The early history of the Church in Hamilton County can be found in the town of Cicero, Indiana. In the year 1836 German Catholic families settled in this county about three and one-half miles northeast of the town of Cicero. This was called Buscher's Settlement, after Augustine Buscher Sr., and it was the core group of Catholics in the county.
When Europeans first landed in America at the end of the 15th century, they brought with them their religious beliefs, primarily Christian and, in many cases, specifically Roman Catholic. The first Europeans to set foot on Indiana soil were French Catholic traders and missionaries. In 1658 Hamilton County was under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Quebec. French priests, many of them Jesuits, traveled this area converting much of Indiana to our faith.
After the War of Independence, the 13 United States were divided into five dioceses. Indiana was part of the diocese of Baltimore. As the eastern migration increased, a new diocese was established in Bradstown, Kentucky in 1810. It had jurisdiction throughout the Northwest Territory. Indiana became a state in 1816.
On May 6, 1834 the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana was Established. The newly-appointed Bishop of this diocese, Simon Brute de Remur, directed Father Vincent Bacquelin of the Shelbyville parish to visit and minister to the Catholics in Hamilton County. Father Bacquelin died when he was thrown from his horse against a tree on September 2, 1846.
Conditions were harsh for the many priests who came from Indianapolis to serve in the Cicero area. When the Diocese of Fort Wayne was established in 1857, the priests came from Peru to attend the Catholic parishes here. Many of these missionary trips were made under very adverse conditions.
Settlers were coming to the Hamilton County area almost daily by way of the Strawtown Trail along the White River east of Cicero and North of Noblesville.
It was at this time that at Buescher Settlement built a small church called St. Mary's on land donated by John Buscher (Mary Forkner's grandfather). These were trying times. The Civil War was raging and yet, with stubborn determination, the church was completed. It was dedicated by Bishop Luers in 1864. (The German cemetery of Buscher Settlement is located on the north side of the present 256th Street, east of Mt. Pleasant Road. St. Mary's Church was just west of the cemetery.)
During the Civil War, because of need for burial space, many of the soldiers were buried (without markers) between the old cemetery and the church.
At the same time, the steady influx of Catholic families migrated into the Mullin Settlement located six miles northwest of Cicero. Mullin had his farm in that territory and when the Meehan brothers settled nearby, the settlement of Irish Catholics grew quite large. This induced John Mullin to erect a church that was named St. John's. It was built on a north-south road that t that time was called "Little Chicago. St. John's Church faced east on Little Chicago Road and the cemetery was directly behind the church. (The Irish Catholic cemetery of the settlement can still be seen from Highway 31, east and immediately south of Wilson's Market [256th Street].)
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In 1884, the Washington Glass Company came to Cicero with the "gas boom" and a number of Catholic settlers began arriving to fill those job opportunities. They requested church facilities from Bishop Rodemacher of Fort Wayne and he asked Father Balthasar Biegel to be Pastor of Elwood. |
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With the appointment of Father P.J. O'Reilly as pastor of Frankfort, Cicero and Noblesville, the new parish of St. Vincent de Paul was established. With the depletion of the natural gas, the parish in Noblesville was closed in 1904. |
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Uather O'Reilly began raising funds for the Sacred Heart Church but was reassigned and succeeded by Father F.J Jansen on June 24, 1899. |
It is reported that when it was decided to create Sacred Heart in Cicero and abandon St. Mary's and St. John's Churches, the Mullins moved St. John's building and used it for a barn. Augustine Buscher Sr. burned-down St. Mary's, saying he wasn't going to let their church become a barn.
The first building committee appointed in November 1899 consisted of W.H. O'Keefe, Michael Meehan and O.W. Conley. In August 1900 J.H. Moynough, Frank Ewald, James Earley, John Plain (grandfather of Marcella Kimsey) and Adam Koebert were added to the original committee and soliciting began in earnest. Ground was broken and the cornerstone laid on September 20, 1900. The first Mass was celebrated in the new church January 31, 1901. The first Baptism was that of Mary Grohs and the first to be baptized in the Baptistery was Leo P. Murphy. The first marriage was between Thomas Coughlin and Mary Meehan. The first to be buried for the new church was Anna Earley. Thirteen children received their First Holy Communion on Sunday, September 8, 1901.
The cornerstone of the new church was laid on September 30, 1900, by Rev. Charles B. Guenling, of Lafayette, and Rev. B. Biegle preached the sermon. The church was dedicated by Bishop Alerding on September 29, 1901, and a class of twenty-four was confirmed. The church was 43x72 feet, with a nine-foot high basement and a brick veneered superstructure, with stained-glass windows, three altars, fine pews and a baptistery. It had projecting towers and a side sacristy; the style of architecture was a modified Gothic. The cost of the building was $6,000 and on June 29, 1906, the last dollar due on it was paid.
The church flourished and increased in numbers until the natural gas source was depleted from wasteful practices, and the glass company relocated, as it did in Noblesville. Many of its workers left, and remaining parishioners were mainly the farmers in and around Cicero.
