Shawe Memorial High School - The Church in Madison Today

The Church in Madison Today

The storyline of the Catholic Church in Madison seems to resemble a bell curve, as the history of the Church in Madison began with the building of St. Michael’s, and then eventually grew into four separate churches. Since then, the Catholic Community of Jefferson County, Indiana has returned to one church building and parish yet again.

In 1992, the parishes of St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s became one community of faith, with one priest, Father John Meyer, and two church buildings. Saturday night mass was held at St. Michael’s for St. Michael’s ‘parishioners,’ and on Sunday morning, mass was held at St. Mary’s. In 1993, the area’s two other Catholic Churches (St. Patrick’s and St. Anthony’s) were merged with St. Mary’s-St. Michael’s as well (Craig).

The four parishes, and their members, were moved to one church building (the former St. Mary’s) and a new consolidated parish named Prince of Peace. St. Michael’s had extensive roof damage and was no longer able to be used for mass. The building was donated by the archdiocese to Historic Madison, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to saving Madison’s 19th Century buildings. St. Patrick’s remained open as a chapel, and St. Anthony’s, in China, is currently only used on special occasions.

The new parish was guided through the transition by Fr. Meyer, who came to Madison from Aurora, Indiana in 1990 as assistant pastor of St. Michael’s.