Catholic Parish of St. Monica, Mishawaka, In

Founded : August 1924  

Pastor: Fr. James F. Stoyle      

(Click on pictures to enlarge for better viewing)

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1. Exterior of St. Monica's

2. Interior of St. Monica's

3. Another view of the Interior

4. Another view of the Interior

5. Another view of the Interior

6. St. Monica's School

7. St. Monica Chapel & School 1916

8. Priests & New Church

Genealogy Records

LDS Records

 The Sacramental Records of St Monica have been filmed by the LDS

Church records, 1915-1981

Catholic Church. St. Monica's (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.

Baptisms 1915-1936 -  FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617054 Item 2 ]

Marriages 1915-1967 -  FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617054 Item 3 ]

Deaths 1915-1981 -  FHL US/CAN Film [ 1617054 Item 4 ]

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 36

Item 2             Baptisim                     1915-1936

Item3              Marriages                  1915-1967

Item4              Death                          1915-1981

Research assistance is available at 574-282-4621 in the Genealogy center 

Church Web Site and Contact: 

St Monica Parish
222 W. Mishawaka Ave.
Mishawaka, IN 46545
Phone: (574) 255-2247 Fax: (574) 255-8375

For Sacramental Records Contact

 MINISTRIES BLDG.: 214 W. Mishawaka, (574)255-1957

Fr Stoyle  [email protected]

History of St. Monica

Belgian and German Catholics on the north side of the river for many years having felt the need for a church nearer their homes, after many failures, succeeded in establishing a church of their own in 1916.  Rev. John H. Bleckman having been called here from Michigan City , to be the rector of the north side Catholics, held a meeting in St. Joseph’s Hall and appointed as directors: W.H. Vanderbosch, Agust De Groote, Martin Money, John Hennerkopf, Bernard Hoerstman, Edward Kuhn, Otto Muinch and Edward Beldingto look for a suitable site for a church.

On September 4, 1915, the old Baptist Churcherected in 1868and the parsonage were purchased for $10,000 and the church was remodeled for Catholic worship. For the second time this property went into the hands of Catholics the latter denomination owing it either in 1834 or 1838.

The remodeled church was dedicated by Right Rev. Bishop H. J. Alerding, of Fort Wayne, October 17. The children of the parishioners continued to go to the St. Josephs School on the south side. After the church was opened on the north side the rule was established that all north sid Catholics will attend church on that  side of the river, and about 150 families were transferred from the mother Church St. Joseph  to St Monica.

It became apparent from the growth that a Church and School would be needed at a very early date. On April 15, 1916 the purchasing committee secured several lots on the south side of Grove Street between Elizabeth and Ann Streets. For a Chapel, School and Parsonage. The purchase price was about $10,000.

On July 18, the contract was let for the new Chapel and School to Kuehn & Jordan, South Bend Contracters for $17,000. The church eventually cost $23,000. The Chapel and School were formally dedicated May 13, 1917 by Right Rev. Bishop H. J. Alerding of the Dioceses of Fort Wayne.

Rev. Father Bleckmann continued as pastor until November 26, 1917when he met an untimely death during the influenza epedemic. Rev. J F Kohl of  Columbia City , Indiana was appointed his successorby the Bishop and assumed charge December 20. He is the present and very popular and efficient rector of St. Monica.

The church now has amembership of about 280 heads of families meaning a membership of 1200 souls . The school enrollment at the present time is about 207.

The constant growth of the Parish shows the neccessity of a new Churchin the next few years and those in charge are looking for a reasonable price near the present Chapel

Source: South Bend Tribune 1923

SOUTH BEND. St. Joseph County.
St. Monica’s  Church.
1915.

 In the summer of 1915 the Rev. John H. Bleckmann came to Mishawaka to establish a new Catholic parish on the north side of the river.  For a number of years Catholic residents of the area had been hoping for a north side and had twice visited the Bishop with their request.

