Houses Of Worship La Porte County, Indiana Michigan City, Indiana

	Michigan City, Indiana Photos
The first St. Mary's Catholic Church 1859-1869 southwest corner 4th & Washington Sts. MC	St. Mary's & Parsonage Michigan City, Indiana	Church Of God 1951 Commemorative Plate foot note 2
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church 1st church built 1856 SE corner Spring & 9th Sts. Also used as the church parochial school 1867-1882	St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church built in 1867 SE corner Franklin & 9th Sts	St. Paul's Lutheran Church Corner of Franklin and 9th Streets
St. Stanislaus Church	St. Mary's Catholic Church - 1950 SW corner 10th & Buffalo Sts. MC

The Michigan City Library has written a wonderful article on the churches and beginnings of the "Making of a Community" - THE MAKING OF A COMMUNITY was written by Elwin G. Greening, editor of The News-Dispatch.

Michigan City and Michigan Township Churches Data - Studied and Contributed by: Patricia Harris

First Christian Church of Michigan City - 47 active Charter members met on August 11, 1907 in a tent on south Franklin St. and organized. The Rev. T. J. Legg acting as chairman. - Agreement and List of Charter Members - from Original Records
    Accepting the Bible as the inspired word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of Men, the teachings of the Holy Apostles as binding in vonversion and church membership, and the New Testament Scriptures as all sufficient in church government, we hereby constitute ourselves a congregation of Christians to be known as The First Christian Church or Church of Christ of Michigan City, Indiana.

Signed:

MICHIGAN CITY. [Laporte County] IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH. 1849. In all probability, the ancient and mysterious establishment known as A-ber-Cronk at the mouth of Trail Creek was a trading post for exchange for the Indians. It is here where Michigan City is located, and was early known as Baileytown, so called after Joseph Bailey, a trader and agent for the American Fur Company, about the year 1832. The directory for 1844 mentions Rev. M. de St. Palais in connection with Michigan City. The church records of St. mary's Church name the following early missionaries: Rev. R. A. Shortis, C. S. C., 1847-1852; Rev. C. Schilling, C. S. C., 1852-1853; Rev. A. Granger, C. S. C.; Rev. F. Cointet, C. S. C.; Rev. M. P. Rooney, C. S. C.; Rev. R. Wallace, C. S. C.; Rev. B. J. Force, C. S. C., from January 1853 to October 1854; and Father Schilling again, from October 1854 to March 1855 . Rev. Thomas Flynn, C. S. C., paid visits from March 1855 to December 7, 1856; Rev. E. B. Kilroy and Rev. B. Mager to October 25, 1857; on this date the Rev. Paul Gillen, C. S. C., was appointed the first resident pastor of Michigan City.

The first church was remodeled from a small warehouse to the size of about 20x30 feet, in 1849; it was situated on the corner of Washington and Second streets. This structure was replaced by a new frame church in 1854, and it is supposed was erected while Father Gillen was paying occasional pastoral visits here; the church was called St. Ambrose's Church. The Catholics of these early days were Irish, employed on the construction of the Michigan Central railroad. Gradually, however, German Catholics also settled in and about Michigan City. Rev. Martin Sherer, who resided at Laporte from 1854 to 1858, frequently visited Michigan City, and at his invitation [235] the Rev. F. X. Weninger, S. J., gave a mission for the Germans. He induced the Germans to build a church of their own, in 1859, on the corner of Washington and Fourth streets.

In 1856 a parochial school was established alongside of St. Amborse's Church, and a small frame dwelling for the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The priest's house, a small dwelling of three or four rooms, stood east of the church. The Catholic population being too small to maintain two separate parishes, the Rev. E. B. Kilroy was made pastor of both, while Father Sherer attended the Germans, from Laporte. Both Father Kilroy and Father Sherer were succeeded by Rev. George Steiner, as pastor of both churches from October 25, 1860 till September 21, 1864. Exclusive of labor and material donated, the cost of St. Ambrose's Church, school, Sisters' house and pastoral residence, did not exceed $1,500. The other, St. Mary's Church, costing $1,521.34 had a debt of $940.04, when Father Steiner took charge. The so-called trustees created many difficulties for the pastor, in their anxiety to manage the finances of the parish. However there was not much to manage, when we see from the church books that the total receipts for the year 1861, amounted to $264.62; for 1862, $325.78; and for three months of 1863, $46.20. On August 1, 1863, Bishop Luers attended a meeting of the parish, at which certain rules for the government of both parishes were adopted.*

