The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 2, Page 11.
ERNEST PRIESTS BUILD FOUNDATION FOR CHURCHES
Large Catholic Congregations And Splendid Edifices Attest To Pioneering of
Missionaries
Ernest Roman
Catholic missionary priests challenged religious attention in Porter county as
early as 1845, locating among the pioneers. There were a few Catholics living in
the vicinity of Valparaiso in the decade from 1840 to 1850, and there is a story
to the effect that the First Holy Sacrifice of Mass was offered in the vicinity
of Valparaiso about two miles northwest of Valparaiso, on the old P. T. Clifford
farm, by Father Strenka, though history does not record his name.
For several years Catholics living in Valparaiso were occasionally attended by
the priests of the society of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Ind. Among some of
these early missionaries were Father Kilroy, Father Curley, Father Cointet,
Father Paul Gillen, familiarly known as Father Paul. It was through his efforts
that St. Paul's church was commenced, though he left before it was completed,
and for a time no efforts were made to finish the building or to hold regular
services.
The "groves were God's first temples," and they, too, served for the first
Catholic church near Valparaiso. The first class of children prepared for Holy
Communion was instructed by Father Paul under the large oak trees then standing
in what is now Emmettsburg. It was Father Gillen who gave the local church its
name, St. Paul's, after Paul the Apostle.
When the State of Indiana was divided by cutting off the diocese of Fort Wayne
from that of Vincennes, Valparaiso naturally fell into the dioceses of Fort
Wayne.
Immediately the newly appointed bishop of Fort Wayne, Right Rev. J. H. Luers, D.
D., attempted to locate a resident pastor in Valparaiso. The Rev. Father Clarke,
who remained here but a few days. After he came Rev. George Hamilton, who was
one of the ablest priests in the diocese. He remained but a short time.
After that time, the church, speaking of the material edifice, did not exist.
There were, however, a number of Catholic families from different parts of the
United States and Canada, who formed the nucleus from which the congregation
grew. They were deeply interested in the spiritual development of the tiny
settlement and endeared intense hardships in the pursuit of their religious
beliefs. Among some of these residents of Valparaiso in the late fifties were
the families of LeClaire, Foster, Dumas, O'Donahue, Howe, McAuliffe, Stokes,
Daly, Clifford and Bennett.
About that time the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad was under
construction, and many of the Catholics about Valparaiso belonged to that class
that follows the work of such character, roving from place to place as public
works or railroads were to be built. Such persons while true to their religious
beliefs in a way, were not deeply interested in the establishment of churches.
A small number of Catholics, however, settled down in the county and purchased
lands. In time they became able to support a resident pastor and Rev. John Force
came to establish a parish. He was a man of rare literary ability, and an able
preacher, and would have succeeded in his mission, but his death occurred soon
after coming to Valparaiso. Next came Father Botti, a splendid scholar, but
lacking in all those traits that made his predecessor popular. In a short time
he became involved in controversies and law suits, until he was finally recalled
by the bishop.
After Father Botti came Father Michael O'Reilly, fresh from college, after his
ordination to the priesthood. The advent of Father O'Reilly in Valparaiso marked
the beginning of the organized congregation of St. Paul's. When he arrived here
he found the affairs of the Catholic church in the worst possible state -- the
church, poor as it was, closed under an injunction; law suits pending on every
hand; debts unlimited to be paid; a bitter division of sentiment amongst the
members of the congregation; no pastoral residence; no school for the youth. In
a word, nothing that could give the least encouragement toward the important
work of organizing a congregation.
However, in the face of all these difficulties, he went to work. He walked
through the deep snows of January, 1863, from house to house, and told the
people as fast as he could find them, that he was here to be their resident
priest, and that he was determined to stay. He rented "Hughart's Hall," now the
upper story of Wilson's hardware store, for $2 per Sunday. Here he celebrated
mass on an extemporized altar, preached and taught the few children he could
gather together. For mass on week days he went from house to house as people who
knew his wants might invite him. After a very unpleasant series of law suits, on
Easter Sunday, 1863, he first secured the use of the old church.
Before this building was ever finished, it was allowed to run into partial
decay. The first was to repair it, so that it could be used. As soon as the
church was rendered habitable, the pastor at once opened a day of school in it.
This was the beginning of St. Paul's school, which from that time to the
present, were never closed one single day of the scholastic year.
As soon as Father O'Reilly saw the possibility of establishing a congregation,
he quietly purchased an acre of ground, where he determined to erect all future
buildings for the use of the congregation. In due time he erected St. Paul's
school without any encouragement, as he received direct donations for that
purpose only the sum of $35. The building cost at the time about $8,000, as it
was built during the time of the War of the Rebellion, when gold carried it
highest premium. The school was immediately opened with three teachers.
