a spoon, with the consecrated Eucharistic bread (leavened, in the Eastern manner, signifying Christ's Resurrection) given to each communicant. Confession is offered by appointment with Fr. David Meinzen, before or after Divine Liturgy. Members of St. Andrew's may receive communion in either Roman or Byzantine form, and Roman Catholics (and other Eastern Catholics) may fully participate in the parish's Byzantine Liturgy and sacraments.
- Divine Liturgy / Holy Communion distributed on the spoon
- Confession by appointment, before or after Liturgy
- Leavened prosphora (Eucharistic bread) symbolizing the Resurrection
- Full participation open to Roman Catholics and other Eastern-rite faithful
Clergy & Leadership
St. Andrew's has been served since its founding in 2011 by a single pastor, Fr. David Meinzen, a priest of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas. Fr. Meinzen is also an Air National Guard and Veterans Administration chaplain and is one of the relatively few clergy who celebrate comfortably in both the Roman and Byzantine rites, an experience that shapes his explanation of how the two sister traditions complement each other. He is assisted by Deacon Timothy Woods. Parish administration is supported by longtime parishioner Erin Kauffman, who serves as secretary and was one of the founding lay members back in 2008.
- Fr. David Meinzen — Pastor, founding priest (2011–present)
- Deacon Timothy Woods
- Erin Kauffman — Parish Secretary, founding lay member
Visit Us — Where We Gather
The mission currently worships inside St. Therese Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic parish at 2304 Lower Huntington Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46819. Earlier in its history St. Andrew's celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Oratory of St. Francis of Assisi on the campus of the University of Saint Francis. Visitors are warmly invited: 'Come and see!' — to experience the Byzantine Liturgy in a small, welcoming setting. The parish encourages newcomers to look around the worship space, hear the chant, and participate as they are able.
- Location: St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46819
- Former worship site: Oratory of St. Francis of Assisi, University of Saint Francis campus
- Phone: +1 779-216-0521
Learn More About the Tradition
The parish's online Resources page points visitors toward formation in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition: the God With Us Eastern Catholic Formation program (the official catechetical apostolate of the USCCB Eastern Catholic Association of Bishops, Region XV); the catechism Christ Our Pascha — the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's introduction to Byzantine Catholic faith, worship and life; Royal Doors, an English-language resource site launched in 2011 for Ukrainian Greek Catholics; the Catechism of the Catholic Church; Vatican II's decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum, which recognizes Eastern Catholics' right to keep their own practices in full communion with Rome; the website From... (an Eastern-Catholic deacon's site educating Western Christians); and the Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the metropolitan See of the Ukrainian Eparchies in the United States.
- God With Us Eastern Catholic Formation — official catechetical apostolate (USCCB Region XV)
- Christ Our Pascha — the Ukrainian Greek Catholic catechism
- Royal Doors — English-language Ukrainian Catholic resource site (launched 2011)
- Vatican II's Orientalium Ecclesiarum
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Archeparchy of Philadelphia (metropolitan See for U.S. Ukrainian Eparchies)
Eastern vs. Western — What Makes a Byzantine Liturgy Different
Drawing on Fr. Meinzen's own teaching, the parish contrasts the two rites. The Roman (Latin) Rite, characterized by liturgical brevity, emphasizes the divine condescension in the humility of Jesus Christ to redeem fallen humanity. The Eastern Byzantine Rite, more expansive in expression, lifts up the revelation of divine glory and the elevation of our humanity and all creation in Christ Jesus. The Eastern Church uses leavened Eucharistic bread to represent the Resurrection; the Western Church uses unleavened bread to emphasize Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament in the Last Supper. Fr. Meinzen often invokes Pope St. John Paul II's image of the Church 'breathing with both lungs,' East and West, and prays that his Roman Catholic neighbors may come to encounter the Eastern half of that one Church in Fort Wayne.
- Leavened bread in the East, unleavened in the West
- Roman rite — brevity and the humility of Christ's condescension
- Byzantine rite — expansive praise of divine glory and the elevation of creation
- Six liturgical rites in full communion with Rome (Alexandrian, Armenian, Byzantine, East Syrian, Latin, West Syrian)
- Pope St. John Paul II's call to 'breathe with both lungs'
Eparchy of St. Nicholas (Chicago)
St. Andrew the Apostle Mission Parish is a parish of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas, headquartered at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Chicago. The Eparchy has pastoral care for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic faithful in all U.S. states west of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, plus Hawaii and Alaska. It celebrated its 65th anniversary on July 14, marked by a jubilee pilgrimage of the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God to each parish under the leadership of Bishop Benedict (Aleksandrovych), with Protodeacon Marko Krutyak and Deacon Rostyslaw Smyk coordinating logistics. The Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchies in the United States is the Archbishop of Philadelphia.
- Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago
- Founded July 14 — marking 65 years of service (2026 jubilee)
- Jurisdiction: U.S. states west of OH/KY/TN/MS, plus Hawaii and Alaska
- Metropolitan: Archbishop of Philadelphia
Give — Supporting the Mission
As a mission parish in formation, St. Andrew the Apostle depends on the generosity of its members and friends. The parish accepts online giving through its ChurchTrac giving portal, and visitors can also find the parish's mailing address (via St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46819) and Facebook page for updates on how to support the community's continued growth.
- Online giving via the parish's ChurchTrac portal
- Mailing address: c/o St. Therese Catholic Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46819
- Stay connected via Facebook: facebook.com/St.Andrew.Mission.Parish
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. David Meinzen2011–present
First and only pastor assigned to the mission from its founding; an Air National Guard and Veterans Administration chaplain who celebrates both Roman and Byzantine rites.