About Saint Peter · Linton, Indiana
St. Peter Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Linton, Indiana (Greene County), founded on June 14, 1901 to serve the French, German, Polish, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian immigrant families who had come to work the local coal mines. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Evansville (North Deanery) and today shares its pastor with neighboring Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield. The present church building, completed in 1964, stands at 489 E Street NE and is served by Rev. Simon Natha (Administrator), Deacon Albert Frabutt, and a small lay staff. In June 2026 the parish marked its 125th anniversary with the dedication of a newly built Marian shrine on the church grounds.
- Established
- 1901
- Patron
- Saint Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Simon Natha (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Evansville (North Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Peter is a long-established family parish in Greene County whose members 'celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament,' are dedicated to strengthening the family unit, and provide religious education and youth ministry for parishioners of every age. Sharing a pastor with Holy Name in Bloomfield, the parish keeps a personal, close-knit feel — small enough that new families are known by name, old enough (since 1901) to have deep roots in the Linton community, and faithful enough that generations keep coming back, as evidenced by the 125th-anniversary celebration and the new Marian shrine blessed in June 2026.
Mass times at Saint Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (per third-party schedule listings; please confirm with the parish office)
Parish Overview
St. Peter Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Evansville (North Deanery), established in Linton, Indiana in 1901 to minister to immigrant coal-mining families. The parish family describes its mission as celebrating the presence of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, strengthening the family unit, and offering opportunities for spiritual growth through religious education and stewardship. Today the parish shares a pastor with neighboring Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield and is served by a small staff of clergy and lay ministers.
- Founded June 14, 1901
- Diocese of Evansville, North Deanery
- Shares a pastor with Holy Name Parish, Bloomfield
- Administrator: Rev. Simon Natha
History of St. Peter Parish
Catholic life in Linton dates to 1895, when French, German, Polish, Czechoslovakian and Hungarian immigrants came to work the coal mines. Six years later, on June 14, 1901, Bishop Dennis O'Donnahue of Indianapolis dedicated St. Peter Catholic Church. The parish grew steadily, ran its own school, and by the early 1960s had outgrown the original building. Under Father Joe Steckler, who arrived in 1960, the present church was completed in 1964.
- 1895 — Catholic immigrant families settle in Linton to work the coal mines
- June 14, 1901 — Church dedicated by Bishop Dennis O'Donnahue
- 1960 — Father Joe Steckler arrives as pastor
- 1964 — Present church building completed
The Parish School
For decades St. Peter operated its own Catholic school. The combined weight of needed repairs, a growing parish, rising insurance costs and tightening finances forced difficult decisions in the late 1960s: the last eighth-grade class graduated in May 1968, and although grades 1–6 continued briefly — with Father Scheller driving the church school bus 'Ole Blue' to gather students — the school finally closed in fall 1969.
- Last 8th-grade class: May 1968
- School bus 'Ole Blue' used to collect students
- School closed: fall 1969
Building Projects and Growth
Major building campaigns have shaped the campus over the decades. The present church replaced the original 1901 building in 1964 under Father Steckler, and in 1980 — under Father Jim Koressel — a new rectory and an addition to the parish hall were completed at a cost of $210,000. In June 2026 a stone Marian shrine, centered on a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was blessed on the church grounds during the parish's 125th-anniversary celebration.
- 1964 — new church building completed
- 1980 — new rectory and hall addition completed ($210,000)
- 2026 — Marian shrine dedicated on the 125th anniversary
Leadership and Clergy
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Simon Natha, a missionary priest and member of the Heralds of Good News who was ordained January 29, 2009 and who also serves as Administrator of Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield. He is assisted by Deacon Albert Frabutt, who also coordinates RCIA. A succession of pastors has guided St. Peter since 1901, with several names documented in the parish's 100th-anniversary history.
