About Saint Joseph · Bramble, Indiana
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bramble, Indiana, is a small rural Catholic worship site with roots stretching back to 1848, when frontier priests first said Mass in the log homes of Miles Settlement pioneers. Originally established in 1853 as a mission of St. Mary's Church in Daviess County, it grew into a recognized parish before being merged on July 1, 2014 into St. John the Evangelist Parish in Loogootee — along with St. Martin in Whitfield, St. Mary in Shoals, and the St. Mary Chapel in Barr Township. The historic church building and its cemetery still stand at 18982 Saint Joseph Road, and the site is one of four worship sites that together serve the Catholic family of Martin County in the Diocese of Evansville.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Very Rev. J. Kenneth Walker, MCL, JCL
- Diocese
- Diocese of Evansville
Why belong here
St. Joseph in Bramble is one of the smallest, most personal Catholic communities in the Diocese of Evansville, where generations of Martin County families have worshipped in the same hilltop setting since 1853. As part of today's St. John the Evangelist Parish, it still serves as a regular worship site with its own historic church and parish cemetery, offering parishioners a tight-knit rural Catholic home connected to the wider Mass schedule, faith formation, RCIA, music ministry, youth ministry, and St. Vincent de Paul outreach of the merged parish. For those who value continuity, old pioneer roots, and a quiet country church with deep family ties, St. Joseph Bramble remains a place of belonging.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Overview
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bramble, Indiana, is one of four worship sites of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Loogootee. Since July 1, 2014, the parish has been served by Very Rev. J. Kenneth Walker, MCL, JCL, with Deacon William R. Consley assisting. The merged parish combines St. John (Loogootee), St. Joseph (Bramble), St. Martin (Whitfield), St. Mary Immaculate Conception (Shoals), and the St. Mary Assumption Bell Tower Chapel (Barr Township) into a single Catholic family for Martin County, in the Diocese of Evansville.
- St. John the Evangelist Parish, Loogootee (parish office)
- St. Joseph Church, Bramble
- St. Martin Church, Whitfield
- St. Mary Church, Shoals
- St. Mary Chapel (Bell Tower), Barr Township
History of St. Joseph
The Catholic presence in the Bramble area began in 1848, when Father Patrick Murphy, pastor of St. Mary's in Daviess County and St. Rose of Lima in Mt. Pleasant, began riding out to say Mass in the homes of Irish and English pioneer families of Miles Settlement. In 1853, Fr. Murphy raised funds to build a church and a surrounding cemetery. That original site is now inside Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center.
- 1848 — Fr. Patrick Murphy begins celebrating Mass in Miles Settlement homes
- 1853 — First church built; mission of St. Mary's, Daviess County
- 1875 — Land donated by Thomas E. and Mrs. Bramble; new church built at present site
- 1878 — Census shows 85 registered families
- 1887 — Two acres purchased from Patrick Hynes for present cemetery
- 1892 — First resident pastor (Fr. John P. Bergen) appointed by Bishop Chatard
- 1894 — Rectory built
- 1913 — Fire destroys the original rectory
- 1915 — Parish hall built on the feast of St. Joseph
- 2014 — Merged into St. John the Evangelist Parish
Native Vocations
The small farming community of St. Joseph Bramble produced a remarkable number of religious vocations for its size — five priests and three sisters who were children of the parish.
- Fr. Guy Fields
- Fr. Bernard Stange
- Fr. Flavian Strange
- Fr. Robert Strange
- Fr. Raymond Strange
- Sr. Veronica Summers
- Sr. Margaret Ann Williams
- Sr. Mary Montgomery
Clergy & Staff of the Merged Parish
St. Joseph Bramble is currently served through St. John the Evangelist Parish. The Very Rev. J. Kenneth Walker, MCL, JCL, is the pastor; Deacon William R. Consley assists. A broader parish staff supports liturgical, youth, music, RCIA, business, and facility ministries across the four worship sites.
