Franklin County, Indiana

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Father John A. Kohlman in his 1919 Directory of St.Peter Church described Neuwaldstadt: “In those days the entire region wasa vast stretch of wild, virgin forest, into which, as it appeared, onlya casual settler here and there found his way. However, these brave andcourageous young men, undaunted and undismayed at the hazardous undertakingof attempting to establish their homes and seek their fortunes in the heartof an immense forest, where probably only beasts of prey had hitherto trodden,and where the axe of the ‘invader’ had not yet left its mark, forthwithassumed the arduous task which a guiding Providence has outlined for them.”

The new settlers, having purchased government lands,went about the task of building single room log cabins. As these firsthomes were being constructed, additional families from the Old World werealready arriving to take their place along with the first Neuwaldstadters.

In the midst of this, the people of Neuwaldstadtturned their attention to their spiritual wellbeing. Having been accustomedto the availability of both Catholic church and priest in their Old Worldhomes, they found the forests of Indiana in this regard severely lacking.In the spring of 1834, two German Catholics, Mr. John Heimburger of Yorkridgeand Mr. Ripperger of Neuwaldstadt were met by Father Joseph Ferneding,“The Apostle of the Germans.” It seems their meeting took place by chanceas the two gentlemen were on their way to a mill on the Whitewater River.Looking across the river, the men saw a man on horseback who they thoughtlooked like a priest. Hearing the men speaking German, Father Fernedingasked if there were any Catholics in the vicinity. The men informed himof Catholics in the surrounding areas and the noble Father promised togo back with them. The next day he celebrated Mass atthe home of Mr. Heimburger with the promise that in the future he wouldreturn to the same village and also pay a visit to the Catholics at Neuwaldstadt.

In the meantime, the Neuwaldstadters decorated alarge, hollow tree with various icons and religious emblems and fasteneda large portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary within. The tree acted as sacredplace where the people could gather to pray and sing. These devotions wereusually directed by Michael Ripperger. In addition to this, the peoplealso made pilgrimages to New Alsace in order to attend Mass at the church in thatlocation.

As early as the summer of 1834, Father Fernedingvisited Neuwaldstadt and said Mass in the homes of William Geis and AdamRipberger. Father promised to return and encouraged the congregation tocommence the building of a house of worship. In 1835 the erection of asimple log church was begun. Land for the church was deeded to Bishop Brutéby Michael and Margaret Ripperger, Regina Ripberger and son John, and MargaretGeis and sons. On October 23, 1836, Ignatz Ripberger, one of the originalfounders, died. He was buried beside the church in what was to become St.Peter’s Cemetery. In July, 1838, Bishop Bruté blessed the completedchurch and dedicated it to St. Peter. The new church having been namedSt. Peter caused the surrounding community to be known by thesame.

With the new church in place, Father Ferneding increasedthe regularity of his visits and came once a month from 1839 until February1842. After Father Ferneding left the service of the diocese, Father MichaelO’Rourke of Dover assisted until 1844.

Father Charles Oppermann celebrated Mass occasionallyat St. Peter until Father William Engeln was appointed the first residentpastor of St. Peter in 1844. In 1852, Father began collecting funds forthe building of a new brick church. In 1853, the present church was completedand dedicated by Bishop de Saint Palais. Upon the departure of Father Engelnin October of 1855 the church became a mission of the other local parishes.The priests which administered to St. Peter at that time included FatherJoseph Rudolph, Father Weber, Father Beerschneider, Father Henry Köring,and Father Januarius Weisenberger.

In 1859 Father Leo Osrenkar, O.F.M., was appointedas the second resident pastor. Father Leo did much to enhance the beautyof the church by purchasing two bells, a high altar, and a fresco painting.In 1875, Father provided for the educational needs of St. Peter’s youngstersby building a new school house and soliciting the teaching skills of theSisters of St. Francis at Oldenburg, Indiana. The Sisters stayed as teachersuntil 1971 when the school was closed. After twenty-three years as pastorof St. Peter, Father Leo died in May, 1882. He is buried in St. Peter Cemeteryamong the many who he shepherded.

Father William Kemper succeeded Father Leo and wasresponsible for building the present rectory in 1883. He remained untilJuly, 1886, when Father Ferdinand Hundt took charge. The pastorate of FatherHundt marks a turbulent time in the history of St. Peter parish. FatherHundt had a disagreement with members of the St. Peter school board anda petition was circulated asking for his removal. In response, the Bishopremoved Father Hundt and officially closed St. Peter’s from Easter 1889to November, 1891. During this time the parishioners went to church atOak Forest, St. Mary-of-the-Rocks and St. Leon. The children were likewiseschooled at these locations.

In time St. Peter reopened and has since been a vitalparish. The succeeding pastors of St. Peter have been:

Record of Contributors for the St. Peter Church Building Fund, 1853-1860: