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 St. Augustine Catholic Church - Rensselaer, IN Posted by:  rogueblack
N 40° 56.368 W 087° 09.025
16T E 487338 N 4532048
St. Augustine is the Catholic cornerstone of Rensselaer, Indiana.
Waymark Code: WM3FV2
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 03/30/2008
Views: 67
St. Augustine began as a parish in 1883 to serve the faithful Catholic pioneers. A new church was built for St. Augustine in 1939 which still serves as an active place of worship for residents of Rensselaer. It stands along North McKinley Avenue in historical downtown Rensselaer, next to the school that it oversees. Brick roads remind parishoners of the life that generations of Catholics before them experienced as they hustled to Mass every Sunday to say the same prayers and sing the same hymns.
Visitors are greeted with smiling faces and open arms. Informative materials are available inside at all entrances.
A plaque adorning the entrance to the sanctuary reads:
Saint Augustine's Church
Rev. A. Gerhardstein
Pastor
Construction Committee
Thomas M. Gallahan
Conrad Kellner
Frank Kanne
John Martin
John A. Nagel
John Ramp
Ralph Donnelly
A.F. Moratz, Architect
The Wolf Construction Company
Logansport
Builders
Erected 1939
The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana website offers this history about the Diocese:
Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana on October 21, 1944. The Diocese of Fort Wayne, the Mother Diocese, was established in 1857. Then, the territory now occupied by the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana had only three small brick churches with resident pastors, and four frame missions. Total Catholic population was about 5,000 people. Missionaries were still active in the area.
On November 11, 1944, the Holy See made the announcement regarding the partitioning of the Fort Wayne Diocese creating the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. The name was expressed in that manner to distinguish it from the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The new diocese had 54 parishes and a Catholic population of 31,700. The area designated had 9,832 square miles and comprised 24 counties in Northcentral Indiana extending from the Illinois to the Ohio state lines. Catholics comprised fewer than 6 percent of the total population. The area was largely rural.
John George Bennett was consecrated first bishop of the Lafayette See on January 10, 1945. He was a son of a parish in the new diocese, St. Mary's in Dunnington. His successors have been John Joseph Cardinal Carberry, Bishop Raymond Gallagher, Bishop George Fulcher, and the current ordinary, Bishop William L. Higi, also a son of the diocese. Bishop Higi's home parish is St. Mary, Anderson.
Parking is available on all sides of the Church property and street cross-walks are clearly marked.
Mass times are:
- Monday - Thursday at 8:00 a.m.
- Friday at 8:30 a.m.
- Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is held on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Type of Church: Church
Status of Building: Actively in use for worship
Date of organization: 01/01/1883
Date of building construction: 01/01/1939
Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Blessed Virgin Mary shrine located in between the Church and the parish office.
Archdiocese: Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Diocese: Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana
Address/Location:
318 N McKinley Avenue
Rensselaer, IN USA
47879
Relvant Web Site: [Web Link]
Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed
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