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Catholic
Parish of St. Bavo, Mishawaka, In
Founded : 1903
Pastor: Fr. Barry England
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1. The Exterior of St. Bavo's
2. St. Bavo's School
3. St. Bavo's Interior
4. Another view of Interior
5. Another view of Interior
Genealogy Records
LDS Records
The Sacramental Records of St Bavo
have been filmed by the LDS
Church records, 1903-1989
Catholic Church. St. Bavo (Mishawaka, Indiana) (Main Author)
Microfilm of originals in the Diocese of
Fort Wayne-South Bend in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Text in English and Latin.
Most volumes individually indexed.
Some pages wanting, faded, torn, etc.
Deaths 1903-1989 - FHL US/CAN
Film [ 1617050 Item 2 ]
Baptisms 1903-1930 - FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617050 Item 3
]
Baptisms (cont.) 1929-1950 - FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617051
Item 1 ]
Marriages 1903-1947 - FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617051 Item 2
]
Confirmations 1905-1964 - FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617052
Item 1 ]
First communion 1905-1960 - FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617052
Item 2 ]
First communion (cont.) 1960-1968 - FHL US/CAN Film [
1617053 Item 1 ]
South Bend Public Library
http://www.libraryforlife.org/aboutsjcpl/departments/localhistory/stjoeresources/stjresources.html
Films are available in the Genealogy Center,
second floor, Crimp Film rolls 20-21-22
ROLL 20
Item 2
Deaths
1903-1989
Item 3
Baptisim
1903-1950
ROLL 21
Item 1
Baptisim
1903-1950 cont.
Item 2
Marriage
1903-1947
ROLL 22
Item 1
Confirmation
1905-1964
Item 6
Communion
1905-1968
Roll 23
Item 1
Communion
1905-1968
Research assistance is available at
574-282-4621 in the Genealogy center
Church Web Site and
Contact:
Web Site : www.stbavo.org
For Sacramental Records Contact St.
Bavo’s Parish
St Bavo Parish
511 W. 7th St.
Mishawaka, IN 46544
Phone: (574) 225-1437 Fax: (574) 255-0404
Sat: 5 p.m.
Sun:
7, 9, 11 a.m.
Weekday:
Tue, Wed, Fri: 8 a.m. Mon, Thu: 5 p.m.
Holy
day & Vigil: 7, 9 a.m. Vigil: 7 p.m.
Confessions: Sat: 9 to 10 a.m.
SOUTH
BEND. St. Joseph County.
St. Bavo (Belgian) Church.
1905.
St. Bavo parish history actually begins with the arrival of
the first Catholic Flemish immigrants to this area in the 1840s.
They worshiped with the German Catholic community at St. Joseph
Church. As the Flemish community grew, the need for a Belgian
priest to serve them became apparent. Father August Oechtering,
pastor of St. Joseph's, made the necessary arrangements to have a
Flemish speaking priest from Belgium sent to Mishawaka.
On September 2, 1902, Father Charles Stuer came from
Belgium to assist Father Oechtering. At first there was no
intention of organizing a separate parish for the Belgians. Most
of Father Stuer's duties consisted of looking after the spiritual
welfare of the Belgian people. Shortly after this arrangement was
made, Father Oechtering became ill and died. Since things had
changed, Father Stuer was going to leave Mishawaka, but before
leaving he conducted a Mission for the Belgians. The Mission was
a huge success. It revealed the number of Belgians in Mishawaka
and the need of a resident Flemish priest was realized.
In March of 1903, the Flemish people petitioned Bishop
Alerding of Fort Wayne for a parish of their own. Permission was
given, Father Stuer was named our first pastor and on May 3, 1903
a wood-frame building was dedicated at the corner of 8th and West
Streets to serve as church, school and hall.
On may 8th, 1904, a cornerstone for the present day
location of St. Bavo's Church, the second Catholic church in
Mishawaka, was blessed by Bishop Meerschaert of the Oklahoma and
the Indian Territory. This brick church at the corner of 7th and
West Streets was completed at the cost of $13,081.00 and was
dedicated on January 1, 1905. The parish consisted of one hundred
families at that time.
In February of 1989 the interior of the church underwent a
complete facelift. The sanctuary was refitted with new pews
throughout. The altar was brought out farther into the
congregation and the pews were turned inward. The old ceiling
tiles were replaced with wood paneling, the walls insulated and
replastered and a new Wicks pipe organ was placed behind the
altar in view of the congregation. A new baptismal font
constructed of Indiana limestone was placed alongside the altar.
