Prince of Peace Parish -St. Patrick Chapel

About Prince of Peace Parish

Prince of Peace Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Jefferson County, Indiana, formed in 1993 by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein through the merger of four historic Madison-area parishes — St. Mary, St. Michael, St. Patrick, and St. Anthony (China) — and joined in 2013 by St. Mary Magdalen of New Marion. Today the parish serves about 1,095 families from a 20-acre hilltop campus along West State Street in Madison, anchored by the 1851 former-St.-Mary's church at 413 E. Second Street, the daily-Mass St. Patrick Chapel at 301 W. State Street, the Catholic Community Center at 305 W. State Street, Pope John XXIII Elementary, and Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School. Prince of Peace also serves as the chaplaincy parish for Hanover College.

History of Catholic Madison

Catholicism arrived in Madison in 1814 with the first Mass celebrated in the Ohio River town, but in a predominantly Presbyterian community the faith 'was not respected highly' and many Catholics were driven away. The construction of the Madison-Indianapolis Railroad by Irish immigrants swelled the Catholic population. On July 18, 1837, Bishop Simon Bruté officially founded St. Michael the Archangel, and Fr. Michael Edgar Shawe — the first priest ordained in Indiana — became Madison's first resident pastor. St. Mary's, whose 1851 walls now form Prince of Peace Church, was built by German hands; St. Patrick's served the Irish Catholic community; St. Anthony's in China (est. 1849) and St. Mary Magdalen in New Marion (est. 1861) rounded out the rural Jefferson County parishes. By 1993 all five had been consolidated into Prince of Peace.

• 1814 — First Mass celebrated in Madison
• 1837 — St. Michael the Archangel founded by Bishop Simon Bruté; Fr. Michael Shawe named first resident pastor
• 1849 — St. Anthony's Catholic Church founded in China
• 1851 — St. Mary's Church (now Prince of Peace) walls raised under German hands
• 1858 — Parsonage purchased west of St. Mary's
• 1860 — Steeple built; four named bells installed
• 1861 — St. Mary Magdalen Parish founded by German immigrants
• 1864 — Tracker pipe organ purchased in Tiffin, Ohio
• 1888 — Walls frescoed; stained-glass windows installed for $2,578.87
• 1904 — New pews replace the old square ones
• 1940 — Current pipe organ installed
• 1941 — Army takes over St. Magdalen's land; parish moves to New Marion
• 1993 — Prince of Peace Parish created from four consolidated parishes; Fr. Jeffrey Charlton first pastor
• 2013 — St. Mary Magdalen of New Marion merged into Prince of Peace
• 2016–2025 — 'Steeple for the People' campaign raises $2.4 million and restores the church

Worship Sites

Prince of Peace Parish worships at three sites across Madison and Switzerland County. The principal church is Prince of Peace (the former St. Mary's) at 413 E. Second Street, with the dramatic high stone altar dating from the Latin-Mass era. St. Patrick Chapel at 301 W. State Street functions as the daily-Mass chapel and houses the parish's Spanish-language Mass each Sunday at noon. Most Sorrowful Mother of God in Vevay is pastored together with Prince of Peace by Fr. Rick Nagel.

• Prince of Peace Church — 413 E. Second Street, Madison (principal site, capacity 450)
• St. Patrick Chapel — 301 W. State Street, Madison (daily Mass, Adoration, Hispanic Mass)
• Most Sorrowful Mother of God — Vevay, IN (pastored together with Prince of Peace)
• Catholic Community Center / Parish Office — 305 W. State Street, Madison

Faith Formation & Religious Education

Faith formation at Prince of Peace spans cradle to grave. Children in grades K–8 meet twice per month at St. John's for Religious Education under Director of Religious Education Morgan Werner. Adults seeking full communion enter through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly RCIA, guided by Fr. Rick Nagel. Deacon Mike Boggs coordinates adult faith formation, while Pastoral Associate Mary Ellen Minnick oversees family-life ministry.

• OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — contact Fr. Rick Nagel ext. 241
• Religious Education K–8 — meets twice monthly at St. John's
• Adult Faith Formation — coordinated by Deacon Mike Boggs
• Family Life Ministry — Mary Ellen Minnick
• Sacraments preparation: Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, Matrimony

Youth & Young Adult Ministry

Investment in the Young Church is a flagship priority under Fr. Rick Nagel, who prior to his assignment was the Archdiocese of Indianapolis' first director of College and Young Adult Ministry and a longtime chaplain at IUPUI. Youth Ministry Coordinator Sofia Morales leads parish programming for youth, public-school and home-school teens, Hanover College students, and post-college young adults across Jefferson and Switzerland Counties. A monthly second collection and a designated yellow envelope support the work.