- Pastor: Very Rev. J. Kenneth Walker, MCL, JCL
- Deacon: William R. Consley
- Outreach: Paula Ringwald
- RCIA Process: Peter McDowell
- Music Ministry: Deacon William R. Consley
- PCL and Youth Ministry: Ashton H. Kahle
- Organist: Lynn Gee
- Assistant to the Pastor for Liturgical Ministries: Mark Potts
- Administrative Assistant to the Pastor: Adam Strange
- Accountant: Robert Toy, CPA
- Business Manager: Vicki Strange
- Payroll Coordinator: Tony Showalter, CPA
- Facilities: Tom McAtee and Cam Ackerman
Mass & Worship Schedule
Regular Mass for the merged parish is celebrated at St. John the Evangelist in Loogootee, with a rotating Monday noon Mass at one of the other worship sites (St. Joseph Bramble, St. Martin Whitfield, or St. Mary Shoals) — see the parish bulletin for the weekly location. The official parish website notes: 'Mass times subject to change, see bulletin for most accurate times.'
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 pm @ St. John, Loogootee
- Sunday — 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 4:00 pm @ St. John, Loogootee
- Monday — 12:00 pm (Noon), rotating worship site — see bulletin
- Tuesday — 7:00 pm @ St. John, Loogootee
- Wednesday — 9:00 am @ St. John, Loogootee
- Thursday — 9:00 am @ St. John, Loogootee
- Friday — 9:00 am @ St. John, Loogootee
Ministries & Outreach
St. Joseph Bramble is connected to a wide range of ministries through St. John the Evangelist Parish. The parish also maintains its own local chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for human services in the Bramble community, listed federally under the name 'National Council Of The United States Society Of St Vincent Depau — St Joseph Bramble' (EIN 61-1593381).
- Liturgical Ministries (merged parish)
- Spiritual Ministries (merged parish)
- Music Ministry (Deacon William Consley)
- RCIA (Peter McDowell)
- PCL and Youth Ministry (Ashton H. Kahle)
- Outreach (Paula Ringwald)
- St. Vincent de Paul conference — St. Joseph Bramble
Parish Cemetery
The current St. Joseph Cemetery was laid out in 1887 on two acres purchased from Patrick Hynes. The first interment was the wife of Hilary Ash, and over time remains from the original Miles Settlement cemetery were transferred to this site. The St. Joseph Cemetery Records are preserved and indexed on the parish's historical site.
- Two acres purchased from Patrick Hynes (1887)
- First burial: wife of Hilary Ash
- Remains transferred from the original Miles Settlement cemetery
- Indexed burial, baptismal, and obituary records maintained on the parish historical site
Visit & Contact
The historic St. Joseph Church building and its cemetery are located at 18982 Saint Joseph Road in the Bramble community (Loogootee mailing address), Indiana. The parish office for the merged St. John the Evangelist Parish is at 408 Church Street, Loogootee, IN 47553. For the parish office call (812) 295-2225; the Bramble worship site phone line is (812) 295-3955.
- St. Joseph Church address: 18982 Saint Joseph Rd, Loogootee (Bramble), IN 47553
- Parish office: 408 Church St, Loogootee, IN 47553
- Parish office phone: (812) 295-2225
- St. Joseph site phone: (812) 295-3955
- Diocese: Diocese of Evansville (North Deanery)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Patrick Murphy1848–c.1853+
Founded the mission from Miles Settlement; assigned by Bishop Bazin of Vincennes; remained pastor of St. Mary's, Daviess County, with St. Joseph as a mission.
- Fr. John P. Bergen1892–1896
First resident pastor, appointed by Bishop Chatard on September 25, 1892; new rectory built in 1894.
- Fr. Theodore Mattingly1896–1899
Second resident pastor; resigned amid parish debt.
- Fr. John Stanton1900–1913
Served until a fire destroyed the original rectory in 1913.
- Fr. John McShane1913–c.1916
Succeeded Fr. Stanton; faced debt from a new rectory build.
- Fr. Theodore Mattingly (second tenure)1916–1920
Returned for a second stint as pastor.