USA > Indiana > History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume I > Part 38
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ST. JOSEPH'S HILL, CLARK COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Church, at St. Joseph's Hill, has a history dating back, possibly, to 1850. There was a church-building in the place, it is well known, before there was a priest to officiate. In 1853 a frame church, 65 x27 feet, was built, and Father Bessonies was the first to offer up the Holy Sacrifice at St. Joseph's Hill. The exact date is not obtainable from the records, nor can he remember it.
After Father Bessonies the place was occasionally visited until 1860 by Rev. Fathers Faller and Weutz, of Annunciation church, New Albany. After them came Rev. Father Michael, who was the first resident pastor of the place. He remained from 1860 until January, 1864, and built the present brick parsonage at a cost of over $2,000. He was succeeded by Rev. H. Panzer, who had charge of the congregation from 1865 until 1873. He built the parish school-house and Sisters' residence at an outlay of
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$2,000. Rev. Joseph Dickmann took charge May 28, 1873. He continued the enterprise of his predecessors and was ably seconded by the people in his efforts to pay off the debts and make necessary and creditable improvements. In 1880 he built the splendid brick church which now is a monument to the liberality of the people of St. Joseph's, and a credit to the good taste and zeal of their pastor. From the eminence of the parish grounds it overlooks the valley and the railroad, and has its beauty reflected by the long range of high hills to the north and west. With material, etc., at first cost, its construction and interior finish occasioned an outlay of only $10,000, while as a whole it is good value for considerably over $18,000. Its pulpit and altar-railing are not surpassed anywhere in the diocese.
The church is built of brick, is 50x 115 feet in dimensions, and its spire, surmounted by a golden cross, reaches a height of I30 feet. The parish grounds comprise ten acres, and the part immediately in front of the church is used as the cemetery. The entire property of the congregation is valued at about $27,000, with no debts. The schools are taught by the Sisters of St. Francis, and about 105 children attend them. There are over 125 families, mostly Germans, in the parish, the great majority of them being farmers who own their own lands and are as com- fortably circumstanced as they are remarkably generous to the church and devoted to their faith.
The present pastor is the Rev. John Joseph M. Gabriel, whose life-sketch will be found in the second volume of this work.
ST. LEON, DEARBORN COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Church, at St. Leon .- From the records are gleaned the following facts in relation to this parish. The first priest who officiated for the people was Rev. William Engel, in 1845. His successor was Rev. Andrew Bennett, from 1846 to December, 1851; next was Rev. H. A. Stahl, from 1851 to 1852; next was Rev. A. Pinkers, from 1854 to April 21, 1855, and next was Rev. H. Koering, till July, 1860; next was Rev. Leo, O. S. F., from St. Peter's, till December, 1860. Father Scheideler came next and remained from December, 1860, to July 19, 1874, an administra-
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tion of fourteen years. Whilst here he erected the present church, 120x 58 feet, with a spire 120 feet high, and placed in three bells, three altars and a pipe-organ, and erected the school-building of two stories, eighty feet front and forty feet wide. There are two school-rooms, and a dwelling for the Franciscan Sisters, of whom there are three-two as teachers and one as attendant. The next pastor was Rev. John Gabriel, from July, 1874, to November, 1896, and after him came Rev. Adam Feigen, the present active and enthusiastic priest.
ST. PETER'S, FRANKLIN COUNTY.
St. Peter's Church, in Franklin county, was erected in 1853, at a cost of about $5,000, and is about 104 feet in depth, by forty- six feet front, with side-walls thirty-one feet high; is of Gothic archi- tecture exteriorly and interiorly, and is one of the most pictur- esque, its size considered, of any church-edifice in the diocese. It was consecrated the same year in which it was erected, and for several years was in the care of different clergymen until 1882, when Rev. William Kemper succeeded Rev. Leo Osredkar.
Under the pastorate of Rev. William Kemper a new rectory was built, at a cost of $2,200, and also the sanctuary, and the church redecorated. Father Kemper retired in July, 1886, and in August, following, was succeeded by Rev. Ferdinand Hundt, who remained until April, 1890, but his ministrations were not attended by any remarkable results, and until February, 1891, the congre- gation was without a pastor. At this date Rev. Joseph A. Fleisch- mann, who had hitherto been rector at St. Celestine, Dubois county, was appointed pastor of St. Peter's, and is the present incumbent of the pastorate.
