St. Roch Catholic Church and School 

Timeline of the first 100 year

• 1918-1920: Influenza Epidemic: Bishop Chartrand promised to establish the next parish in this diocese in the name of St. Roch, the Patron Saint of Contagious Disease, if the influenza epidemic would subside. After his declaration, the epidemic ended almost immediately.
• 1921:  Sacred Heart purchased two acres of land at 3600 South Meridian Street for $2,300.
• PRIEST in Residence: 1922-1922, Matthew Schmitz, OFM - Pastor
• 1922, February 26: Official Birthday of St. Roch.  Bishop determined the boundaries for the new parish to be Southern Ave, Madison Ave, County Line Road, and the White River.  These boundaries encompassed 40 Catholic families.
• 1922, December 20: Completed basement church, blessed by Father Matthew on 4 th Sunday of Advent.
• 1922, December 25: Midnight Mass was the first Mass at St. Roch Catholic Church.  Almost 400 parishioners and friends were in attendance.
• PRIEST in Residence: 1923-1933, Peter Pfeifer, OFM - Pastor
• 1924, September 8: School opened with two nuns hired as teachers (Sister Donatus, principal) with 46 students (all grades), but the stairway was not completed, so they met in the parking lot for a few weeks.
• 1925:  First graduating class from St. Roch (3 girls, 1 boy)
• PRIEST in Residence: 1934-1936, Arthur Pointkowski, OFM - Pastor 
• PRIEST in Residence: 1936-1954, Omer Bruck, OFM - Pastor
• 1945: The parish enrollment increased to 284 families; 266 students are enrolled, with 6 sisters as their teachers.
• 1945: St Mark was established due to tremendous growth on the southside. 110 families were rechartered from St. Roch for St. Mark due to the boundary down the middle of Thompson Rd.
• 1950, February 2: Fire in the church during the school day, boy scouts helped from the fire escape, 200 children led to safety. Within an hour, 50 men and women came with rags, mops, and buckets.  The mess was quickly cleared away, and a Mass of Thanksgiving was offered on the charred altar the next day. 
• 1951, October 21: Laid cornerstone for the New Church.  City water lines were connected to building grounds
• 1952, October 19: Dedication of the New Church with a parade down Sumner Avenue.  It was a stately colonial building made of St. Meinrad stoned.
• 1953: The interior of the church was rebuilt, and the Last Supper altar was installed. The grotto was erected.
• PRIEST in Residence: 1954-1960, Conwan McCurren, OFM - Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1960-1964, Gary Woltering, OFM - Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1964-1969, Gordon Knese, OFM – Pastor
• 1965:The parish enrollment increased to 569 families; 465 students are enrolled, with 6 Sisters and 6 lay teachers as their teachers. CCD classes began this year for students in public schools in the parish.
• PRIEST in Residence: 1969-1970, Conwan McCurren, OFM - Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1970-1979, James Keefner, OFM - Pastor
• 1972-73: St. Roch became the first all-lay staffed school in the Archdiocese.
• 1973:  The parish celebrated its golden jubilee anniversary.
• PRIEST in Residence: 1979-1985, John Sullivan, OFM – Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1985-1988, Ignatius Eckelkamp, OFM - Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1988-1996, Donatus Grunloh, OFM – Pastor
• PRIEST in Residence: 1996-1997, J. Michael Ewert, OFM - Pastor
• 1997, June: Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart Friars relinquish the parish to the Archdiocese
• 1997, July 27:  Franciscan Farewell Mass was held
• PRIEST in Residence: 1997-2018, James Wilmoth – Pastor
• 2000, March: The Archdiocese’s Building Commission approved the drawings and blueprints for the new Parish Life Center.
• 2000, April: Brandt Construction began work on the Parish Life Center (PLC).  
• 2000, September: Great Jubilee Year – In association with parishes in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, a 9-week novena was offered for the Celebration in the Spirit of Hope.  It began on September 16 in the RCA Dome.
• 2001, August 12 -19: The first FESTA Week was celebrated (Aug. 16 -Feast of St. Roch).
• 2003, March 9: Parish Council was considering paintings on canvas at the four niches near the front of the church. The paintings would reflect events in the life of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Each would cost $7,000. Conrad Schmitt Studios was contracted for the works of art in Milwaukee. 
• 2003, April 6:  The four murals being painted are: Our Lady of Fatima, The Annunciation, The Baptism of Jesus and Jesus in the Children.
• 2003, April 20: The murals were installed.
• 2005, August: Leadership team was formed for “Legacy of Our Mission”, a capital campaign for church renovation.
• 2006, January 2: Construction/Renovations began of the interior of the church. Masses were moved to the gym.
• 2006, April 23: Welcome Back to Mass in the renovated church!
• 2006, August 13-20: FESTA Week.  On August 19, Archbishop Daniel Buechlein celebrated mass and blessed the church.
• 2006, September 24: in Fr. Wilmoth’s weekly message in the Bulletin, he shared that there are 12 relics in the Reliquary in the back of the church.
• 2008, November 9: A meditation Shelter was built in the yard west of the church as an Eagle Scout project
• 2010, February 14:  Mentioned in this date’s Bulletin that on Jan. 25, Fr. Wilmoth was notified by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) that he would be the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Pastor Award. Fr. Wilmoth received the award at the NCEA National Convention in Minneapolis, MN in April 2010.  He was the first priest in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to receive this award.
• 2011, April 3: the Bulletin announced that on March 18, Fr. Wilmoth was awarded the “Catholic Educator of the Year” Award from the Southside Catholic Business Professionals at their annual fundraiser & speaker series breakfast event.
• 2011, August 21: The “Old Hall” in the school basement was renovated. The work included: -reopening the windows in the north and south sides of the room -new lighting, new walls, a new floor, and a new multi-purpose room.   It was renamed “Guerin Hall”.
• 2016, February: St. Roch joined FORMED, an internet program that provided teaching videos, audio clips, and e-books designed to deepen one’s relationship with Christ and His church.
• 2016, May 15: The 50 th Anniversary of the Ordination was celebrated for Franciscan Friar, Kurt Hartrich, a former St. Roch parishioner since childhood and a graduate of St. Roch School.
• PRIEST in Residence: 2018 - present, Douglas Hunter – Pastor
• 2018, Fr. Hunter instituted weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesdays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• 2019-2021, A series of renovations began to improve and/or repair the buildings on the St. Roch campus. The Rectory basement was rehabilitated to provide meeting spaces. The school windows received tuckpointing from the inside and outside, sealing the all the window gaps.
• 2020, April 1: Fr. Wilmoth shared a historical bit regarding the building of the current church in the early 1950s. Fr. Omer Bruck, pastor at that time, knew that St. Peter’s in downtown Chicago, had an extra set of stations of the cross.  They were given to St. Roch Catholic Church.  In the 2005 renovation, the stations were deep-cleaned revealing a beautiful color.
• 2020, October: Deacon Candidate, Jerry Bessler received the Rite of Lector.
• 2022, June 25. Jerry Bessler was ordained as Deacon at SS Peter & Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.
• 2022, The church received a new roof. 2023, The school received a new roof and gutters.
• 2023, The school received a new roof and gutters.