St. Joseph Parish in Jennings County celebrates 175 years of faith

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson prays the eucharistic prayer during a Mass on Aug. 16 marking the 175th anniversary of St. Joseph Parish in Jennings County. With him at the altar are, left, Deacon Lawrence French, Father Christopher Craig and Father Jonathan Meyer. (Submitted photo by Jennifer Lindberg)

By Jennifer Lindberg

JENNINGS COUNTY—In the rural roads and farmlands of Jennings County, where Six Mile Creek once flooded the dirt roads and reindeer reportedly roamed near Sulphur Springs, a small parish named St. James began in 1850.

This year, that same community—renamed St. Joseph Parish in 1892—celebrates 175 years of unwavering endurance and faith.

To honor this milestone, the parish hosted a 175th anniversary celebration on Aug. 16 with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. It was also an occasion to install Father Christopher Craig as the new pastor of St. Joseph and St. Ann parishes in Jennings County and St. Mary Parish in North Vernon.

“You are fulfilling the call of ministry,” Archbishop Thompson said. “We must live out our call to holiness and mission … and transform the world along the way.”

The original St. James mission territory, made up of land, people and parish, began in the town of Buena Vista, meaning “good view,” but became commonly referred to as Four Corners after the four prominent buildings that marked the intersection of two main country roads. On the northeast stood the original St. James Church, rectory and cemetery. Across the road were a school, a general store, a dance hall and a saloon. The other corners held a blacksmith shop and a home. Today, only the church and cemetery remain on the long stretch of country road.

Father Joseph Thie arrived to lead the parish in 1891. He had St. James Church torn down, oversaw the construction of the current church building and renamed the parish St. Joseph. The congregation, originally German, had broken off from the nearby Irish community that founded the former St. Catherine Parish, whose cemetery still survives.

This history all points to one core truth, said Father Bobby Vogel, a son of St. Joseph Parish who was ordained in 2024 and is now parochial vicar of St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis.

“Faith took root in this little humble place of Four Corners,” Father Vogel said. “Jesus Christ showed up and loved us. Most people don’t even know where Four Corners is, but the Lord shows up and makes himself present in the holy Eucharist.”

Father Vogel’s grandfather, Gilbert Vogel, said something must be working right in this little corner of the world.

“The people all grew up around here and took a big interest in the church, or we wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

Most families have stayed in the area, and those who left always seem to come back and remember this community where their faith was first nurtured.

“We always helped one another, and this made us a community in the body of Christ,” said Steve Elsner, a Houston resident who grew up in the parish. His family’s roots at St. Joseph go back more than 100 years, with ties to the local farming community since at least 1919.

Juanita “Gerth” McClellan, who grew up at St. Joseph and is related to some of the founding members, the Haags, remembers the old schoolhouse that used to stand at St. Joseph Parish. She attended vacation Bible school offered by Benedictine sisters who stayed at the school during the summer. She also remembers square dances and community functions at St. Joseph that created an atmosphere of family and faith.

Mary Ann Maschino, who grew up in nearby St. Ann Parish and became a member of St. Joseph when she married Roger Maschino in 1957, also talked about the importance of the Catholic faith they all lived with children being baptized, prayers being recited and all serving the parish in various roles.

“It’s like one big family,” Maschino said.

The celebration also brought a special letter from Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, who served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish from 1995 to 1998, while also being vocation director for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

“It is a providential time which we are happy to share with you,” Archbishop Etienne said, “because the Archdiocese of Seattle is celebrating 175 years as well.

“Celebrating the arrival of the faith and the proclamation of the Gospel in our responsive parts of the country … is no small event,” Archbishop Etienne wrote.

For many, it seems St. Joseph has been in the area forever. This continuous legacy is what struck Father Craig on his first night as pastor of St. Joseph. He resides at St. Joseph’s rectory, which overlooks the farmland and hills where Catholics raised their families and planted their faith.

“My first night here, I walked the cemetery reflecting on all the people who built this church,” Father Craig said. “This is a very sacred thing to think about and ponder all those who have gone before us, and it builds the community of saints.

“Some of the gravestones go back to the 1800s, and I think about how these people made a contribution to the Church,” he continued. “It’s powerful to discover all these several generations.”

It’s remembering the past that leads to the future, said Deacon Lawrence French, whose family helped settle the area.

“If you do not remember what you have, you lose perspective of what you have,” he said. “And you see that this didn’t happen overnight.”
 

(Jennifer Lindberg is a freelance writer and a member of St. Mary Parish in North Vernon.) †

 

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