ESTABLISHED IN 1859
With the arrival of the first French fur traders in the late 17th century to the coming of the Irish in the 1840’s to extend the railroad in Howard county, there have been Catholics residing throughout Indiana. In 1844, missionaries traveled to Kokomo to celebrate Mass in private homes and baptize infants.
In 1859, a mission with fifty people formed in Kokomo. This was in the diocese of Ft. Wayne at that time. The first 50 years saw this number of members rise to the need for the church building that we have today.The first church was a frame building, dedicated in 1862, on the corner of Washington and Broadway Streets on two lots. One lot donated by the mayor and the other purchased. The first pastor, Rev. Patrick Frawley, arrived in 1869. On arriving in 1873 as pastor, Rev. Francis Lordeman saw the need for a larger church and he started a subscription drive to raise the funds for this building. The “Howard County Dispatch” newspaper noted in the March 27,1876 issue that “the Catholic Church is full to over-flowing every Sunday”. Bishop Joseph Dwenger of Ft. Wayne laid the corner stone in 1876. This building could hold 650 faithful and was the largest church in Kokomo and cost $20,000.
By 1905, more growth had occurred and two years later, construction began on the Gothic structure we have today. At the dedication on May 21, 1911, Bishop Alerding led the celebration and Bishop Chartrand celebrated a Pontifical High Mass. A parade through the Kokomo business district included 1000 members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Knights of Columbus escorting the clergy. On Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1918, the church was consecrated. This is a rare event because the building brick or stone must be debt free. The edifice is made entirely of Bedford stone and measures 160 feet long and 80 feet wide in the cross part. The main tower is 176 feet high and the south tower is 130 feet. The building, furnishings and equipment cost $129,000. The collection on the first Sunday of each month for 118 months plus other fundraisers and donations paid off the debt.
The two large windows in the north and south transepts were made of glass from Opalescent Glass Works in Kokomo. They are the third largest stained glass windows in the United States. University art classes visit this church on occasion.
Education of the children was always a priority since Father Lordeman started a school in a part of the original clapboard church. Builders moved the school off the lot to make way for the second church and remodeled it into a school for 60 students. In 1893, St. Francis Academy, a two story brick building opened its doors next to the church on Washington Street. The enrollment was 160 and four Sisters of St. Joseph taught grade school and three years of high school. The name changed to St. Patrick School in 1924. In 1962, builders demolished the old building and Monsignor Leo A. Breitenbach, the pastor then, had the current school built. The gymnasium is on the site of Kokomo Fire Station No. 3.
In 1954, the diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana formed out of the diocese of Ft. Wayne. The Bishop for St. Patrick was now in Lafayette.
Since St. Patrick parish was weaving all of the Catholics in Howard County plus parts of some of the neighboring counties, a second was established. The Southside of Kokomo has grown and St. Joan of Arc Church began there in 1922. This was the first church in the diocese named St. Joan after her canonization.
Major renovations to the interior of the church building began in 1975 to conform to the directives of Second Vatican Council. This renovation cost the local church around $700,000. Rev. Monsignor Arthur A. Sego oversaw the eight-year project. At that time, the two largest windows appraised at $392,000. This helped to put the price of the work on this treasure of a building into perspective.
In order to best serve the educational needs of the youth of Kokomo and the county, Bishop William Higi, in 1992, asked for a study on the feasibility of merging the schools of St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc. This was undertaken while Father Maurice Miller was pastor. The merger in 1994 placed Preschool to Grade 3 at the St. Patrick campus and Grades 4 to 8 at the St. Joan school building. Rather than create a new name for the school, Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick remain the name in order to honor the commitment both parishes always had to their children. Rev. Francis I. Kilcline, our pastor from 1994 until July 2002, showed constant leadership in preserving the parish buildings in their best conditions possible. Keeping the parish in step with rapid changes in technology was another of Father Kilcline’s duties. Fr. Ted Dudzinski, became our pastor in July 2002. There are over 60 groups in the parish including liturgical ministries, councils and organizations all active in sustaining and enriching the liturgical and spiritual life of this Body of Christ that he oversees.
More History
The Pastors and Associate Pastors of St. Patrick Catholic Church throughout the years
The Priests born at St. Patrick Catholic Church
The Women Religious born at St. Patrick Catholic Church