History of St. Joseph

Historic Timeline of the Catholic Community in Southern Harrison County

The parishes of St. Joseph, Most Precious Blood, and St. Peter began in the "Indiana Territory" of a New Nation. There were few overland routes through the wilderness of the "Great West", and travel was mostly by water. For this reason, the early Catholic Churches in this portion of the "Indiana Territory" were built close to the major navigable streams, such as the Ohio River, Mosquito Creek, Big and Little Indian Creeks and Buck Creek. Writings and verbal communications show that Mass was being offered in the homes of Catholics within the bounds of our present parish, as early as the mid 1700's.

In 1789, John Carroll was made Bishop of the "Whole United States". The "Whole" consisted of the thirteen States of the Eastern Seaboard and all the territory west to the Mississippi. To aid in ministering to Catholics who were settling in this vast midland wilderness, Bishop Carroll accepted the services of many missionary priests and assigned them to work in the Territory that was to become the Diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky and the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana.



This portion of Indiana (Harrison County), because of its proximity to Bardstown, and because it was on the route to Vincennes, became the '"unofficial" responsibility of the Bardstown priests. It was not until 1834, when Vincennes became a diocese that our area came under the administration of what was to become the Archdiocese of Indianapolis of today.

St. Michael

Dogwood, Webster Township, Harrison County

Two miles southeast of Dogwood, Indiana, the first church of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis was built. Named St. Michael, it had its beginning in the family of John Jacob Miller, a Pennsylvania Catholic, who staked a government grant on the banks of Buck Creek in 1814.

Indiana was not yet a State, but the news Mr. Miller received from friends traveling the Vincennes Trace (now Highway US 150) told him he had made a wise choice for land, and it would soon be part of the Union.

Among his friends were priests fleeing Europe and seeking out the Catholics of the "wilderness". It is assumed that since Mr. Miller's vocation was that of a "dyer" those of the Clergy, who wore black by custom, were among his customers. Mr. Miller knew his friends traveling westward would seek him out, so when he built his cabin on the new land grant, he set aside one room as a chapel. He and his guests could stay and Mass could be offered. Mr. Miller's Chapel became a regular stop on the "Western Mission Trail", and in 1820, permission was granted by the Diocese at Bardstown to establish a mission at Dogwood. Mr. Miller was determined that this Parish would announce the establishment of the Catholic faith in Indiana, so the name selected was St. Michael the Archangel.

In 1928, St. Michael was officially closed, however, as late as 1949 Rome was still counting Dogwood as a Mission of Frenchown.

St. Peter

Buena Vista, Taylor Township

The first Mass offered at Buena Vista was in the home of Mr. Stoeth between the years 1833 - 1838. In 1849, a log church was built by Father J.P. Dion, then pastor at St. Mary, Lanesville. With no resident pastor, the zeal of the parish sometimes lagged, but in 1857 Father Alphonse Munschina, who had become pastor at Lanesville, rekindled the faith, and, with the cooperation of the parishioners, built an A-frame church to replace the log one. In newspaper accounts of Father Munschina's pastorate, it was noted that, "He directed the spiritual life of St. Peter's for 20 years and the parish grew."

In 1884, Father Peckskamp recognized a need for a more modern church located on a more accessible road, and St. Peter's was rebuilt at the present site. St. Peter was closed in 2018.

Most Precious Blood

New Middletown, Webster Township

The parish of Most Precious Blood had its beginnings in the home of Anthony Kannapel, where Father Francis Xavier deLangie offered Mass during the years 1873 to 1880. Father deLange was pastor at Frenchtown until 1877, when he relinquished that charge to become the first resident pastor at Laconia, and then in 1880 built the first church at New Middletown dedicating it to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. Father deLangie's "new" church was fifty feet long, twenty-six feet wide, and faced south toward the town. Father thought that a bell was important, and, in 1882, he installed a 440 pound bell, which still hangs in the belfry. This pioneer priest also built a rectory on the west side of the church. On November 1, 1882, Bishop Francis S. Chatard came from Indianapolis to bless the church and new bell. At the same time, he placed Laconia, Buena Vista, and Dogwood under deLangie's jurisdiction.

Father Joseph Gerdon and Father William Gerdon were the first priests to be ordained from Most Precious Blood and are buried in the church cemetery. They were followed into the priesthood by their nephew Albert Wiche, who became past at his home parish.

In 1923 Most Precious Blood was threatened by fire coming from a Methodist church one block south, but the church was saved by parishioners and town people. In 1927, Most Precious Blood was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin, and was rebuilt by the summer of 1929 with the building as it appears today. In 1927, Fr. Joseph Trible also began the tradition of an annual picnic.

In 1893, St. Joachim was built at Locust Point, and was a mission of Most Precious Blood.

Most Precious Blood was closed in 2018.

