The Catholic faith has been present in Bartholomew County since 1820. Mrs. Basil Mahoney Owens was the first Catholic pioneer. Mass and prayer services were celebrated in pioneer homes until 1841, when the first Catholic church was constructed. Today, the Catholic faith continues to be a vibrant part of Bartholomew County .
History is built upon living, breathing men and women. It bears the experience of sharing pain and joy, love and rejection, hardships and victories. This has been part of the life for our community of Catholics.
When the parish was first established, it was given the name of St. Bartholomew. In 1963, a daughter parish, St. Columba, was established to meet the needs of the Catholic community. Today, to better foster one community of faith, the two parishes have been united into one parish. St. Bartholomew is the name of our total faith community.
We constructed a new church at 27th and Home Avenue in 2001, bringing together the congregations of the old St. Bartholomew and St. Columba Parishes. Construction of a new gymnasium, and other educational administrative facilities were completed at the north campus in 2003.