Air conditioning and a rest room were also added. All the windows
in the church were professionally repaired and cleaned.
The Stations of the Cross that adorn the sanctuary in the
church were discovered by Fr. Shafer in the church basement.
These were the stations from the original wooden structure that
was used as a church in 1903.
As the parish grew, more special interest groups were
formed. It was soon decided that a Parish Center was needed. In
2000 plans were drawn and a major pledge drive was begun. We
undertook a $2 million project which included, raxing the old
convent for more parking, converting a four-car rectory garage
into a chapel, creating an addition to the school building for
handicapped accessible, parish meeting rooms, additional rest
rooms, new school staff offices, expanded library/media center,
expansion and modernization of the existing kitchen and a lot of
storage space. We dedicated the new building in 2003 as part of
our 100 year anniversary.
Items of Historical Interest
MISHAWAKA.
St. Joseph County.
St. Bavo's Church.
1903.
Rev. Louis de Seille was the first Belgian emigrant to America,
who came to St. Joseph county to labor and die here, as we have
recorded elsewhere. After him came other of his countrymen,
settling in South Bend and Mishawaka. Rev. August B. Oechtering,
pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Mishawaka, did all he could to
welcome these brethern in the faith, and secured for them the
serevices of priests of their own nationality, from time to time.
Owing to the efforts made by Father Oechtering, the Bishop of
Ghent sent a newly ordained Belgian priest, to take charge of the
Belgian Catholics in Mishawaka. It was Rev. Charles L. Stuer, who
arrived on September 29, 1902, and took up his residence with
Father Oechtering, as assistant. The death of Father Oechtering,
at the close of 1902, discouraged the young Belgian priest and he
concluded to seek another field of labor. Before going, however,
he would give the Belgians a mission, to disose them for their
Easter Communion. The attendance during this mission revealed the
fact, that the Belgian population of Mishawaka was much larger,
than had been suspected. In response to the visit of a committee,
Bishop Alerding visited Mishawaka, in March 1903, when it was
determined to organize a Belgian parish. In less than three days,
over $4,000 were subscribed, and in addition, Ivo Talleu donated
six lots, and Leo Bultinck donated the present priest's house. On
May 3, 1903 Bishop Alerding blessed a frame structure, 85x35
feet, to be used temporarily as a place of worship.
The corner-stone for St. Bavo's Church was laid, on May 8, 1904,
by Bishop Meerschaert, Vicar-apostolic of Indian Territory, a
Belgian by birth. It was on the first day of January, 1905, that
the church was solemnly dedicated to the service of Almighty God,
by Bishop Alerding. The parish has 201 families, numbering 975
souls. The amount of debt is $18,500. St. Bavo's has the Sodality
of the Children of Mary, with twenty-seven members; the Rosary
Confraternity, for Married Women, with fifty-four members; St.
Bavo's Society, for Men, with seventy-seven members.
In 1906, the building used temporarily for worship, together with
an addition built to it, was converted into a school of
four-rooms. Adjacent to this school building a commodious frame
residence was erected for the Sisters. The Dominican Sisters have
charge of the schools. Three of these Sisters are, at present,
teaching 120 children.
Source: Catholic Churches of
St. Joseph County
Source University of Notre Dame
Archives
http://archives.nd.edu/aidan/aidan522.htm
The Patron of St Bavo’s Church
Saint Bavo, also known as Bavon, Allowin,
Bavo of Ghent, Baaf, 589-564) is a Roman Catholic Saint.
Bavo was born in Brabant,
Belgium, a Belgian Nobleman originally named Allowin. Wild as a
youth, selfish. He was known to have sold servants to local
nobles as slaves. Bavo was converted to Christianity upon hearing
a sermon preached by Saint Amand.
He built an abbey on his grounds that was contributed to
Saint Amand and then became a monk. He finally distributed his
belongings to the poor and lived as a recluse, first in a hollow
tree, later in a cell in the forest near the Abbey.
He died at St. Bavo's Abbey, in today's Belgium
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia
Information submitted by: Jim Piechorowski and John Kovatch
Project Started: Saturday, September 10, 2005
Updated: Sunday, September 11, 2005 02:47:18 PM
Return To: Immigrations
Return To: Saint Joseph County, Indiana INGenWeb Site