About St. Agnes · Nashville, Indiana
St. Agnes Catholic Church is a small but active Roman Catholic parish serving Nashville and the surrounding Brown County hills of southern Indiana, about an hour south of Indianapolis. Established in 1940 as a log chapel built with the help of Joseph and Agnes Marie Nurre, it is a parish of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis with about 371 families and a church that seats 350. The current worship site, tucked into the woods on McLary Road with abundant windows looking out to God's creation, was built in the early 2000s after the original log church outgrew the community. St. Agnes is known for its warm retired-skewing congregation, its vibrant youth ministry that travels to the National Catholic Youth Conference and World Youth Day, and its deep commitment to local service through St. Vincent de Paul, Habitat for Humanity, and Brown County's food-insecurity programs.
- Established
- 1940
- Patron
- St. Agnes
- Rector
- Very Rev. Daniel J. Staublin, VF (Priest Moderator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Why belong here
St. Agnes offers a genuinely personal Catholic community in the wooded hills of Brown County, where most Sunday faces are familiar and visitors are warmly welcomed. The parish pairs classic devotions (daily Morning Prayer, weekly Wednesday Adoration and Rosary, a summer Holy Hour for Vocations) with active outreach to neighbors in need through the Brown County St. Vincent de Paul conference, Brown County Habitat for Humanity, the Brown County Weekend Backpacks school-food program, and Mother's Cupboard. A notably vibrant youth ministry, religious education from First Communion through Confirmation, and OCIA for adults becoming Catholic round out a parish that Archbishop-designate coverage from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis calls a tight-knit faith family.
Mass times at St. Agnes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
- First Sunday of each month 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Adoration times
- Wednesday 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (with Rosary at 6:00 PM at the Youth Barn)
- Holy Hour for Vocations, Wednesday evenings during summer 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM in church
Parish History
St. Agnes was founded in 1940 as a log chapel in Nashville, Brown County, Indiana, built with funding from Joseph and Agnes Marie Nurre of Bloomington in thanksgiving for their family's prosperity. Over the decades the parish grew from that single log building through a series of additions, an outdoor amphitheatre and Marian shrine, and ultimately to a new 20-acre wooded campus about half a mile west of downtown Nashville, where the current church was dedicated in November 2002.
- 1937: Joseph and Agnes Marie Nurre offer to build a chapel; Bishop Ritter redirects the gift to Nashville.
- 1940: Log church dedicated and named for St. Agnes, patron of Mrs. Nurre.
- 1972: Two-story classroom/office annex built under Fr. Cliff Vogelsang.
- 1979: Sister Marsha Speth, SP, becomes the first Pastoral Associate assigned to St. Agnes.
- 1980: Third floor added to the annex for worship space under Fr. Mark Svarczkopf.
- 1982: Outdoor amphitheatre, Grotto, and Marian Shrine built behind the church.
- 1985: Saturday evening Mass at Brown County State Park begins; Fr. Paul Koetter arrives as the first resident pastor.
- 1986: Sister Mildred Wannemuehler succeeds Sister Speth.
- 1992: Planning begins for a new, larger church.
- 1997: Fr. Bill Stumpf succeeds Fr. Paul as pastor.
- 2001: 20-acre site on McLary Road purchased.
- 2002: Original log church sold to the Presbyterian Fellowship; parishioners share the building until the new church is ready; first Mass in the new church celebrated November 15.
- 2005: Sister Eileen Flavin, CSC, replaces Sister Mildred.
- 2007: Fr. Eric Johnson succeeds Fr. Bill Stumpf.
Our Clergy & Staff
St. Agnes is currently led as a Parish Life Coordinator model under the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, with a priest moderator and a sacramental minister supporting a deacon who handles day-to-day parish life. The parish office is staffed by an office manager, a coordinator of religious education, and a youth ministry director.
- Priest Moderator: Very Rev. Daniel J. Staublin, VF
- Sacramental Minister: Very Rev. Patrick Hyde, O.P., VF
- Parish Life Coordinator: Deacon Russell Woodard — [email protected], 317-456-7722 (OCIA)
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Therese Chamblee — 812-988-2778 Option 6
- Youth Ministry Coordinator: Adrianne Spahr — 812-988-2778 Option 7 / 812-327-9470
- Parish Council Chair: Ric Kleine
- Office Manager: Becky Gillenwater — [email protected]
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for children and youth meets on Sunday mornings in the Youth Barn between the two Sunday Masses, with separate tracks for the sacraments of initiation and confirmation. Adults interested in becoming Catholic (or completing their sacraments) join the OCIA process on the same Sunday-morning schedule.
- Religious Education: Sundays 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM in the Youth Barn
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults): Sundays 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM; reception at the Easter Vigil. Contact Deacon Russ, 317-456-7722
- First Reconciliation & First Communion: preparation for 2nd grade and older. Contact Therese Chamblee, 812-988-2778 Option 6
- Confirmation: grades 8–12 who have already received Baptism, Reconciliation, and Communion. Contact Adrianne Spahr, 812-988-2778 Option 7
- Vacation Bible School: Ages 4 – 6th Grade; older children may serve as helpers (contact Therese Chamblee, 812-325-9527)
Youth Ministry
St. Agnes runs what the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has called a 'vibrant' youth ministry, anchored in the Youth Barn on the parish campus. The group travels to the National Catholic Youth Conference and the One Bread One Cup liturgical leadership conference at St. Meinrad, and in 2023 undertook a pilgrimage to Rome and World Youth Day in Portugal, funded by parishioner generosity.
- Youth Director: Adrianne Spahr — 812-327-9470 / 812-988-2778 Option 7
- Religious Education for youth: Sundays 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM in the Youth Barn
- Youth Activities: Wednesdays 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM in the Youth Barn
- Past trips: National Catholic Youth Conference; One Bread One Cup at St. Meinrad; 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal
Parish Groups & Adult Faith
Beyond Sunday Mass, St. Agnes offers two long-standing parish groups — a Ladies Group and a Men's Group — that meet during the week for video-based adult faith formation and discussion.
- Saint Agnes Ladies Group: Fridays 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM in the Parish Hall; current series is a study on Romans, the Gospel of Salvation by Andrew Swafford and Jeff Cavins. Contact Jan Knapp, 812-325-7944
- Saint Agnes Men's Group: Bishop Robert Barron's six-part video series 'The Mass'; video and discussion after lunch at noon in the PLC House. All men welcome, no commitment to attend every session
Outreach & Charity
St. Agnes is deeply embedded in the social fabric of Brown County. The parish is a major backbone of the Brown County St. Vincent de Paul conference, builds houses with Brown County Habitat for Humanity, fills weekend backpacks with food for schoolchildren whose families struggle to provide, serves meals at Mother's Cupboard, and volunteers for the USO at Camp Atterbury in nearby Edinburgh.
- Brown County St. Vincent de Paul conference: parish-led; provides food, toiletries, clothing, and household items to thousands of residents each year
- Brown County Habitat for Humanity: volunteer labor and financial support — contact Adrianne Spahr, 812-327-9470; email [email protected]
- Brown County Weekend Backpacks: backpacks of food distributed to schools on Fridays for children whose parents can't provide on weekends
- Mother's Cupboard: parish serves the 2nd Wednesday each month; coordinator Frankie Tucker, 317-319-5683
- USO at Camp Atterbury (Edinburgh, IN): parishioner volunteering
Sacraments
Information about preparing for and celebrating the sacraments is handled through the parish office and the coordinators listed below.
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- First Reconciliation & First Communion — Therese Chamblee, 812-988-2778 Option 6
- Confirmation (grades 8–12) — Adrianne Spahr, 812-988-2778 Option 7
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — contact the parish office
- OCIA (adults) — Deacon Russ, 317-456-7722
Visit & Contact
St. Agnes welcomes visitors and weekend travelers, many of whom first encounter the parish while visiting Brown County. The parish office can be reached by phone or email, and the church publishes a Facebook page for news and livestreams.
- Address: 1008 McLary Road, P.O. Box 577, Nashville, IN 47448-0577
- Phone: 812-988-2778
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stagnescatholicnashville.org/
- Facebook: facebook.com/saintagnesnashville
- Parish Life Coordinator email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Cliff Vogelsangby 1972
Directed construction of the two-story classroom/office annex behind the original log church.
- Fr. Mark Svarczkopfby 1980
Directed addition of a third floor to the annex to provide more worship space.
- Fr. Paul Koetter1985 – 1997
First priest assigned as resident pastor of St. Agnes; began the 1985 Saturday evening Mass at Brown County State Park; began planning for a new church in 1992.
- Fr. Bill Stumpf1997 – 2007
Succeeded Fr. Paul; oversaw purchase of the 20-acre new-church site in 2001, sale of the original log church to the Presbyterian Fellowship in 2002, and dedication of the new church in November 2002.
- Fr. Eric Johnson2007 – after 2007
Replaced Fr. Bill Stumpf as pastor.
- Fr. Eric Augenstein2013 – 2019
Served as Sacramental Minister of St. