St. Meinrad Parish

Archdiocese of Indianapolis    #137

St. Meinrad, Indiana

In 1853, Fathers Ulrich Christen and Bede O’Connor, two Benedictine monks from the Swiss-German Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln, arrived in southern Indiana. They came in response to a request by Father Joseph Kundek, a Croatian missionary priest who had founded St. Boniface Mission in nearby Fulda.

Father Kundek dreamed of establishing Catholic churches in southern Indiana to minister to the increasing influx of European immigrants, most of whom were from Germany, but whose minsters were French-speaking. Father Kundek needed German-speaking priests. The Abbey of Einsiedeln, in turn, was glad to send over monks because there was political instability in Switzerland at that time, and the monastery’s future was uncertain.

Hence, the Swiss monks founded the Abbey of Saint Meinrad in 1854. The monastery, in turn, founded a town nearby so that people could live near the church and the newly settled monastic community. The parish was founded on January 21, 1861, the feast of the martyr St. Meinrad, a monk known for his extraordinary charity and hospitality in what is now known as Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Einsiedeln means “hermitage” in German. January 21, 1861 was also the 1,000^th anniversary of the death of Saint Meinrad. Eight days later, this new German Catholic settlement was established as the town of St. Meinrad.

Many Benedictine monks were teachers by profession, and they began a small school to teach the local children grammar and trades. This school ultimately became a seminary – a school of formation for future priests, continuing that mission today. In 1861, a grade school was founded for the Catholic education of the parish’s children. Benedictine Sisters from the Monastery Immaculate Conception in nearby Ferdinand assisted in staffing the school. The first school building was occupied from 1861 until a new parish school building was completed in 1947. The North Spencer County School Corporation leased the parish school for a number of years before it closed in 1993.

The original parish church was located in the log cabin that housed the monastic community. Another wooden church structure was constructed soon after to serve the sacramental needs of the growing monastery, seminary, and parish communities. Then, from the church building’s dedication in 1907 until 1960, the parish community worshipped with the monks in what is now known as the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, with its beautiful Romanesque design.

To strengthen the parish’s identity and meet its ever-growing spiritual and pastoral needs, it was decided that a new parish church, separate from the monastery, was needed. In 1955, Father Raban Hathorn, OSB, launched a capital campaign for the construction of the new church. Four years later, in 1959, Father Peter Behrman, OSB, broke ground for the construction. On March 27, 1960, Archbishop Paul Schulte of Indianapolis dedicated the new parish church.           
 
The parish church was fashioned from sandstone obtained from the monastery quarry. Beneath its terrazzo floor was a state-of-the -art in-floor heating system. The stained glass windows depict the Beatitudes, linking the parish church with Archabbey Church and its windows on the Beatitudes. Taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5, the windows illustrate the groups Jesus called “blessed” or “happy.”
 
The Stations of the Cross along the interior walls were designed by Father Donald Walpole, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. They were given to the parish in 2001 from a closed mission church in the Dakotas where Benedictine monks had served for many years. The Stations portray images from Jesus’ way to his death, coupled with Scripture passages that Jesus fulfilled.
 
The choir loft is located in the back of the nave. It was fitted for a pipe organ, but because of cost, this dream was not realized. To accent the large space, Alvin C. Ruxer gifted the parish with a large stained glass window where the organ manual and ranks of pipes would have been installed. The statue of Our Lady of Einsiedeln with the Child Jesus was originally in the Archabbey Church, but when Saint Meinrad’s mother abbey gifted the Archabbey with a replica of the Black Madonna in 1954, the parish inherited the original statue.

The two main focal points of the sanctuary are the Altar of Sacrifice and the Ambo, both of which were recently crafted. Their stone construction harmonizes with the church’s overall design, providing a sense of stability. Behind them are the original High Altar and the Tabernacle, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.

The Tabernacle and the ornaments on the sanctuary walls were crafted by Elmer “Billy” Fischer. The Tabernacle is crafted from copper, and its moving parts were repurposed from an old clock owned by the parish. The ornaments on the sanctuary walls depict the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, and the top (fourth) ornament depicts the complete union of the Persons of the Trinity.

The community has continued to grow since the founding of the parish and the town, with over 230 families in our pews. Since the town’s founding, the Catholic faith has nourished the faith of many persons in the town of St. Meinrad and surrounding areas. In 2000, St. Meinrad began a fall picnic as a significant parish gathering and reunion for those who once called St. Meinrad home. In 2011, the parish celebrated the 150^th anniversary of its founding.

Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity have been integral in the faith formation of St. Meinrad Catholic Church. We give thanks to God for the many blessings our parish has experienced and ask for God’s provident hand to guide us in peace along our pilgrim path toward the eternal kingdom.