About St Mary's Catholic Church
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The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish - known as St. Mary’s - is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Jennings County, Indiana. In the year 2011 we look forward to celebrating 150 years of a Roman Catholic presence in North Vernon.
The beginnings of organized Catholicity in Jennings County date back to the closing years of Simon Brute, first Bishop of Vincennes, who died in 1839. Bishop Gailandiere, his successor, had collected money and church supplies in France for the Diocese of Vincennes, which comprised all of Indiana, and also enlisted the services of some valiant volunteer priests for the wilderness missions. Chicago and Indianapolis were mere villages in the unbroken wilderness when he laid the foundations for Notre Dame and St. Mary's-of-the-Woods. These newly-recruited priests were well equipped and stationed at their missions. Log churches began to be constructed at various sites for the convenience of the pioneer Catholics.
In Jennings County, the pioneer families had been accustomed to journey on foot through the woods to Madison, to attend mass and receive the sacraments on special occasions. Fathers Munchino and Chartier visited them from Madison and baptized children in various sections of the county. The Catholic settlers undoubtedly had occasional ministrations from other priests, who, on their arrival would pass the word to the scattered Catholics.
An interesting sidelight to this period is furnished by the courthouse records at Vernon. Lots 120 and 121 in Vernon (northwest corner of Washington and Montgomery Streets.) were purchased by Bishop Brute, seemingly with the intention of providing a site for an academy, in 1838. This was some twenty (20) years after Vernon was established. These lots were sold by the Bishop in 1849.
Later...
In 1840, the Catholics of Jennings County laid plans for the erection of log churches at St. Anne, St. Catherine and St. Patrick's, and the buildings were erected at these sites in 1841. St Anne's parish is the only survivor of these pioneer foundations.