St. Joachim

Locust Point (Bridgeport) Posey Township

George and Catherine Bower (Bauer) of Locust Point deeded eight acres of land in 1870 to be used for a Catholic Church and cemetery. It is believed that Father J.P. Dion built the church at Locust Point in 1870, but the Archives of the Indianapolis Diocese credit Father August Perkskamp, then pastor of New Middletown, with building St. Joachim's Church in 1893, and marks this as the beginning of St. Joachim as a mission. If Father Dion built a church here, then it was during or prior to the time that he was a pastor at St. Croix.

It can be assumed that due to the proximity of Locust Point to the Ohio River, and the fact that it was a favorite flatboat stop and fueling spot for river packets, that priests traveling this MidAmerica Highway did indeed say Mass and administer the Sacraments to Catholics here long before 1870. Church records show that St. Joachim was still a Mission of Most Precious Blood in 1903 when Father Will Gerdon listed a parish here of approximately 46 souls. Although there are no recorded notes of Mass being offered at St. Joachim after 1923, the mission was not officially discontinued until 1930.

St. Joseph Corydon

Harrison Township

The history of Catholicism in Corydon begins in uncertainty, according to Father James Holland who composed a history in 1923. It is known that Father "Horseback" Neyron of St. Mary's in New Albany visited Catholics in the Corydon area about twice a year as early as 1843. No records remain as to who these Catholic families were. Father August Bessonies, pastor at Leopold in Perry County, noted in his autobiography that he offered Mass in Corydon in the summer of 1848 at the home George Wahl. The Wahl home would later become the convent of the Sisters of St. Benedict. It is also known that Father Charles Oppermann of Bardstown, Kentucky visited Corydon and administered the sacraments sometime in the early 1800s.

From 1843 to 1895, Corydon was considered a mission station of St. Croix, Lanesville, Frenchtown, New Albany and finally New Middletown. In 1893 Father Joseph Gerdon, pastor at New Middletown, with the help of Corydon businessmen, J. J. Bulleit, L. Gerhring, E. Jaegers, and J. Rucker, secured a lot and funds to build a church. Construction began at the northeast corner of High and Mulberry Streets in October 1896. That original structure was used as a cafeteria and church hall by the school and congregation until February of 2009 when the present parish hall and school addition were completed. Father Gerdon named the new mission St. Joseph, for his patron saint. In April of 2009 the old church was razed.

On August 15, 1976, at the time of the United States’ bi-centennial, the parish sponsored the “Pilgrimage of History”, a Mass in which 500 persons participated, beginning at St. Peter’s. As school buses transported the people from St. Peter’s to Most Precious Blood, they prayed the rosary. From there, they traveled to St Joseph and ended at St. Michael. History of all our churches was read at each stop along with parts of the Mass.

In 1986 construction of the new St. Joseph Church was completed. The new church was dedicated on August 24, 1986 by Archbishop Edward T. O'Meara. In 2008, St. Joseph opened a parish hall for the tri-parish.

In 2022, St. Joseph and St. Mary in Lanesville began sharing a pastor. 

Since 1989, our Catholic community has been ministered to by:

• 1989 - 1993 Father Harry Tully
• 1993 - 1994 Father Pius Pfeiffer
• 1994 - 1998 Father Ernie Waechter
• 1998 - 2000 Father Mauro Rodas
• 2000 - 2005 Father Louis Manna
• 2005 - 2010 Father Dan Atkins
• 2010 - 2019 Father Rob Hankee
• 2019 - Present Father Kyle Rodden
  

St. Joseph School

Corydon, Indiana

For half a century, all the pastors had a dream to build a school to serve the three parishes of St. Joseph, St. Peter, and Most Precious Blood. In 1952, Father Richard Hillman, with the help of Father George Todd, broke ground and began construction for on the two-story building that would house a school on the second floor and a church and hall on the first. In 1953 St. Joseph School opened with three Sisters from the Order of St. Benedict at Ferdinand, Indiana, Sister Mary John, Sister Mary Raymond, and Sister Wilfrieda, and one lay teacher, Mrs. Fay McPhillips.

In 1961, Father Todd was suddenly stricken with and died of acute leukemia. Father Hillman requested a transfer to spend his last years at his home parish, St. Andrew in Richmond, Indiana. He died there in 1974.

Father Ernest Strahl was appointed pastor in 1961 with Father Thomas Williams as his assistant. Fr. Strahl remodeled the old church into a cafeteria and made changes to the school.

On Sunday, May 19, 1985, the graduating class broke ground for a new church. The first Mass was said in the church on May 1, 1986. The dedication followed on August 24, 1986.

On April 13, 2008, under the direction of Dan Atkins, ground was broken for the new parish hall. In February 2009, the parish hall was completed. In 2010, the demolition of the old church and construction of the new parking lot was completed.