+ Chronology - Time Line + Bibliography of Printed Resources + Links to Catholic History +
The Diocese of Baltimore, was established on 6 Nov 1789, with Archbishop John Carroll appointed as the first bishop of the United States of America. The Baltimore Diocese, at that time, encompassed the entire area from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, from Canada to Florida, with geographic area of present day Indiana being included in this jurisdiction.
On 8 April 1808, the four new Catholic dioceses of Bardstown, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were created, from
the Diocese of Baltimore, in the United States. The area of present
day Indiana came under the jurisdiction of the new Diocese of Bardstown,
Kentucky, which originally had jurisdiction over the entire Northwest Territory,
including the present states of Kentucky,
Tennessee,
Ohio,
Michigan,
Indiana,
Illinois,
Wisconsin,
Iowa,
Missouri,
and northern Arkansas.
The see of Bardstown
was moved to Louisville in 1841.
The Cathedral at Bardstown is now St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral.
Read the History
of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville, KY, and visit the
Cathedral Heritage Foundation
site to learn more.
On May 6th, 1834,
Right Reverend
Simon Bruté who was appointed the first Bishop of the Diocese
of Vincennes. Jurisdiction extended over the area of present day Indiana
and the eastern portion of Illinois. The St. Francis Xavier Church,
in Vincennes, was the Cathedral for the new diocese. The Very Rev.
August Bessonies, V. G., who arrived in America, from France, in 1839, writes
of this early era of the Church in Indiana in his "Reminiscences
of a Pioneer Priest in the Diocese of Vincennes". In 1898,
the Diocese of Vincennes
title was transferred to Indianapolis, and became the Diocese of Indianapolis,
however, in 1995, Vincennes was reestablished as a titular see.
Visit Historic Vincennes Sites and Historic Vincennes Online.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
College for women was founded by Mother Theodore Guerin, and
the Sisters of Providence
in 1840. Oct. 25, 1998, Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin was
beatified. (Take a History
Tour)
Father Edward Sorin,
of the Congregation of the Holy Cross
along with Brothers of St. Joseph founded the University of Notre Dame, in 1842. See
the History of the University of Notre Dame's Bascilica of the Sacred Heart. and
a History of the University
of Notre Dame du Lac.
The Diocese of Fort Wayne was established, in 1857, with Father Julian Benoit as the first Vicar General. In 1858, Right Rev. John Henry Luers, D.D was appointed as the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Fort Wayne. It originally encompassed the area north of, and including, the counties of Warren, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Delaware and Randolph. (Present Indiana Counties of Adams, Allen, Blackford, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Delaware, Elkhart, Fountain, Fulton, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, Lagrange, Lake, La Porte, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Noble, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Warren, Wells, White and Whitley Counties.
In 1872, the Right Rev. Joseph Dwenger, C. PP. S., D.D became the second bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne, having been appointed to this position by Pope Pius IX.
On January 23, 1893, after a lingering illness, Bishop Dwenger
departed this life.
In July of 1893, Pope Leo XIII transferred the Right Rev. Joseph
Rademacher, D.D, the Bishop of
the Nashville Diocese, to the see at Fort Wayne, appointing him the third
Bishop of the Fort Wayne Diocese.
In 1898, the Diocese of Vincennes title was transferred to Indianapolis, and became the Diocese of Indianapolis.
In 1944, the Diocese of Indianapolis was made an Archdiocese, and the dioceses of Evansville and Lafayette were established. The Diocese of Evansville was formed from the southwestern area of Diocese of Indianapolis, and the Diocese of Lafayette from the southern half of the Fort Wayne Diocese.
During February of 1957, The Diocese of Gary was formed from western part of the Fort Wayne Diocese, and 3 years later, on 20 July 1960, The Fort Wayne Diocese became the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, with the Bishop at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, and a Co-Cathedral of St. Matthew's in South Bend, Indiana.
Most Reverend John M. D´Arcy was appointed the Eighth Bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese on February 26, 1985.
Note: For the period 1763 - 1783 in Indiana see the following links as well.
Adapted to The Lake: Letters by the Brother Founders of Notre Dame. Edited and translated by George Klawitter. Mew York: Peter Lang, 1993.
Alerding, Herman J. A History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Vincennes. Indianapolis: Carlon and Hollenbeck. 1883.
Alerding, Rt. Rev. H. J. The Diocese of Fort Wayne, 1857-September 22-1907: A book of Historical Reference 1669-1907. Fort Wayne: The Archer Printing Co. 1907.
Ankenbruck, John and Colleen Lee. St.
Mary's Church of Fort Wayne, Indiana 150 Years, 1848-1998. Published
by St. Mary's Parish. Fort Wayne : Keefer Printing Co.