During this time, Father O'Reilly lived in different rented houses, with great
inconveniences, often quite far from the church and schools. He now determined
to erect a pastoral residence. This was done with much labor on his part, but
with far more assistance from the congregation. To continue the schools with
secular teachers, as a large number were required, was found to be very
expensive, so he took steps to secure the services of a religious order of
teachers who could not only serve the congregation at less expense, but also
teach music, drawing, painting and all styles of needlework. To this end he
secured the Sisters of Providence. But first he was obliged to provide a
dwelling home for them. This was done with liberal assistance on the part of the
congregation.
The sisters opened the school on the first Monday in September, 1872. As the
school increased, further improvements were required. A music hall was soon
erected. No school in Porter county has sent out a larger number of good
teachers, for its number of pupils enrolled, than St. Paul's.
In 1880, Father O'Reilly started a movement for a new church building. Dividing
his congregation into a number of divisions, Father O'Reilly appointed a certain
number of young men to each of whom he gave a list of names. These young men
were to call upon those whose names were given them and collect from each one
twenty-five cents a month.
The cornerstone of the present church building was laid on Sunday, October 7,
1883, by Bishop Dwenger, of Fort Wayne, assisted by priests from Fort Wayne,
Notre Dame, Warsaw, Plymouth and other places, some 8,000 or 10,000 people
witnessing the ceremonies. On October 17, 1886, the church was dedicated by
Bishop Dwenger. The building, a cathedral in size, is 153 feet long, with as
transept of 95 feet, a 65 foot nave and spire nearly 200 feet in height. It is
one of the largest churches in Indiana and cost $40,000.
Father O'Reilly lived less than a year after the church was finished. He died in
1887 at the age of fifty-four. He was sincerely mourned not only by his own
people but by the entire community. His funeral was one of the largest ever held
in this city. Today, after a lapse of forty years, his name is still a household
work in St. Paul's parish.
Father O'Reilly was succeeded by Father John Dempsey, who was pastor until 1898.
His successor was Rev. Louis A. Moench, who served until 1902, when he was
succeeded by Rev. William S. Hogan. Father Hogan's health failed and in 1914,
Father Edward J. Mungovan was appointed to take charge of St. Paul's.
During Father Mungovan's pastorate the parish made rapid progress, both
spiritually and materially. An able business man, he cleared off the debt on the
church and left the parish in a prosperous condition. He was transferred to All
Saint's church in Hammond in January, 1929, and his place was filled by Rev.
John A. Sullivan, former pastor at Gas City, and chaplain of the "Old Soldiers'
Home" at Marion. Last year, Rev. Sullivan made repairs to the interior of the
church building at a cost of $8,000.
The first Catholic church at Chesterton was erected in 1857. Rev. Father Kilroy
organized the church. Much assistance was received from the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern railroad.
Father Kilroy was succeeded by Father Flynn, of the order of Holy Cross. He came
to minister to the small congregation but a few times before the well known
Father Paul Gillen took charge of the church. Then for some years Calumet church
had no priest from Notre Dame. It was next supplied by Father Lawler, who then
was resident Catholic clergyman of LaPorte, and came once a month to the church.
The church struggled along without a resident pastor until 1867, when a request
was made to Right Rev. Bishop Leurs to send a priest into their midst. The
request was granted. A house and lot was purchased where the present property
stands. In 1868, Rev. John Flynn became resident priest and labored zealously at
Chesterton and at Westville until August 1, 1870, when he was claimed by death.
Father W. F. M. O'Rourke, who had come during Father Flynn's illness, now took
charge of the work. He was noted for his eloquence and learning and many came to
St. Patrick's church from a distance to hear his sermons. Father Timothy
O'Sullivan, pastor of Maywood, Ill., and brother of P. O'Sullivan, of
Valparaiso, then attended St. Patrick's congregation as a mission, and Calumet
church was again without a resident pastor.
Father P. Konez was the next priest, and now the town became known as
Chesterton. By this time the little frame church was too small, and as Father
Konez was unable to speak English or German fluently, Rev. M. O'Reilly, of
Valparaiso, came to Chesterton on several occasions to assist in raising money
to build a brick church. This was begun by the congregation, but finished by
Rev. John F. Lang. His health failing him, he was succeeded by Father Wardy, a
Frenchman by birth, and then at the advanced age of sixty-eight. He was not long
able to discharge the arduous duties that devolved upon him, and on July 21,
1870, Rev. H. F. J. Kroll took charge. Under his pastorate a new church was
built and six years later a parish house was added at a total cost of $16,000.
The church has a parochial school in charge of four Franciscan Sisters of St.
Kunegunda and has an attendance of 170 pupils. Rev. E. H. Eisenhardt is the
present pastor.
St. Mary's Catholic church at Kouts is composed largely of Catholic farmers in
this prosperous agricultural section of Porter county. The present pastor is
Rev. Augustyn Kondziela, who also has a mission at Wheatfield..
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook