St. Mary's Catholic Church (Huntington, Indiana)

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a large and notable church in the city of Huntington, Indiana, and was completed on October 11, 1896. There are about 1500 parish members that attend St. Mary's Church. The Church stands 130 feet (40 m) tall from the main tower, while the other tower is 94 feet (29 m) tall. The Church is part of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

History

John Roche, a land owner in Huntington, owning around 10,000 acres (40 km²), had always wanted an English-speaking church, specifically an Irish one. The only church was St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church, where German was spoken. He died before he could accomplish his dream but his sister Bridget took the money that she had received for selling her brother's 10,000-acre (40 km²) estate to build St. Mary's Catholic Church. The project would cost 75,000 dollars. The cornerstone of the church was laid May 3, 1896, John Roche's 79th birthday. When completed the Church had a good review with stained glass windows from the Royal Bavarian Art Institute of Munich; with eight large columns of imported Italian granite to support the arches in the nave, the large statues and Stations of the Cross from France; the pews are made of oak, and polished red brick on the exterior. Through the years the church has gone through much and in the 1950s it had an interior remodeling. It was in the late 1940s that the church removed its three large and ornate altars as well as the elaborately carved wooden frames fitted around the current Stations of the Cross for replacements with a more modern appearance.

Today

Father John Pfister is the incumbent priest set to retire June of 2015. St. Mary's has partnered up with St. Peter and Paul's to help educate young children. St. Mary has a Middle School on its grounds while St. Peter and Paul's has the elementary school. The schools are still up and running while they flourish to teach young children. There was once a high school but was closed due to financial problems, the high school was the 1935 State Basketball Champions also; the high school closed after the 1984-1985 school year.

References

• St. Mary's Catholic Church History (book)
• St. Mary's Catholic Church (Pamphlet)