History of St. Patrick Catholic Church

St. Patrick Church

The patron of the Catholic Community of rural Enfield, St. Patrick, reflects the community's heritage and ethnic ties with the "Old Sod" Ireland. Irish immigrants were attracted to the rolling hills and woodlands of Enfield Twp. in White County and Crook Twp. in Hamilton County during the bleak 1840s and '50s when 750,000 Irish men and women died from famine and disease and over a million immigrated to the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

The small community's religious needs were served by pioneer circuit-riding priests. Fr. E.J. Durbin was the first priest to visit the settlement, meeting in various homes until the first church was built. Sometime after 1850 a log building, standing on the Patrick Dolan farm, was dedicated for church services. A wood-frame building replaced the log church between 1862 and 1865 and was located on what is now the new section of St. Patrick's cemetery.

Fr. William O'Reilly was the first resident pastor in 1871 and established the parish registry and by-laws. In 1885, Fr. Baltasar Wittauer was appointed parish priest and served until his death in 1914. During his dedicated service to St. Patrick's he initiated the construction of a new wood-frame church, which was completed in 1890, at a cost of $5,000. He then used additional chruch property to establish a Motherhouse and boarding school which was servewd by the Order of the Servants of Mary in 1895. St. Patrick's Parish has produced only one "native son" priest, Monsignor Wilfrid Hanagan, who was ordained in 1926. Fr. Fred Halbig was parish priest when on November 27, 1938, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the old wood church was destroyed by a fire, due to a defective flue. With assistance of mainly volunteer labor, the present St. Meinrad sandstone church and rectory were erected with dedication services for the new St. Patrick's Church held on Thanksgiving Day, 1939 with Bishop Henry Altoff presiding.

Due to the generosity of the John and Joseph Dunn families, the parish was able to replace the old parish hall in 1975 with the current brick facility. The Most Reverend James P. Keleher, Bishop of Belleville, concelebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Dedication of the current church building on November 26, 1989.

Priests which have produced dedicated service to the people of St. Patrick's Parish since 1936 include: Fathers F. Halbig, C. Brumleve, P. Strauder, L. Drone, J. Trapp, J. Lawler, E. Perjack, J. Schoen, M. Maughan, S. Rudolphi and our current priest Rev. Vincent Obi.

Mass Schedule
  • St. Polycarp
  • Wednesday 3 p.m.
  • Thursday 8:30 a.m.
  • Friday 8:30 a.m.
  • Sunday 10 a.m.

  • St. Patrick
  • Tuesday 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday 7 p.m.
  • Saturday 5 p.m.
  • Sunday 8 a.m.

  • Wabash Christian
    Retirement Center
  • 2nd & 4th Wed.
    each month