Rev. William Lordemann, the next pastor of Frankfort, continued to attend the Cicero mission until 1912. Bishop Herman J. Alerding then requested the following chaplains serving St. Joseph's Convent in Tipton, Indiana to attend Cicero: Rev. Peter A. Biegel, from June 1912 until April 1919; Rev. Edward Boney, From July 1919 to July 1925; and Rev. Nicholas Huemmer, from July 1925 until July 2, 1927.
Rev. James Fitzgerald was appointed pastor of Lebanon by Bishop John F. Noll, on July 2, 1927, with Cicero as a mission. He remained until November 27, 1927.
In 1927, the Redemptorist Fathers from Lebanon were assigned by the Bishop to pastor Sacred Heart. Among the Redemptorists who, during the next 17 years journeyed the 30 miles to Cicero each Sunday, we find the names of Rev. F.J. Winderlin, C.S.R., Rev. F.X. Miller, C.S.R., Rev. J.C. Phillips, C.S.R., Rev. S.J. Livernois, C.S.R. and Rev. Hurt, C.S.R. During their administration the church was redecorated, a new modern heating system was installed, and the basement was converted into a parish hall.
Upon the invitation of Bishop John F. Noll, Rev. Thomas J. Kelley, S.M.M. and Rev. Francis T. White, S.M.M. came from the de Montfort mother house in Ozone Park, New York on September 29, 1944, and took charge of Noblesville and the Cicero mission. At that time there were about 40 Catholic families in Cicero.
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On November 11, 1944, the Diocese of Fort Wayne was divided and Hamilton County became a part of the new Diocese of Lafayette. During 1945-1948 the following de Montfort Fathers came every Sunday from Noblesville to care for the Cicero mission: Rev. Thomas Kelly, S.M.M., Rev. Francis P.White, S.M.M., Rev. Reginald Gilman, S.M.M., Rev. Flavius Gamsche, S.M.S., and Rev. Eugene Moynihan, S.M.M. This continual rotation, however, had its disadvantages and in November 1948, Rev. Hubert Weerts, S.M.M. was appointed to take charge of the Cicero mission; he continued until May 1954. |
From September 1955 until October 1, 1958 Rev. Joseph Sadouski, S.M.M. was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Noblesville, with Cicero as a mission. He was replaced by Rev. Reginald Gilman, S.M.M. who also had charge of both places, and remained until August 20, 1961. Rev. Raymond Graham, S.M.M. was then appointed and continued to serve both. In August of 1962, he had a parking lot constructed on the south side of the church at a cost of $522.28. The children were instructed by the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1966 there were 47 families and 21 children under instruction.
In the summer of 1964 the interior of the church was completely remodeled with a new altar, communion rail, tabernacle and station of the cross. A new carpet was laid in the sanctuary and the main aisle. Total cost $6,382.50.
John Plain was very influential in the bi-weekly euchre party sponsored by the Sodality. The proceeds of this event, which drew many non-Catholic participants, aided in the maintenance and operation expenses. The ladies of the parish were quite active in the D.C.C.W. and once hosted the Diocesan Council. They sewed for the Pope's Warehouse and the Medical Missions.
In 1964 it was reported that there had been four vocations to the religious life from Sacred Heart- one priest and three nuns. There were Father Francis Meehan of the Diocese of Lafayette, Sister Lucille (Swarm) of the Daughters of Charity, Sister D'Elizabeth Angela (Faulstich) of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Sister M. Gerogiana (Duvall) of the Marist order.
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In 1972, the Bishop appointed Father Duane Craycraft (Chaplain of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph) administrator of Sacred Heart and on July 1, 1978, he was assigned resident pastor. Father Craycraft purchased the present rectory in 1975. St. Anne's which was used for Religious education classes was purchased in 1976, and St. Mark's the current pre-school, in 1983. Father Craycraft was transferred to St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Fishers, in 1984. |
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Father Gerald Borawski succeeded Father Craycraft in 1984 and served as pastor until 1987. |
Father W. Michael Kettron became Pastor in July of 1987 and continues in this position to the present time.
In 1989 the church was remodeled and the basement was carpeted and dry walled to create a more inviting Parish Hall.
In 1991 the parish office 390 South Pearl Street which we call "St. Francis" was purchased and in November 1992 the yellow brick property facing Main Street (333 South Main Street).
During Father Kettron's pastorate, the church was remodeled, the basement remodeled into a social room, and two pieces of property were purchased. In 10 years of his pastorate, all this was paid for and around $500,000 was amassed for the construction of the new facilities. The new facilities included McLochlin Hall and a new church entrance. The basement was remodeled for religious education and the old entrance was converted into a cry room.
Today we celebrate our daily and Sunday masses in a church full of history and dedicated to living the Catholic life. Our physical church has gone through many transformations to serve the spiritual needs of the families who attend it, which now number 200.