At the organization of St. Peter's, the congregation consisted of seven families only, but at the present time it consists of 130 families. In 1892 new and enlarged stained-glass windows were placed in the church, at a cost of $998, and the steeple repaired and remodeled; new sacristies were introduced in 1896, at a cost of $600, and in 1897 a new communion railing, costing $150, and a large furnace, for heating the auditorium, was also put in place.
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The school attached to the church was organized by Rev. William Engler, with ten pupils, who were educated in a small room in a private house; then a small log school-house was erected, but this, a short time afterward, was destroyed by fire. In 1875 the present brick school-house was erected at a cost of $3,000. This school-house contains two rooms, and the pupils now enrolled number 120.
Rev. Joseph Aloysius Fleischmann, pastor of St. Peter's church, is a native of Lachen, Switzerland, was born September 14, 1846, and is a son of Jacob Henry and Mary Ann (Haemmerly) Fleischmann, natives of the same country. Rev. Joseph Aloysius Fleischmann was educated at St. Meinrad's Theological seminary, in Spencer county, Ind., and, after being ordained priest, filled several pastorates with inuch credit to himself and benefit to his flocks, and in February, 1891, was appointed to the charge of the church at St. Peter's, where his labors have been as untiring as elsewhere in his earlier days, and have met with phenomenal results.
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL PARISH, ALLEN COUNTY.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish, of Washington township, Allen county, six miles north of Fort Wayne, was organized in 1859, and the present church erected in 1861 under the auspices of Rev. Father Adam, the congregation at that time being composed almost exclusively of French families. The church-building was erected through the energy and devotion of Father Adam, who held charge of the parish for a few years and was succeeded by several others until Rev. A. E. LaFontaine was placed in charge.
Father LaFontaine was born in Montreal, Canada, in April, 1867, a son of Toissaint LaFontaine, and until nineteen years of age attended the college of the Assumption, in the province of Que- bec, in order to prepare himself for the priesthood. He then went to Genoa, Italy, where he finished his philosophical and theolog- ical courses of study, and was ordained in holy orders June II, 1892, for the diocese of Toronto, Canada, where he was stationed until May, 1895, when he was transferred to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he served as an assistant in the cathedral until July, 1897, (424)
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when he was placed in charge of St. Vincent de Paul, his present charge, with the missions of Leo, eight miles northeast, and St. Michael's, five miles east. Father LaFontaine's congregation num- bers about seventy-two families, over whom he exercises the most salutary care and whose love and respect for him are made mani- fest at all times. The pastoral residence and church-building are on a lot of two acres and the cemetery grounds occupy a lot of about three acres and is well cared for.
ST. WENDEL, POSEY COUNTY.
Prior to December, 1841, mass had been celebrated in St. Wendel parish from the time of its creation in the home of Martin Kohl, but in Christmas week of the year mentioned the congrega- tion, composed of twenty families, prepared the material and erected within five days a log structure as a house of worship. This chapel was regularly visited by Rev. Ramon Weinzoepfel until May, 1842, and in October of the same year Rev. Conrad Schneiderjans became the first resident pastor, enjoying the hospitality of Mr. Kohn until a primitive log cabin was erected for his home, and here he remained until the fall of 1845, when he was called by the bishop to Vincennes, after which St. Wendel was occasionally visited by Revs. Charles Oppermann and Martin Stohl until April, 1846, when Father Weinzoepfel returned to the mission.
Rev. Father Weinzoepfel labored hard for the improvement of his parish and the church property. The little log building had now become too small for the growing congregation, and steps were taken for the erection of a new church. The material was mostly donated, a subscription of $5,000 was raised, and April 17, 1853, Bishop de St. Palais laid the corner-stone, Rev. Leonard Brandt preaching the German and Rev. Bede O'Connor the Eng- lish sermon. October 22, 1854, Bishop de St. Palais, assisted by Father Weinzoepfel, Revs. E. J. Durbin, of Kentucky, A. Deydier, J. B. Chassé, Bede O'Connor and Ulrich Christen, solemnly con- secrated the new structure to the worship of God. The cost of this building, exclusive of material and labor, was $5,600. Jan- uary 1, 1857, Father Weinzoepfel took possession of the pastoral
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residence, and the same year additional donations of ground were made, a barn erected, a steeple for the church built, a bell pur- chased, and also a painting of the patron saint.
