About All Saints Parish -St. Joseph Church · Saint Leon, Indiana
All Saints Parish is a Roman Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, based in Dearborn County in southeastern Indiana. Formed on December 1, 2013, by the merger of four historic congregations — St. John the Baptist (Dover, est. 1824), St. Paul the Apostle (New Alsace, est. 1833), St. Joseph (St. Leon, est. 1841) and St. Martin (Yorkville, est. 1850) — it uniquely worships in four historic church buildings, called campuses. The St. Joseph Campus, at 7536 Church Lane in St. Leon, is the original 1861 brick church that served the German Catholic farming community, with its present building blessed by Bishop Bischop and formally consecrated in 1897. Today, the parish counts more than 1,050 families and offers weekly Mass, faith formation, a preschool (All Saints Catholic Academy) and a wide range of outreach and devotional ministries.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer (Pastor in Solidum, with Rev. John Hollowell)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Why belong here
All Saints Parish is one Catholic family worshipping in four historic Indiana church buildings, so a visitor can find a Mass any day of the week close to home. The parish invests heavily in faith formation through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium, a vibrant youth and young-adult ministry, and the All Saints Catholic Academy preschool, and it lives out the Gospel through Mercy Meals, the Compassionate Care Team, the Embrace Grace program, and partnerships with the Sunman and North Dearborn food pantries. Joining also means becoming part of a community that stretches back nearly two centuries in Dearborn County — and where registering connects you to a welcoming Connect Team and biannual New Parishioners luncheons.
Mass times at All Saints Parish -St. Joseph Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 5:15 PM – 5:40 PM (St. Joseph Campus)
About All Saints Parish
All Saints Parish is a Roman Catholic community in Dearborn County, Indiana, in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The parish was canonically created on December 1, 2013, when Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin merged four long-standing congregations — St. John the Baptist (Dover, est. 1824), St. Paul the Apostle (New Alsace, est. 1833), St. Joseph (St. Leon, est. 1841) and St. Martin (Yorkville, est. 1850) — into a single new faith community under the name All Saints. Although legally one parish, All Saints uniquely continues to celebrate Mass and devotions in all four of the former parish churches, now called 'campuses.' The parish office and mailing address are at 25743 State Road 1, Guilford, IN 47022, and the community includes more than 1,050 registered families.
- St. John the Baptist Campus — 25743 State Road 1, Guilford (parish office / preschool site)
- St. Joseph Campus — 7536 Church Lane, St. Leon
- St. Martin Campus — 8044 Yorkridge Road, Guilford
- St. Paul Campus — 9798 N. Dearborn Road, Guilford
History of the St. Joseph Campus (St. Leon)
The Catholic community of St. Leon was founded in 1841 and built its first log-cabin chapel in 1842. In 1848 the townspeople prayed a novena to St. Joseph that they credited with sparing the town from cholera. Under Rev. Koering a new brick church was begun in 1859 and blessed by Bishop Bischop in 1861. Between 1862 and 1868 Rev. Scheidler installed the St. Anne side altar, the present organ, a confessional, four bells, the main altar with its oil painting of St. Joseph, and the current Stations of the Cross. Bishop Chatard formally consecrated the finished building in 1897. Subsequent pastors updated the church in 1909, 1931, 1944, 1967, 1977, 1989, 1993, 1996 and again in 2016, when a brown-and-blue color scheme, stencil work, repainted altars, new flooring, painted organ pipes and updated lighting were added.
- 1842 — Log-cabin chapel erected (site marked by a large cross in the cemetery)
- 1848 — Novena to St. Joseph credited with ending cholera
- 1859–1861 — Present brick church built under Rev. Koering
- 1862–1868 — Rev. Scheidler fits out the interior
- 1897 — Formally consecrated by Bishop Chatard
- 2016 — Comprehensive interior restoration
Architecture & 2016 Restoration
St. Joseph is a mid-19th-century brick Catholic church in a simple vernacular style. Its most notable surviving features include the original Stations of the Cross (1860s), the St. Anne side altar, the main altar with its oil painting of St. Joseph, the choir-loft organ and the four historic bells. The 2016 restoration was intentionally designed around the life of St. Joseph: the shades of brown recall the carpenter and patron of laborers (and wood used throughout salvation history — Noah's Ark, Moses' staff, the Cross); the blue ceiling recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary, described as the crowning glory of humanity. The restored interior also includes stencil work on the ceiling (whose stars recall the dreams of St. Joseph in Matthew's Gospel), repainted statues and altars, repainted organ pipes, new flooring, new PA system, exposed cement entryway, tiled bathrooms, and an enhanced gothic wall pulpit.
- Color scheme: brown (St. Joseph) and blue (Mary)
- Stencil work on ceiling and sanctuary
- Repainted statues, altars and organ pipes
- New flooring, lighting and PA system
- St. Anne side altar retained
- Stations of the Cross from the 1860s retained
Clergy & Staff
All Saints Parish is led by two Pastors in Solidum, a collaborative leadership model in which both priests share pastoral responsibility for the whole parish. They are assisted by two permanent deacons, a parish coordinator, secretaries, bookkeepers, faith-formation coordinators, a youth minister, a young-adult and electronic evangelization coordinator, a baptism coordinator, a wedding coordinator, a facilities coordinator and the preschool director and teachers. The parish office team supports worship, formation, outreach and administration across all four campuses.
- Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer — Pastor in Solidum ([email protected])
- Rev. John Hollowell — Pastor in Solidum ([email protected])
- Deacon Bob Decker — [email protected]
- Deacon Mark Schmidl — [email protected]
- Emily Alig — Office & Parish Coordinator ([email protected])
- Marilyn White — Secretary & Baptism/Wedding Coordinator
- Maureen Stenger — Secretary & Ministry Scheduler
- Beth Buescher — Parish Office Secretary
- Jane Dever & Pat (Lisa) Stenger — Bookkeepers
- Cyndi Voegele & Teresa Callahan — Coordinators of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Lucy Herth — Youth Minister
- Claire Keck — Young Adult & Electronic Evangelization Coordinator
- Brenda Bruns — Baptism Coordinator
- Jeff Crail — Facilities Coordinator
- Sally Bertram — Preschool Director & Teacher (All Saints Catholic Academy)
Faith Formation — Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
All Saints Parish runs the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) atrium for children, a Montessori-based approach to religious formation in which children work with specially prepared materials to meditate on the liturgy and Scripture. The program is coordinated by Cyndi Voegele and Teresa Callahan and is offered to the children of all four former-parish communities as one unified program.
- CGS Atrium for children
- Coordinators: Cyndi Voegele & Teresa Callahan
- Contact: [email protected]
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
The parish invests in formation and fellowship for teens and young adults. The Youth Ministry, led by Lucy Herth, plans regular Youth Gather events and helps young parishioners grow in friendship and faith. The Young Adult ministry, coordinated by Claire Keck, also includes an 'Electronic Evangelization' component that extends the parish's outreach into digital spaces. Highlights listed on the home page include Young Adult Brunches and youth events scheduled throughout the year.
- Youth Ministry — Lucy Herth
- Young Adult Ministry & Electronic Evangelization — Claire Keck
- Youth Gather events
All Saints Catholic Academy (Preschool)
All Saints Parish operates All Saints Catholic Academy, a preschool program housed at the St. John the Baptist Campus / parish office site at 25743 State Route 1, Guilford, IN 47022. The school serves PreK-age children under the direction of preschool director and teacher Sally Teepe-Bertram (with additional teachers Ashley and Lisa on staff). The academy is a continuation of the parish's long commitment to Catholic education in Dearborn County following the earlier closure of All Saints School.
- Address: 25743 State Route 1, Guilford, IN 47022
- Phone: 812-576-0104
- Director: Sally Teepe-Bertram
- Enrollment: about 85 students (PreK)
Outreach & Compassionate Service
The parish's outreach is organized under the theme 'Compassionate Service,' drawn from the Latin roots of 'compassion' meaning 'co-suffering.' Ministries support both parishioners and the wider Dearborn County community through financial assistance, food, meals for those in crisis, and programs for expectant mothers.
- Compassionate Care Team — confidential financial assistance and resources for parishioners in need (Lisa Crail & Mandy Stenger)
- Mercy Meals — meals prepared for parishioners in tough times
- Embrace Grace — spiritual and practical support for expectant mothers
- Sunman Food Pantry — partner congregation pantry open Saturdays 9–11 AM (8917 E County Rd 1300 N, Sunman)
- North Dearborn Food Pantry — 2517 North Dearborn Road, West Harrison (Sun 5–7:30 PM; Mon 9–12; Tue 5–7:30 PM; Sat 9–12)
Becoming a Parishioner
Attending Mass is just the beginning at All Saints Parish. Newcomers are encouraged to register with the parish; once registered, a member of the Connect Team will reach out with information about parish life. The parish also hosts two New Parishioner Luncheons each year to introduce newer members to the wider community. Opportunities to get involved in fellowship and service are listed on the Ministries page of the parish website.
- Register online or through the parish office
- Connect Team follows up with new families
- Two New Parishioner Luncheons each year
Cemetery
The St. Joseph Cemetery surrounds the St. Joseph Campus in St. Leon. A large cross in the cemetery marks the original site of the 1842 log-cabin chapel. Cemetery rules and regulations are published by the parish office and can be obtained by calling 812-576-4302.
- St. Joseph Cemetery, St. Leon, Indiana
- Site of the 1842 log chapel marked by a large cross
- Administered through the All Saints Parish office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Koering1859–
Directed construction of the present brick church building (begun 1859, blessed 1861).
- Rev. Scheidler1862–1868
Installed the St. Anne side altar, organ, confessional, four bells, main altar with St. Joseph oil painting and the Stations of the Cross.
- Rev. Andres1909–
Installed a new organ in the choir loft.
- Rev. Ebnet1944–
Took down the steeple and led re-plastering and decoration of the interior.
- Rev. Wright1967–
Removed the communion rail and added red carpet in the main aisle.
- Rev. Grogan1977–
Replaced the old confessional with a reconciliation room.
- Rev. Ripperger1989–
Re-plastered the church ceiling.
- Rev. Harpenau1993–
Re-leaded the stained-glass windows and tuck-pointed and sealed the exterior.
- Rev. Louis Manna1996–
Led re-plastering of the walls, using expansion joints to prevent future cracking.