- Administrator: Rev. Simon Natha
- Deacon / RCIA: Deacon Albert Frabutt
- Pastors documented from 1960 onward include Steckler, Scheller, Ballantine, Graehler, Koressel, Zgunda, Vieck, Thomas and Natha
Parish Staff
The current parish staff, as listed in the Diocese of Evansville yearbook, combines clergy and lay ministers serving both St. Peter Parish and the linked Holy Name Parish in Bloomfield.
- Administrator: Rev. Simon Natha
- Deacon: Albert Frabutt
- Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE): Kari Hale
- Youth Ministry: Kari Hale
- RCIA: Deacon Albert Frabutt
- Music Director: Donna Lannan
- Organist: Claudia Nunez
- Secretary: Sherry Gilreath
Ministries and Faith Formation
St. Peter offers a steady, family-sized range of ministries that emphasize faith formation, youth, and liturgical life. The Coordinator of Religious Education and Youth Minister is Kari Hale, while Deacon Albert Frabutt leads the RCIA process. Liturgical music is shaped by Music Director Donna Lannan and Organist Claudia Nunez, and the parish also supports Father Ryan Council 6679 of the Knights of Columbus — founded in 1975 with 14 charter members from Dugger, Linton, Bloomfield and Jasonville.
- Religious Education (CRE: Kari Hale)
- Youth Ministry (Kari Hale)
- RCIA (Deacon Albert Frabutt)
- Parish Music Ministry (Donna Lannan; Claudia Nunez)
- Knights of Columbus — Father Ryan Council 6679
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the regular Mass schedule listed above and offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Saturday's anticipated Mass. Adults seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church are prepared through the RCIA, coordinated by Deacon Albert Frabutt.
- Eucharist — see Mass times
- Reconciliation — Saturday 4:00–4:45 p.m.
- RCIA — Deacon Albert Frabutt
The Marian Shrine and 125th Anniversary
On Sunday, June 14, 2026 — the parish's 125th anniversary — parishioners and clergy from the Diocese of Evansville gathered at St. Peter to bless a newly constructed Marian shrine. The masonry feature, built of stone and centered on a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, now stands on the church grounds as a permanent place for prayer, reflection and devotion, and as a visible reminder of the parish's enduring presence in Linton.
- Anniversary date: June 14, 2026
- Feature: stone Marian shrine with statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Purpose: prayer, reflection and devotion
Location and Contact
St. Peter Parish is located at 489 E Street NE in Linton, Indiana 47441 (Greene County). Travelers from State Highway 54 turn north onto 4th Street NE and continue four blocks. The parish office and religious education office share one phone line; the parish also maintains a Facebook group and Facebook page for ongoing communication.
- Address: 489 E Street NE, Linton, IN 47441
- Phone: (812) 847-7821 (parish office / religious education); also (812) 847-7206
- Directions: State Hwy 54 to 4th Street NE, then north four blocks
- Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/1523718371183283
- Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/St-Peters-Church/116946521658245
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Most Rev. Dennis O'Donnahuededicated the parish June 14, 1901
Bishop of Indianapolis, who formally dedicated the new church
- Father Joe Steckler1960–1968
Arrived in 1960; oversaw construction of the present 1964 church
- Father Albert Scheller1968–c.1972
Last 8th-grade class graduated May 1968; drove the school bus 'Ole Blue'; school finally closed fall 1969
- Father Edgar S. BallantineJuly 1972 – June 1973
Formerly of Knoxville, Tennessee
- Father Ken Graehler1973–1977
Co-founded Father Ryan Council 6679 of the Knights of Columbus in 1975
- Father Jim Koressel1977–c.1986
New rectory and hall addition completed in 1980 ($210,000)
- Father Ron Zgunda1986–1990
- Father Hilary Vieck1990–
Arrived from St. Matthew Church in Mt. Vernon, IN; led the 100th anniversary in 2001
- Rev. Biju Thomaspredecessor to Simon Natha
Priest of the Archdiocese of Imphal, India; subsequently assigned as Administrator of St. Mary Parish, Huntingburg
- Rev. Simon Nathaeffective June 24 (recent)
Heralds of Good News missionary; also Administrator of Holy Name Parish, Bloomfield