This book is available for
sale at St. Mary's Church Office in Fort Wayne, IN Phone: (219) 424-8231.
Banet, Charles and Alfred B. Rondot. Index to the Records of St. Louis Church at Besancon, Indiana, 1865-1907. Fort Wayne, Ind. : A.B. Rondot, 1981?.
Beckmeyer, Lawrence. (Researcher and Author). James J. Divita. (Editor). The history of the Catholic Church in Decatur and Adams County, Indiana, 1836-1980. Decatur, Ind.: L. Beckmeyer, 1980.
Blanchard, Charles (ed.). History of the Catholic Church in Indiana. (2 Vols.) Logansport, Indiana: A.W. Bowen. 1898.
Brosnahan, Sister M. Eleanore. On the King's Highway: A History of the Sisters of the Holy Cross of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Notre Dame, Indiana. D. Appleton Co. 1931.
Brown, Sister Mary Borromeo. The History of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. (2 Vols) New York: Benziger Brothers. 1949.
Carr, M.W. History of Catholicity in New Albany and Jeffersonville, and Floyd and Clark Counties, Ind. With Fourteen Whole Page Engravings Including That of Rt. Rev. Bishop Chatard, The Local Pastors, Churches, Etc. Indianapolis: Carlon and Hollenbeck. 1890.
The Carroll Reading Club. (Fort Wayne: Catholic Church Societies.)
Clifford, Sister Elizabeth Ann. The Story of Victory Noll. 1981.
Costin, Sister M. Georgia, C.S.C. Priceless Spirit: A History of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, 1841-1893. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press. 1994.
Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. Celebrating 150 years of Catholic education, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, February 1, 1994. Fort Wayne, Ind. : The Diocese. 1994.
The Diocese of Indianapolis, 100 years. Indianapolis, Indiana Catholic and Record, 1935.
Dudine, M. Frederica, Sister. The Castle
on the Hill. American Benedictine Academy.
Historical studies, no. 5. Milwaukee, Wisc.
: Bruce Publishing, 1967.
Eleanore, Mary, Sister. On the King's Highway. (Sisters of the Holy Cross of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Notre Dame, Ind.). New York : D. Appleton, 1931.
Official year book: Catholic Church. Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (Ind.). (Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.) Fort Wayne, Ind. : Our Sunday Visitor, [19--]
Fort Wayne Catholic Community Center. (Charities). Fort Wayne, Ind. : [s.n.], 1927.
Godecker, Sister Mary Salesia. Simon Brute De Remur, First Bishop of Vincennes. 1931. St. Meinrad, Indiana.
Gray, Kenneth E. Saint Bernard Church 1864-1975. (Saint Bernard Catholic Church, Wabash, Ind.) Wabash, Ind. : The Church, 1975.
Kaiser, Edwin G. 50 Golden Years: Holy Trinity Parish (Gary, Ind.). Gary : s.n., 1961?.
McAvoy, Thomas T., C.S.C. The History of the Catholic Church in the South Bend Area. 1953. South Bend, Indiana: Aquinas Library and Book Shop.
*McAvoy, Thomas T., C.S.C. The Catholic
Church in Indiana, 1789-1834.
New York: Columbia University Press. 1940.
McNamara, William. The Catholic Church on the Northern Indiana Frontier, 1789-1844. Washington, Catholic University of America, 1931. Catholic University of America. Studies in American church history, v. 12. New York, AMS Press, 1974.
Madden, Sr. Mary Roger. The Path Marked Out: History of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the Woods, Indiana, 1890-1926. 1991. St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana: Sisters of Providence.
*Mather, George Ross. Frontier Faith: The Story of the Pioneer Congregations of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1820-1860. Fort Wayne, Indiana: The Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society. 1992.
Mindrup, Thomas. "Catholicism In Indiana Before 1834." Saint Meinrad Historical Essays, 3, 1934.
*Noll, John F. The Diocese of Fort Wayne: Fragments of History. 1941.
Pagani, Humbert Peter. 200 Years of Catholicism in Indiana. Indianapolis : H. P. Pagani, c1934.
Prosen, Anthony Joseph. Indiana Armorial of the Catholic Hierarchy. Indiana : [s.n.], 1989.
Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County. The Catholic Church in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne : Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, 1961.
Richard, Otto. Souvenir of the Golden Jubilee
of Sacred Heart Parish, Indianapolis 1925. n.p.,
[1925?].
Rinderle, Walter and Richard Day. Vincennes Catholic schools, 1792-1992: Two hundred years of permanent pastors and Catholic education in Knox County, Indiana. c1993. Vincennes: Commissioned by the Christian Educational Foundation.
Rudolph, L.C. Hoosier Faiths: A History of Indiana Churches and Religious Groups. 1995. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Sacred Heart Church, October 31, 1971, LaPorte, Indiana. Indiana : s.n., 1971.