In 1858 Father Weinzoepfel asked for a change of field, and this request was granted, the bishop appointing him, August 17, pastor of New Alsace. From September 6, 1858, until February 8, 1863, Rev. Paul Wagner was pastor; Rev. J. Kauffman, from April 6, 1863, to March 24, 1865; Rev. J. H. Diestel, from April 25 to September 27, 1865 .; Rev. M. Andres, from December 10, 1865, till June 26, 1867, and during his pastorate a brick parsonage of nine rooms was erected; Rev. J. B. Merl attended from Septem- ber 22 to December 5, 1867; Rev. Charles Exel, from December 19, 1867, to March 4, 1871; Father Merl again attended until Feb- ruary 18, 1872; Rev. Nicholas Galweiler was resident pastor from March 3, 1872, to August 10, 1873, and in this brief period a brick school-house of two rooms and a dwelling for the teacher were erected; Rev. Aloysius Danenhoffer was pastor from September 7, 1873, to September 28, 1878, and in his time were built a kitchen for . the teacher's house and a barn, new church bells were bought and a furnace placed in the church; from October 6, 1878, to June, 1879, visits were made by Revs. Joseph Schenk and John Stolz, and June 6, 1879, the present efficient pastor, Rev. Michael Heck, was placed in charge.
Since the incumbency of Father Heck a wonderful change has taken place at St. Wendel. He has effected an entire transforma- tion of the interior of the church by introducing a costly altar, hard- wood pews, rich paintings of Bible scenes, new frescoes, a superb pulpit on the north side of the auditorium, marble fonts, and fresh slating for the roof of the edifice, as well as the erection of new school-buildings, and so increased the value of the church property that it is now valued at $30,000.
The schools of St. Wendel have by no means been neglected. The first classes were taught by F. W. Pepersack during the pas- torate of Rev. Father Weinzoepfel, but it was not until the incom- ing of Father Heck that the schools were truly vitalized. In March, 1884, he broke ground for a fine two-story brick school-house, 70 x 70 feet, and this was completed in August of the same year (426)
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at a cost of $8,000. This school is in charge of three Sisters of St. Francis as teachers, but, of course, Father Heck gives it his per- sonal supervision. The attendance numbers 150 pupils, while the church membership includes 170 families, with a total attendance at worship of 940 souls. That the pious and venerated Father Heck has been efficient, faithful and constant to his duties and energetic in his labors for the welfare of the church, and especially that of his parishioners, is too obvious to need comment, but he finds, to a great extent, his reward in the love and honor rendered him by his flock and the well-deserved approbation of his superiors.
SCHERERVILLE, LAKE COUNTY.
St. Michael's Church at Schererville was erected in 1874 at a cost of $5,000, and is one of the prettiest little church edifices in northwestern Indiana. Rev. F. A. King was the second pastor of this church and remained in charge two years, after which Rev. Father Bonthe officiated for five months only, when he was suc- ceeded by Father Deisnel, who carefully guarded the flock for four years. Father William Berg, the present able pastor, was then placed in charge and has done an immense amount of good work in elevating the spiritual condition of his flock and in improving its temporal affairs. The school of St. Michael's parish is attended by forty pupils, who are under the tuition of two Franciscan Sis- ters of the Sacred Heart.
SCHNELLVILLE, DUBOIS COUNTY.
Sacred Heart Church at Schnellville was erected about 1869. The first mass in the parish was read in 1867 by Rev. Placidus Zarn, O. S. B., at the residence of Henry Schnell, who founded the village in 1866, after his return from the Civil war. A frame structure was blessed by the Very Rev. Prior Martin Marty, O. S. B., and Rev. Father Kraus became the first resident pastor. He erected the priest's house, which stood until April 24, 1898, when it was destroyed by fire, with all the personal property of the priest, including his library. The parish is situated eleven miles southeast of Jasper and thirteen miles northeast of Huntingburg, and the land, comprising ten acres, was donated by Henry Schnell,
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who was the prime mover in establishing the parish, and this land lies in one of the most beautiful spots of the village. A fair cash valuation of the church property, at this time, would reach $5,000.
Rev. Gustave Michael Ginnsz, the present pastor and one of the oldest and best-known priests of Indianapolis, was placed in charge of the Sacred Heart church in July, 1896, and has faith- fully labored here, as he has done elsewhere, for the welfare of his parishioners and the glory of his church. His congregation num- bers about seventy families and a branch of the Catholic Knights of America numbers nineteen. This society is officered as follows: President, August Blume ; corresponding secretary, Maurice Fritz; financial secretary, John Block ; treasurer, Garrett Welp ; state organizer, Frank Block. Meetings take place twice each month. The school attached to the church was established years ago and is under the direction of three Benedictine Sisters, who have under their instruction about eighy-five pupils.
