St. Maurice ChurchOur Parish History

St. Maurice Church in Napoleon, Indiana was founded in 1848. The parish consisted of 20 families and was served by a traveling missionary priest from Jennings County, Rev. Alphonse Munschina. The first church building was a plain 50 by 30 frame structure.

By 1866, the congregation had grown to 50 families, and the Rev. John Theodor Antoni was assigned as the resident pastor. Under his leadership, construction of our present church was begun in 1869. Fr. Antoni died suddenly, at the age of 34, before the building was completed. A marble tablet inside the church commemorates his name and good work. The new church was opened in 1872, and officially dedicated on September 22, 1879, by Bishop Silas Chatard.

Over the years, St. Maurice Church has been blessed with many dedicated pastors and administrators, all of whom have helped shape the parish into what it is today. To name a few: Fr. Ada Feigan (1880-1896), Fr. Meinrad Toelle (1879-1909), Fr. Cornelius Hall (1942-1956), Msgr. Joseph Brokhage (1975-1991), Fr. Bill Ripperger (1995-2002), and Fr. Larry Borders (2002-2004).

In 2008, St. Maurice parish numbers 180 families. The parish is known for its warm and welcoming liturgies, a thriving religious education program, an active Parish Council, and parishioners working to insure the vitality and stability of this Family of faith.

Saint Maurice, Martyr of the Theban Legion
(circa A.D. 287)-Our Parish Patron

Augustus Maximian Herculius marched an army against a number of Gauls, called Bagaudae, who had risen in revolt. Among those recruited to squash the revolt was a unit of soldiers from Upper Egypt who were Christians.

In preparation for the battle and hope for success, Maximian ordered the whole army to join in sacrifices to the gods. The unit of soldiers from Upper Egypt, led by St. Maurice, refused to join in these sacrifices. Upon repeated orders and continuous refusals, Maximian ordered that every tenth man be put to death. With the encouragement of their officers, Maurice, Exuperius and Candidus, the soldiers stood firm and would rather suffer the penalties than participate in something that would deny their faith in the one true God.

The Theban Legion numbered about 6,600 men. While the number of soldiers who died that day is in dispute, one historical fact does remain and that is St. Maurice was one of the martyred. St. Maurice is the patron saint of Savoy and Sardinia and several towns, as well as the patron for infantry soldiers, sword-smiths, weavers and dyers, and against cramps. His Feast Day is September 22.