About Saint Mary of the Lake · Culver, Indiana
St. Mary of the Lake is a Roman Catholic parish in Culver, Indiana, belonging to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. It serves a unique community that includes the residents of Culver and the Lake Maxinkuckee area, as well as the students, faculty, and staff of the Culver Academies. Currently led by Fr. Stephen Felicichia (appointed summer 2023), the parish celebrates Mass in English (with some Spanish liturgical ministry for Academy students) and offers daily and weekend Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and Reconciliation. The parish is deeply intertwined with the spiritual life of Culver Military Academy / Culver Academies, a relationship stretching back more than a century.
- Established
- 1897
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title Our Lady / Mary of the Lake)
- Rector
- Fr. Stephen Felicichia
- Diocese
- Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Lake is a unique parish family, uniting the year-round Catholic community of Culver and the Lake Maxinkuckee region with the students, faculty, and staff of the Culver Academies. With daily Mass (Tuesday through Saturday), two Sunday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays, regular Confession times, and a vibrant Catholic Campus Ministry that includes Confirmation preparation, OCIA, bible studies, a Thursday Prayer Breakfast, and 'CIA – Christ in Action,' the parish offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental and devotional life. It is a small but historically rich parish—founded in 1897, with the current church built in 1954–55—where newcomers are welcomed into a community whose mission is to foster a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and service in charity.
Mass times at Saint Mary of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (following Daily Mass and by appointment)
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Wednesday: 5:00 – 5:20 PM
- First Friday following the 8:00 AM Mass
- By appointment anytime
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
- First Saturday Adoration/Exposition: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Mary of the Lake describes itself as a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, a unique parish family made up of Culver residents, the Lake Maxinkuckee community, and the students, faculty, and staff of the Culver Academies. The parish states that its primary purpose is to serve the spiritual needs of those within its boundaries, helping souls in its care to foster a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and service in charity. The work of evangelization, directed at supporting growth in the Christian life among members, is central to the parish's identity.
Parish History
The parish traces its roots to French Jesuit missionaries sent from Notre Dame and to the Catholic Potawatomi of the early 1800s. The first Catholic Church in Culver was built in 1897 through the generosity of Thomas Sheerin. After a 1903 fire destroyed that building, Mass was celebrated sporadically for forty years in spaces like the Carnegie library and the El Rancho theater. The modern parish was established in 1948 with the arrival of Fr. Joseph A. Lenk, who built the present church on College Avenue and Plymouth Street. The current edifice was dedicated in 1955 by Bishop Leo Pursley and has been served by a succession of pastors listed in the parish's history page.
- First St. Mary of the Lake built 1897, destroyed by fire September 1903
- Modern parish established December 1948 under Fr. Joseph A. Lenk
- Present church cornerstone laid July 1954; dedicated August 1955 by Bishop Leo Pursley
- Cost of current building: ~$250,000; seating capacity: 310
- East entrance features bas-relief of the Culver Academies seal (eagle and Culver 'C')
Pastor & Staff
The current pastor is Fr. Stephen Felicichia, whose tenure at St. Mary of the Lake began in summer 2023. His homilies are made available via Soundcloud, linked from the parish homepage. Deacon Mike Madison serves as the Catholic Campus Minister for the Culver Academies' Spiritual Life office, working in close coordination with Fr. Stephen on the campus Catholic ministry. Together they minister to approximately 270–288 Catholic students on the Academies' campus and the wider parish community.
- Fr. Stephen Felicichia — Pastor (appointed summer 2023)
- Deacon Mike Madison — Catholic Campus Minister, Spiritual Life (Culver Academies); [email protected]; 574-842-8179
Parish Ministries
The parish maintains a wide variety of ministries and service groups, organized in part through the Parish Council. These range from liturgical service and sacred music to community hospitality, cleaning, vocations promotion, and outreach.
- Parish Council
- Hospitality
- Liturgical Ministers
- Cleaning Committee
- Sacred Music
- Ushers/Greeters
- Vocations
Culver Academies Catholic Ministry
A distinctive feature of St. Mary of the Lake is its close partnership with Culver Academies, where Deacon Mike Madison serves as Catholic Campus Minister. The Academies field a large corps of student Mass Ministers — lectors in English and Spanish, choir members, greeters, gift bearers, altar servers, and Eucharistic ministers — who serve the parish liturgies. The campus ministry hosts Confirmation preparation, OCIA sacramental preparation, Bible studies, a Thursday Prayer Breakfast, the HUB, and CIA – Christ in Action. The pastor says Mass each Sunday and stays afterward to hear the sacrament of Reconciliation for Upper School students.
- About 270–288 Catholic students registered annually
- Confirmation Preparation (Monday evenings, ~27 students in 2024–25)
- OCIA Sacramental Preparation (Sundays after Mass)
- Band of Brothers Bible Study (CMA)
- The Narrative Bible Study
- CIA – Christ in Action (Saturday meetings)
- Thursday Morning Prayer Breakfast (~67 students)
- The HUB (student gathering)
- Rosary at Woodcraft Camp (Thursdays at noon during summer)
- Vespers / Lessons and Carols at Culver Memorial Chapel
- Student-led Bible studies in barracks and dorms
- Mass Ministers program: lectors (English & Spanish), choir, greeters, gift bearers, altar servers, Eucharistic ministers
- Spanish-speaking priests brought in for Advent Penance Service
Faith Formation & Sacraments
The parish and the campus ministry together provide preparation for the sacraments of initiation. Parishioners and parents can inquire through the parish office for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. OCIA (formerly RCIA) is offered for adults seeking initiation or full communion with the Catholic Church, with Sunday morning meetings after Mass.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Communion
- Marriage
- Reconciliation (scheduled + by appointment)
- Anointing of the Sick
- OCIA for adults
Visiting & Contact
The parish is located at 124 College Avenue, Culver, Indiana 46511, on the corner of College Avenue and Plymouth Street, directly across from Culver Academies. The parish office can be reached by phone at (574) 842-3667. Weekly bulletins and the latest news are posted on the parish website.
- Address: 124 College Avenue, Culver, IN 46511
- Phone: (574) 842-3667
- Website: http://stmaryculver.org/
- Weekly bulletins posted online
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph A. Lenk1948–1978
First resident pastor; oversaw construction of the 1948 church and the present 1954–55 building; retired due to ill health in February 1978; died 1993. Scholarship for parish students to attend St. Joseph College in Rensselaer established in his name.
- Fr. Mathew Kafka1979–1986
Appointed pastor at St. Hedwig in South Bend in 1986.
- Fr. Steve Morrison1986–1989
- Fr. Leonard Chrobot1989–1991
- Fr. Jeffrey Largent1991–2001
Also served as Indiana State Police chaplain.
- Fr. Glenn Kohrman2001–2009
- Monsignor Thaddeus Balinda2009–2013
From Uganda.
- Fr. Jeffrey Largent (returning)2013–2016
Returned to St. Mary's in 2013; died of cancer in 2016.
- Fr. William Meininger2017–2023
Assigned as pastor starting June 2017.
- Fr. Stephen Felicichia2023–present
Began tenure in summer 2023.