Fr. D.J. McMullen, 1868 to 1872
Fr. Leo Adams, 1872 to 1875
Fr. E.J. Spelman, 1875 to 1880
Fr. J.J. Macke, 1880 to 1883
Fr. T.X. Logan, 1888 to 1903
Fr. Patrick Rowan, 1903 to 1906
Fr. Walter J. Cronin, 1906 to 1912
Fr. Michael Lyons, 1912 to 1919
Fr. Francis Schaub, 1919 to 1939
Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh, 1939 to 1944
Fr. Matthew Herold, 1944 to 1946
Fr. Clarence Burkart, 1946 to 1967
Fr. James Dooley, 1967 to 1972
Fr. William Fisher, 1972 to 1976
Fr. Donald Schmidlin, 1976 to 1978
Fr. William Cleary, 1978 to 1996
Fr. Roger Rudolf, 1996 to 2004
Fr. William Turner, 2004 to 2012
Fr. Jeremy Gries, 2012 to 2018
Fr. James Brockmeier, 2018 to 2023
Fr. Dustin Boehm, 2023 to present
Fr. Michael Collier, a resident of Rushville, was ordained a priest at St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. Unfortunately, he died of tuberculosis in 1889 while he was the assistant pastor at St. John's in Indianapolis. Fr. Michael Collier is buried at Calvary Cemetery.
Reverend Henry Doll, a parishioner of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, was ordained from the parish in 1923. He is considered the first "son of the parish" to become a priest.
Fr. William Cleary, a Rushville native, was appointed priest at St. Mary in 1978. Fr. William Cleary was a St. Mary Catholic School alum who later served in the armed forces. After serving, he attended St. Meinrad to prepare to enter the priesthood. Fr. William Cleary retired in 1996 and died in 2007. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery.
This inscription can be seen above the main door to the church facing Perkins Street. It is written in Latin and translates to God, one in three, under the invocation Immaculate Mary.
The first Catholic mass recorded in Rush County occurred in 1853 at the home of Owen McMannis. This mass was celebrated by 27-year-old Fr. Henry Peters who pastored in Connersville. There were around 20 people who attended this mass. Subsequent masses would also be held in the homes of the Hart and Scanlon families. In 1857, a 35 x 20 feet church frame northeast of the J.M. & I. Railroad depot was built. The frame was expanded in 1865 but was bought by the railroad in 1866.
A new church frame was built at the corner of 5th Street and Perkins Street in 1867 and given the name Immaculate Conception, which is still the location and formal title of the parish today. The first recorded baptism at St. Mary was Rose McCoy's baptism on November 1st, 1868 by Fr. D.J. McMullen. The baptismal entries recorded by Fr. D.J. McMullen were written by hand in Latin. A few years later, when Fr. Leo Adams was pastor at St. Mary, the parish sponsored a school that was run by Kate Collins. Also, in 1873, the grounds that would later become Calvary Cemetery were purchased for $1,296.96.
The first recorded First Communion at St. Mary was given to Catherine Geraghty, Anthony Geraghty, and Helen Ryan on May 4th, 1877 by Fr. E.J. Spelman. The first recorded Confirmation at St. Mary was given to 188 people on November 8th, 1878 by Fr. E.J. Spelman in the presence of Bishop Francis Chatard.
The present school program began in 1880 by Fr. John Macke. The Sisters of St. Francis from Oldenburg came to St. Mary around 1882 to establish and teach in St. Mary Catholic School. Sisters Mary Euphrasis, Mary Amanda, and Mary Fulgentis were the pioneers of establishing the school program at St. Mary. Around this time, Fr. John Macke also established a parish group for young parishioners, Children of Mary, and the Sodality.
The present church was built from 1897 to 1898 under Fr. T.X. Logan. The construction of the unfurnished church building cost $25,000. Anthony Schricht designed the Romanesque frieze around the top of the church. Charlie, Bert, and Ed Moorman laid the stone of the church. The large window above the altar cost $750 and was dedicated by Fr. T.X. Logan. When the present church was built, the trustees were Thomas McCoy, Bartholemew Quirk, Phillip Oster, William Brown, and John Kelly. The church's furnace, which was used on Sundays only, was fired by Tom Carroll.
Between 1903 and 1906, an organ, side altars, and extra pews were added to the church by Fr. Patrick Rowan. Fr. Patrick Rowan also had the interior of the church frescoed. Fr. Patrick Rowan, with the help of John Wehole, started the Knights of Columbus in Rush County. Between 1906 and 1912, Fr. Walter J. Cronin, who was known for fostering friendly relationships between Catholics and other Rush County citizens, approved the construction of the former sisters' residence and the rectory. The construction of the rectory cost $15,000. During this time, the former convent residence, located at 503 North Perkins Street, was donated by Mary McCoy.
Under Fr. Michael Lyons, the parish was doing very well. St. Mary was debt-free in 1917 and even had an income of $1,270.75 from pew rent paid in 1914. Fr. Francis Shaub's tenure at St. Mary was from 1919 to 1939. In 1931, records show that over 100 children were enrolled in St. Mary's grade school and the church had 936 parishioners. Fr. Francis Schaub, a pastor who is said to have given profound sermons and was highly regarded by non-Catholics in Rush County, opened a bowling alley in the school during the peak of the Klu Klux Klan activity in Indiana as a way to promote friendly relations with other groups.
Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh freed the church from debt it was once in again from 1939 to 1944. Between 1946 and 1967, the large monument in the center of the circle at Calvary Cemetery was erected under the discretion of Fr. Clarence Burkart. During Fr. Clarence Burkart's tenure at St. Mary, there were three assistants: Fr. Vollmuth, Fr. Schweizer, and Fr. Brown. Following Fr. Clarence Burkart's death in 1974, a scholarship for youth attending a Catholic institution was created in his memory. Fr. James Dooley organized the parish council using the principles set by the Second Vatican Council between 1967 and 1972. Fr. James Dooley also had two assistants during his time as pastor of St. Mary: Fr. Michael Bradley first, then Fr. Henry Herpel.
Since 1972, St. Mary Catholic Church has had 9 other priests serve St. Mary Catholic Church: Fr. William Fisher, who was tragically killed in a fire after transferring from St. Mary to St. Francis Hospital; Fr. George Saum, who was the former pastor of St. Michael's in Brookville; Fr. Donald Schmidlin, who was appointed by Bishop Biskup in 1976; Fr. William Cleary, who was born and raised in Rushville and was a St. Mary Catholic School alumni; Fr. Roger Rudolf, who was welcomed into St. Mary in 1996 with his faithful friend Smoke; Fr. William Turner, who arrived at St. Mary in 2004; Fr. Jeremy Gries, who began his time at St. Mary as Administrator in 2011 but was appointed pastor in 2012; Fr. James Brockmeier, who began at St. Mary in 2018 and left in 2023 for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; and Fr. Dustin Boehm, who came to St. Mary in 2023 with Fr. Matthew Perronie, Associate Pastor. Fr. Dustin Boehm and Fr. Matthew Perronie also serve St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Connersville, as well as St. Bridget Catholic Church in Liberty.
Please watch the video below showcasing the history inside St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church with Fr. Jeremy Gries, the 19th pastor of St. Mary.