About Precious Blood Church · Jasper, Indiana
Precious Blood Catholic Church is a Catholic parish in Jasper, Indiana, dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. Founded in 1954 in the Diocese of Evansville, it serves the Jasper community with Mass, the sacraments, faith formation, youth ministry, and a wide range of parish life groups. The parish hosts the Divine Providence Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, which is supported by all area parishes and adores the Blessed Sacrament 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Brian Emmick, Precious Blood continues a long-standing tradition of Catholic education, devotional life, and outreach, including support for a sister parish in Haiti.
- Established
- 1954
- Patron
- The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. Brian Emmick
- Diocese
- Diocese of Evansville
Why belong here
Precious Blood offers a full Catholic life in a small, rooted community: daily and Sunday Mass with live-streamed options, Saturday confession, a perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel shared with neighboring parishes, and an active faith formation program for children, youth, and adults. Parishioners can grow through RCIA, the WELCOME (formerly CRHP) weekend retreat, Vacation Bible School, and four-parish St. John Bosco Youth Ministry, while serving through the Ladies Sodality, Men's Club, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Welcome Committee, and outreach to a sister parish in Haiti. It is a welcoming, family-oriented parish grounded in the devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
Mass times at Precious Blood Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
- By appointment (contact the pastor)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the Divine Providence Adoration Chapel (1385 W. 6th Street, Jasper)
Parish History and Milestones
Founded in 1954 by Bishop Grimmelsman with Reverend Ralph Endress as first pastor, Precious Blood built its original church/school in 1957 and grew steadily through the decades. A 1990s building project produced the present-day church, dedicated by Bishop Gettelfinger in 1998. The parish marked its 50th anniversary in 2004, blessed vocations from within (two priests and two deacons), opened the Divine Providence Adoration Chapel in 2009, established the Memorial Garden in 2011, and joined Holy Family and St. Mary Ireland in forming Holy Trinity Catholic School in 2015.
- 1954 — Parish founded; 10 acres purchased from the William Lechner farm
- 1957 — Church/School building dedicated November 24; first First Communion December 8
- 1959 — First Confirmation celebrated by Bishop Grimmelsman on October 25
- 1967 — Lechner farm expansion; Sisters' convent built; rectory built at 1458 Gregory Lane
- 1979 — Father Eugene Schroeder ordained
- 1981 — Father Frank Renner ordained; first paid secretary/treasurer hired
- 1988 — School restructured from K–8 to nursery–5
- 1992 — Parish Endowment established; Building and Planning Committee formed
- 1998 — New church dedicated by Bishop Gettelfinger, March 14
- 2004 — 50th anniversary; Deacon Michael Krempp ordained
- 2005 — Deacon Jerry Gagne ordained
- 2010 — Divine Providence Adoration Chapel opened (December 2, 2009)
- 2011 — Memorial Garden established
- 2015 — Consolidated into Holy Trinity Catholic School (West/Central/East campuses)
- 2019 — Preschool and Pre-K centralized at the Central Campus
Faith Formation for Children, Youth, and Adults
Faith Formation at Precious Blood embraces the whole parish — children, youth, and adults. The Wednesday evening program gathers students Grades 6–12 from 7:00 to 8:15 pm for small-group faith formation. Adults can join RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), participate in ongoing Adult Formation sessions, attend the WELCOME weekend retreat, and bring children to Vacation Bible School each June.
- Wednesday Night Faith Formation (Grades 6–12), 7:00–8:15 pm
- RCIA — Inquiry, Catechumenate, Mystagogy; sessions begin mid-September or the first week of October
- Adult Formation — ongoing sessions on the Gospels, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Mary, and more
- WELCOME retreat (formerly CRHP) — annual men's and women's weekends in February/early March with Jasper/Ireland parishes
- Vacation Bible School in June for students entering Year 2 of preschool through 5th grade
- Coordinator: Emily Ketzner ([email protected], ext. 240)
St. John Bosco Youth Ministry
St. John Bosco Youth Ministry is a four-parish cooperative serving the young people of Holy Family, St. Joseph, Precious Blood, and St. Mary Ireland. Led by Director Catherine Berghoff and a team of youth and adult volunteers, it provides ongoing fellowship, fun, service, and spiritual growth opportunities throughout the year for all area youth.
- Four-parish cooperative: Holy Family, St. Joseph, Precious Blood, St. Mary Ireland
- Director: Catherine Berghoff
Parish Life and Community Groups
Precious Blood's parish life is anchored by long-standing organizations that serve the Church and one another. The Ladies Sodality and Men's Club provide fellowship and material support, while the Welcome Committee visits newcomers with home-baked desserts. Scouting programs include Cub Scouts for boys K–5 and Girl Scouts (Daisy, Brownies, and Girl Scouts) for girls in kindergarten through sixth grade, all led by parish women and dads.
- Ladies Sodality — open to all women beyond high-school age; $5 annual dues; three meetings a year (February, May, December)
- Men's Club — $5 annual dues, meets quarterly with fellowship
- Welcome Committee — visits new parishioners (contact Sherry Monesmith, 812-630-2717)
- Cub Scouts — K–5 boys (Cubmaster Joe Schitter, 812-630-5126)
- Girl Scouts — Daisy (K), Brownies (1–3), Girl Scouts (4–6)
- Contact for Scouting: Darlene Schnell, 812-631-1409
Outreach and the Sister Parish in Haiti
In addition to local service through the Ladies Sodality, Men's Club, and Scouting, Precious Blood maintains a relationship with a sister parish in Haiti, providing ongoing mission support and prayerful solidarity with Catholics there.
- Sister-parish relationship with Haiti
- Parish-supported Funeral Bereavement Meals (begun 1999)
Memorial Garden
Established in 2011, the Memorial Garden gives parishioners a place on parish grounds to honor loved ones. It is a quiet, dedicated space connected to the parish's mission of remembering and praying for the dead.
- Established 2011
- Located on parish grounds
Parish Staff and Ministry Team
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Brian Emmick and Deacon Mike Jones, supported by a staff of coordinators overseeing faith formation, music, spiritual life, finances, and facilities.
- Fr. Brian Emmick — Pastor ([email protected], ext. 128)
- Dcn. Mike Jones — Deacon ([email protected])
- Nancy Mendel — Spiritual Life Coordinator ([email protected], ext. 100)
- Emily Ketzner — Faith Formation Coordinator ([email protected], ext. 240)
- Catherine Berghoff — Director, St. John Bosco Youth Ministry
- Jane Persohn — Music Minister (812-630-3972)
- Ann Nagy — Coordinator of Music Ministry ([email protected], ext. 137)
- Barbara Schutz Hopf — Finance Coordinator ([email protected], ext. 117; cell 812-630-7282)
- Jeremy Wagner — Facilities Manager ([email protected], ext. 126)
Joining the Parish Family
Those interested in registering as parishioners may download the New Parishioner Form from the parish website and return it to the parish office, or stop by the office to pick one up. Pastor Fr. Brian Emmick extends a personal invitation to anyone exploring the Catholic faith to contact him or the parish for more information.
- New Parishioner Form available on the parish website
- Contact: Fr. Brian Emmick, [email protected], (812) 482-4461 ext. 128
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Ralph Endress1954 (founding)
Assigned as founding Pastor by Bishop Grimmelsman