    The old Baptist church on Joseph Street was purchased and used for worship and as a school until a larger building could be erected.  On May 13, 1917, a new combination church-school on West Grove Street was dedicated.  It served the parish for ten years until a beautiful new edifice was ready for use in 1927.

    The new St. Monica's Catholic Church, located on Mishawaka Avenue at Ann Street, was of Italian Romanesque style with a seating capacity of 800.  Individuals from the congregation donated stained glass windows and stations of the cross.  The dedication occurred on October 2, 1927.

Source:"Indiana's Princess City, by Janice Bridges, pg 141

Items of Historical Interest

Patron of St. Monica Parish

Widow; born of Christian parents at Tagaste, North Africa, in 333; died at Ostia, near Rome, in 387.

We are told but little of her childhood. She was married early in life to Patritius who held an official position in Tagaste. He was a pagan, though like so many at that period, his religion was no more than a name; his temper was violent and he appears to have been of dissolute habits. Consequently Monica's married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patritius's mother seems to have been of a like disposition with himself. There was of course a gulf between husband and wife; her almsdeeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but it is said that he always held her in a sort of reverence. Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy, but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a veritable apostolate amongst the wives and mothers of her native town; they knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect.

Three children were born of this marriage, Augustine the eldest, Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptisim for her children, and her grief was great when Augustine fell ill; in her distress she besought Patritius to allow him to be baptised; he agreed, but on the boy's recovery withdrew his consent. All Monica's anxiety now centred in Augustine; he was wayward and, as he himself tells us, lazy. He was sent to Madaura to school and Monica seems to have literally wrestled with God for the soul of her son. A great consolation was vouchsafed her — in compensation perhaps for all that she was to experience through Augustine, Patritius became a Christian. Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage, to prosecute his studies, and here he fell into grievous sin. Patritius died very shortly after his reception into the Church and Monica resolved not to marry again. At Carthage, Augustine had become a Manichean and when on his return home he ventilated certain heretical propositions she drove him away from her table, but a strange vision which she had urged her to recall him. It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is not given, but who consoled her with the now famous words, "the child of those tears shall never perish." There is no more pathetic story in the annals of the Saints than that of Monica pursuing her wayward son to Rome, wither he had gone by stealth; when she arrived he had already gone to Milan, but she followed him. Here she found St. Augustine and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine yield, after seventeen years of resistance. Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Cassiacum, after which time Augustine was baptised in the church of St. John the Baptist at Milan. Africa claimed them however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Cività Vecchia and at Ostia. Here death overtook Monica and the finest pages of his "Confessions" were penned as the result of the emotion Augustine then experienced.

St. Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first seems to have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the sixth century to a hidden crypt in the church of St. Aureus. About the thirteenth century, however, the cult of St. Monica began to spread and a feast in her honour was kept on 4 May. In 1430 Martin V ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miricles occurred on the way, and the cultus of St. Monica was definitely established. Later the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, built a church at Rome in honour of ST. Augustine and deposited the relics of St. Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar. The  Office of St. Monica however does not seem to have found a place in the Roman Breviary before the sixteenth century.

In 1850 there was established at Notre Dame de Sion at Paris an Association of Christian mothers under the patronage of St. Monica; its object was mutual prayer for sons and husbands who had gone astray. This Association was in 1856 raised to the rank of an archconfraternity and spread rapidly over all the Catholic world, branches being established in Dublin, London, Liverpool, Sydney, and Buenos Aires. Eugenius IV had established a similar Confraternity long before.

Source: Catholic Encyclopedia

 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10482a.htm

Information submitted by: Jim Piechorowski and John Kovatch

Conrad Roberts and Thelma Joyal Wedding 1928

Photo Submitted by: Paul Roberts (his Parents)

 Project Started: Saturday, September 10, 2005

Updated: Thursday, September 10, 2015 07:09:57 PM

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