Rev. Julius Becks succeeded Father Steiner, and was pastor of both St. Ambrose and St. Mary's Churches, celebrating Mass in both churches, on every Sunday. This order of things continued until November 1, 1867, when both congregations were united, and began the construction of the present church, on Tenth and Buffalo streets. The number of souls, at this time, was from 120 to 150 families. The present St. Mary's Church, the school, the Sisters' Convent and the parochial residence stand on the ground purchased in 1852, for a cemetery. In this cemetery were buried the Catholics of Monon, Rensselaer, Lacrosse, Valparaiso, and Chesterton. Encroaching on the city limits this cemetery was condemned, and Father Becks purchased ten acres of ground to the south [236] of the present city cemetery. The remains of all the buried were removed to the new cemetery, which was consecrated by Bishop Luers, in 1865. Of the four acres of the old cemetery one full block and a three-quarter block were retained for church purposes.

St. Mary's Church was built in 1868, and dedicated by Bishop Luers in 1869. The cost of the church and of the frame priest's house was $23,450. The church is Gothic, having simple but neat decorations; the debt in 1885 was $5,965. Father Becks built the present church and the old priest's house.

The present pastor, Rev. John Bleckmann, was appointed to succeed Father Becks, on February 18, 1885. He has made many purchases and improvements, such as a new pipe organ for $1,500, new side altars for $800, frescoing of the church for $1,460, new pews for $1,365, gas and electric lighting with fixtures for $1,935, steam heating plant for $1,532, chime of church bells for $1,230. The seating capacity of the church is 600.

Father Bleckmann erected the school buildings in 1886; the dimensions are 90x70 feet, with the Sisters' residence of fifteen rooms to the rear of the school building, at a cost of $23,372. The sum of $2,675 has been spent since, on the school, for various improvements. The Sisters of the Holy Cross taught the school up to 1897, when the Sisters of Notre Dame took charge. The eight grades and three years of high school are being taught by ten Sisters, with an attendance of 366 pupils. In 1905, Father Bleckmann erected a new pastoral residence with all modern conveniences, at a cost of about $17,000, to replace the old frame building, which had become entirely unfit for use. Other improvements, such as grading of the grounds and cement walks around church, school, and priest's house, were made in the same year. The debt on the church property is $26,341. The pastor's calculations are, that this debt will be wiped out in five years.

St. Mary's Church has the following societies: St. Joseph's Aid Society, since 1862; St. Joseph's Altar Society, since 1876; Foresters, German and English Courts, since 1887; St. Aloysius' Sodality, for Boys; The Rosary Society for Married Women, since 1856; Ancient Order of Hibernians, since 1888; [237] Knights of Columbus, since 1904; the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception, with one hundred and twenty members, since 1876; the Children of Mary, with sixty-five members, and the Purgatorian Society, with eighty members. The Altar society furnished new altars, pulpit and statuary. The Young Ladies' sodality and the Rosary Society have done much towards furnishing both the church and the pastoral residence. St. Mary's Parish has 454 families, numbering 2531 souls. The parish has given the Church six priests, and, various religious communities, sixteen sisters.

Father Becks' assistants were Rev. A. Ellering and Rev. C. Romer. Father Bleckmann had the following assistants: Rev. J. H. Werdein, from July 1888 to July 1890; Rev. E. J. Wrobel, from July 1890 to January 15, 1891; Rev. Gregory Zern, from June 21, 1895 until September 24, 1896; Rev. George Schramm, for a short time; Rev. Herman Juraschek, from September 24, 1896 until July 1897; Rev. George Horstmann, till August 1900; Re. Thomas Jansen, till February 1903; Rev. William C. Miller, till August 28, 1906; Rev. John Oberholz, till June 8, 1907, when Rev. John Bleckmann succeeded him. On the fourth Sunday of each month, the pastor of St. Mary's celebrates Mass for the Catholic inmates of the State Prison, at Michigan City. *One of the rules adopted was: "Dass die Gemeinde ihren Seelsorger die Befoerderung ihrer geistlichen sowohl als auch materiellen Vortheile gaenzlich ueber lasse und in ihm den Vorstand. Secretaer, Schatzmeister, kurz den Gemeinde-oder-Kirchen-Vor-Neben-Hinter-und-Beisteher erkenne." The minutes of the meeting were signed, Rev. G. Steiner.

LaPorte County Index Page - Genweb