• Youth & Young Adult Ministry — Sofia Morales, [email protected]
• Hanover College campus ministry — Fr. Rick Nagel
• Monthly youth-collection envelope in envelope packets
• Support for public-school, home-school, and Catholic-school youth

Prince of Peace Catholic Schools

Pope John XXIII Elementary (PK-6, 221 W. State Street, principal Bethany Fewell, 291 students) and Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School (7-12, 201 W. State Street, principal Curt Gardner, 183 students) together form the only PreK-12 Catholic school combination in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis supported by a single parish. The schools share a 20-acre hilltop campus with St. Patrick Chapel, the parish offices, athletic fields, tennis courts, a soccer field, and an outdoor environmental laboratory.

• Pope John XXIII Elementary (PK-6) — Principal Bethany Fewell, 291 students
• Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School (7-12) — Principal Curt Gardner, 183 students
• President of Catholic Schools — Phil Kahn
• Director of Development — Amy Ralston
• Faith Formation Director — Chemaign Drumm
• School Commission — David Ott (President), Valerie Young (VP), Bill Bettler (Secretary), plus 9 elected members

Music & Liturgy

Music at Prince of Peace is directed by Pam Deveary and Larry Wickersham ([email protected]). The principal church houses a pipe organ originally installed in 1940 (replacing an 1864 Tiffin, Ohio tracker organ), with two consoles — the original in the rear choir loft and a Vatican II-era console at the front of the church to allow the organist to play closer to the cantor. The parish also commissioned new statuary from Italy for the high altar, including a crucifix, an Archangel Gabriel, and a St. Michael statue (2020), all restored and re-gold-leafed during the Steeple for the People campaign.

Parish Cemeteries

Prince of Peace Parish is the steward of three historic Catholic cemeteries that document more than 170 years of Catholic life in Jefferson County. Fr. Dupontavice originally arranged the purchase of St. Patrick's Cemetery; today Janice Barnes, the Genealogy Librarian, has led a multi-year effort to document all the graves, with Ron Harmon and Bill Andrews compiling plot records. A cemetery map is now available to help visitors locate gravesites.

• St. Patrick Cemetery — W. State Street, Madison (the 'Irish Yard,' earliest grave 1854)
• St. Magdalen Cemetery — W. State Street, Madison (German origins; moved from old site when Army took the land in 1941)
• St. Anthony Cemetery — Hatcher Hill, China, IN (the 'German Yard,' laid out 1867)
• St. Mary Cemetery — north end of Walnut Street, Madison (closed 1991)

Parish Staff

Prince of Peace is led by Pastor Rev. Eric (Rick) Nagel, supported by Deacon Mike Boggs (Adult Formation), and a deep lay-staff team across parish operations, faith formation, youth ministry, music, schools, and maintenance.

• Pastor: Rev. Eric (Rick) Nagel (ext. 241, [email protected])
• Deacon / Adult Formation Coordinator: Mike Boggs (ext. 240)
• Pastoral Associate: Mary Ellen Minnick (ext. 239, [email protected])
• Parish Office Manager: Beth Kring (ext. 237, [email protected])
• Administrative Assistant: MaryRose Carlow (ext. 243, [email protected])
• Parish & School Business Manager: Marty McClure (ext. 247)
• Director of Religious Education: Morgan Werner ([email protected])
• Youth Ministry Coordinator: Sofia Morales ([email protected])
• Music Directors: Pam Deveary and Larry Wickersham ([email protected])
• Parish Transportation & Maintenance: Kevin Jones (ext. 244/243)
• President of Catholic Schools: Phil Kahn (ext. 245)
• Director of Development: Amy Ralston
• Principal, Pope John XXIII Elementary: Bethany Fewell
• Principal, Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School: Curt Gardner
• Faith Formation Director: Chemaign Drumm

Getting Involved & Giving

Parishioners and visitors can support Prince of Peace through online giving, the monthly envelope packet (which includes a yellow envelope specifically for Youth & Young Adult Ministry), the second collection on the third weekend of each month, and by volunteering with the many parish ministries. Catholic-school families support Pope John XXIII and Shawe Memorial through tuition and the School Commission. For questions about OCIA, contact Fr. Rick Nagel directly.

• Online Giving via popeace.org
• Yellow envelope for Youth & Young Adult Ministry
• Monthly second collection for the Young Church
• School Commission volunteer opportunities
• OCIA inquiry: [email protected] or 812-265-4166 ext. 241