SEYMOUR, JACKSON COUNTY.
St. Ambrose Church, of Seymour, is located at the corner of Chestnut and South streets. The village was inhabited by Cath- olics as early as 1852, and the first church, a frame structure, was erected in 1856. The spiritual wants of the early Catholics were attended to by different clergymen from Jeffersonville, Buena Vista and Columbus. In 1870, owing to the rapid growth of membership, the original church proved far too small, and was replaced by the present spacious and substantial edifice.
In 1873 the congregation received its first resident pastor in the person of the Rev. A. A. Schenk, whose pastorate extended over a period of fourteen years. In 1874 St. Ambrose academy, an imposing building, was constructed at a cost of $10,000. In 1880 a pastoral residence was purchased for the consideration of $1.000. In 1884 the church was enlarged at an expenditure of about $4,000. In 1887, Rev. Father Schenk was transferred to St. Joseph, Vanderburg county, Ind., and was succeeded by the present incumbent, the Rev. C. J. Conrad.
During the administration of Rev. Father Conrad the congre- gation has signally prospered. The debt of $7,200, contracted in (428)
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former years, has been reduced to $1,700. The church property was enclosed by an iron fence at an expense of $315; the interior of the church has been perceptibly improved by being frescoed at a cost of $535, new cathedral glass windows, costing $520, and three new altars with appurtenances, entailing an expenditure of $1,040. In the year 1891 a handsome new pastoral residence was erected at an outlay of $2,600. The steeple of the church is 1 15 feet high. The parochial school is conducted by the Sisters of Providence, and the average attendance is about 100 pupils, to whom both secular and religious education is imparted. The two leading societies in connection with the church are St. Ambrose Benevolent society and the Young Men's institute, the former hav- ing been founded in 1873, while the latter organized in 1895.
SHELBYVILLE, SHELBY COUNTY.
St. Joseph's Church .- As early as 1850 Catholic services were held at Shelbyville, Ind., in private dwellings and in the few public halls in the town, but it was not until about 1865 that the congregation felt itself justified in taking steps for the erection of a church edifice. At that date, Rev. J. P. Gillig purchased a lot on East Broadway, and the 6th day of August, 1867, on the feast of the Transfiguration, ground was broken for a foundation for the contemplated building under the supervision of Rev. William Doyle, who superintended the work of construction to the point where the building was inclosed, the floors laid, the windows put in place, and the structure roofed, and the first mass celebrated in June, 1868. About this time, also, difficulties began to arise from want of funds to meet the indebtedness already incurred; suit was brought against the congregation and judgment rendered against it by the court, and the building disposed of at sheriff's sale Feb- ruary 19, 1870.
In the meanwhile, Rev. Francis Joseph Rudolf had been appointed pastor of St. Joseph's by the Very Rev. Father Corbe, and the new pastor set diligently to work to raise the means for putting in a ceiling, erecting a steeple and gallery, securing a bell, raising the sanctuary and adding necessary furniture-the debt at this time amounting to $2,700. In 1873 a school lot was added,
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a school-building erected, and the Sisters from Oldenburg began teaching, and all things moved smoothly on until 1881, when Father Rudolf was transferred to Connersville, and Rev. Joseph Torbeck appointed to the pastorate of St. Joseph's. The school property was held by Father Rudolf, and this the congregation purchased from him on the advent of the new pastor. In 1883, a tract of land was purchased for a cemetery. In 1886, Father Tor- beck was transferred to New Alsace, Ind., and Rev. J. A. Kaelin was placed in charge of the St. Joseph congregation.
Up to this date, St. Joseph's, at Shelbyville, had been attached to St. Vincent's, Prescott, Ind., as a mission, but now St. Joseph's was created a parish and a mission at Acton attached. The first improvement made by Father Kaelin was a parsonage. A change made in the location of the railroad switch at Shelbyville proved to be damaging to the church property, and a piece of land was added to the church grounds, to the school grounds and to the parsonage lot. In 1895 the cemetery was abandoned, and very convenient and most desirable grounds, on the very edge of the town, adjoining Forest Hill, the city cemetery, was purchased for $1,500. These grounds comprise five acres, and on October 31, 1895, the deed was signed, grading immediately commenced, and the work of disinterment at the old, and re-interment in the new cemetery was begun December 14, the first corpse to be removed being that of the child of A. Minster. February 4, 1896, the IIOth and the last corpse was transferred, it being the son of Henry Sander. April 30, 1897, a monument, twenty-five feet in height, representing the crucifixion, was erected at the new cem- etery, facing the most frequented thoroughfare entering the city. This monument is of Bedford stone; the image of the Savior was carved in Brooklyn, N. Y., and is very imposing and suggestive to the traveled person of a cemetery outside the walls of an old city in Italy or Spain.