Saint Charles Borromeo Parish album directory. Skokie, Ill. : Le Mann & Assoc., 1967.
Saint John the Baptist Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Souvenir of dedication, Saint John the Baptist Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne, Ind.: the Church, 1955.
75th anniversary of the dedication of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Hartford City, Indiana. Hartford City: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1973.
Saint Joseph's Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Souvenir book of dedication, November 15, 1953: Saint Joseph's Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Fort Wayne, Ind. : the church, 1953.
St. Gabriel's Parish, Connersville, Ind. The early days of St. Gabriel's. Connersville, Ind., J. L. Heineman. c.1937.
St. Hyacinth Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Souvenir of dedication, December 5, 1954. St. Hyacinth Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Fort Wayne, Ind. : the Church, 1954.
Together in faith, hope and love ; St. Peter's Church. (St. Peter's Catholic Church, Fort Wayne, IN). Hackensack, N.J. : Custombook, Inc., 1972.
St. Mary's Church, Lanesville, Indiana [pictorial directory]. Chicago: C.P.D. Corp., 1977?.
Saint Vincent's Parish (Fort Wayne, Ind.). History of Saint Vincent's Parish. Fort Wayne, Ind.: the Church, 1945?.
Schauinger, J. Herman. Cathedrals In the Wilderness. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1952.
Schauinger, J. Herman. Stephen T. Badin, Priest in the Wilderness. Milwaukee. The Bruce Publishing Company, 1956.
Schroeder, Sister Mary Carol. The Catholic Church In the Diocese of
Vincennes 1847-1877.
Washington: The Catholic University of America Press, 1946
Schuckman, Sister Mary Gertrude. The Place of the Catholic Church
In the Development of Early
Indiana. Milwaukee: Marquette University, 1952
Schulte, Paul C. The Catholic Heritage of St. Louis, A History of the Old Cathedral Parish. St. Louis: The Catholic Herald, 1934.
Schultheis, Rose Dawson. Pioneer Bishops of Indiana. Sketches of the First Four Bishops Whose Combined Work Was the Foundation, Organization and Establishment of the Catholic Church in Indiana, 1834-1877. Simon Brute De Remur, 1834-1839; Celestine De La Hailandiere, 1839-1847; John Stephen Bazin, 1847-1848; Maurice De St. Palais, 1848-1877. n.p., 1950.
A Story of Fifty Years. (Sisters of the Holy Cross History). Notre Dame, Ind. : Ave Maria, 1905?.
Shea, John Gilmary. A History of the Catholic Church in Colonial Days, 1521-1763. New York, 1886.
Shea, John Gilmary. The Life and Times of John
Carroll, The History of the Catholic Church In the
United States 1763-1815. New York: John Gilmary
Shea, 1888.
Shea, John Gilmary. A History of the Catholic
Church in the United States 1808-1843. New York,
1890.
Shea, John Gilmary. The History of the Catholic Church In the United States 1843-1866. New York, 1892.
Shea, John Gilmary. "Early Catholicity In Indiana." Ave Maria 18, 1882.
Shea John Gilmary. Catholic Missions Among the Indian Tribes In the United States 1529-1854. New York: Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1857.
Sorin, Edward. The Chronicles of Notre Dame Du Lac. 1992. Translated by John M. Toohey. Edited and annotated by James T. Connelly. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press.
Smith, Thomas G. (ed.). Brute`, Angel Guardian of the Mountain - Selected
Writings of Simon
Gabriel Brute`. Emmitsburg: Mount Saint Mary's College, n.d.
Stineman, William Frederick and Jack W. Porter.
Catholic clergy in Indiana. 1992.
Indianapolis, Ind. : Saint John
the Evangelist Church.
Stineman, William Frederick and Jack W. Porter. The Catholic Church in Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana, 1848-1978. Greencastle, Ind.: Saint Paul the Apostle Church, c1979.
Vollmar, Edward R. The Catholic Church in America:
An Historical Bibliography, 2nd ed. New
York: The Scarecrow Press, 1963
Walker, Fintan. The Catholic Church In the Meeting
of Two Frontiers: The Southern Illinois
Country 1763-1793. Washington Catholic University,
1935
Webb, Ben J. The Centenary of Catholicity in Kentucky. Louisville: Charles A. Rogers, 1884
Widmann, Phillip A. A History of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 1976 (rev. 1990).
Wilken, Robert. (Compiler). A Historical
Sketch of the Holy Family Church and parish.
Oldenburg, Ind. : [s.n.], 1987.
Will, Allen Sinclair. Life of Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore. 2 vols. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1922
White, Joseph M. Where God's People Meet: A Guide to Significant Religious Places in Indiana. 1996. Indianapolis: Indiana Religious History Association.