Saint Joseph Parish

Saint Joseph Parish in South Bend is the Roman Catholic parish where Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a longtime member — she served as Council Chair for two one-year terms between 2013 and June 2015, providing counsel to the pastor and assisting in parish duties. Founded 1853, the parish is in the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend and is pastored by the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) — the same religious order that runs the University of Notre Dame, where Justice Barrett taught law for years. Current pastor Fr. Matt Fase, C.S.C. The parish operates a robust parochial Pre-K through 8th grade school, a Totus Tuus summer faith program (grades 1-12), and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd children's formation program. Theologically the parish holds the historic Catholic positions: Nicene Christology, male-only priesthood, sacramental soteriology, traditional sexual ethics. MOOP's rubric is built around Protestant confessional categories, so Catholic parishes register as yellow with a denominational note. Within the Catholic tradition, Saint Joseph South Bend is a serious, orthodox parish tied to the Holy Cross + Notre Dame tradition.