The real estate of the parish, however, is still unsatisfactorily situated, it being divided by an alley and a lot between the church and the school grounds. The project for the erection of a new church-building, which for some time past has been in contempla- tion, cannot therefore be consummated, owing to this unfortunate
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circumstance, but the design will no doubt be carried out in the near future.
The families constituting the congregation of St. Joseph, at the time of the building of the church in 1867, numbered about thirty- five; they now number 175. The societies to the church com- prise St. Ann's Ladies' Altar society, established by Rev. J. P. Gillig in 1865; the Young Ladies' sodality of the commandery of Knights, the league of the Sacred Heart, and William Tell com- mandery of the Knights of St. John, No. 178 (the latter with a membership of thirty), and all in flourishing circumstances and zealous in their work.
SHELDON, ALLEN COUNTY.
St. Aloysius' Church at Sheldon had its origin about 1858, in the autumn of which year Rev. Jacob Mayer, of Decatur, began visiting the scattered Catholics living in the neighborhood. He first held services at the residence of Frederick Weaver, in Pleas- ant township, and the year following it was agreed among the faithful that a small church should be erected. The Miller and Harber families, pioneers of the neighborhood, took upon them- selves the charge of building a structure of frame, 29 x 36 feet, and Christian Miller donated three acres of land for church purposes. In 1878 an additional acre was purchased for a cemetery.
Rev. J. Mayer was succeeded as pastor of this mission by Rev. M. Kink, and he by Rev. A. L. Meile, and then followed Revs. T. Hibbelen, W. Woeste, and J. Nussbaum. During the administration of the last named, the church was enlarged and a spire erected, at a cost of $1, 500. The first resident pastor was Rev. F. . Koerdt, who took charge July 30, 1876, decorated the interior of the church and also paid off an outstanding debt of $400. October 17, 1876, he opened a school, with thirty-eight pupils, in a little frame building, and in 1877 completed a pastoral residence at a cost of $4,000. In 1882, a two-story brick school- house was erected, also at a cost of $4,000, and this is now attended by about sixty pupils, under charge of three Sisters of St. Agnes. July 23, 1896, Rev. F. Koerdt was transferred to Fort
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Wayne, and was succeeded at Sheldon by the Rev. Rudolph J. Denk, the present accomplished pastor.
SHOALS, MARTIN COUNTY.
The history of Catholicity at Shoals may be said to have begun in June, 1853, when Clement J. Horsey deeded lots 59, 60, 61, 101, 102, 103, 104, 47 and 48, to Bishop de St. Palais as a site for a church. At least, this is the first record in the county that concerns Catholicity in the town of Shoals, which was then called Memphis. Mr. Horsey was a non-Catholic, and doubtless had no motive in making the donation other than the hope of financial profit, which he expected to reap from the advanced price at which he would be enabled to sell the surrounding land, most of which he then owned, if a church were built in the neigh -. borhood, and in this hope he was not disappointed.
Rev. Father Murphy of St. Mary's visited the place about this. time, and it was he who collected the money with which to pay for the erection of the first church. His chief contributors were per- sons who were employed on the O. & M. R. R., which was then being built, and these same people largely constituted the congre- gation as first organized in after years. Part of the donated lots were sold by Father Quinlan for the purpose of buying ground for a cemetery. This latter is just northeast of the town, adjoining the town cemetery.
In 1869 the church was built by Rev. L. Gueguen (then at Loogootee). Thomas Hart, a Mr. Kimmiling (who resided at Shoals temporarily), and Martin Mohr were trustees during the building of the church. Thomas Gormely was treasurer for a time at this early period, and Martin Mohr, who was a stonemason, did much to start and build the church. Trustee Thomas Hart, whose sons are substantial aiders of the church, deserves to be mentioned. In fact, all the Catholics residing here were willing helpers. The church is a neat brick, 60 x 30 feet, and is under the patronage of St. Louis, the name doubtless being proposed by the pastor, because of his own Christian name. The two-story frame pastoral residence stands on two lots facing the church, and was built by Rev. Father Quinlan, in 1878, at a cost of only $500; (432)
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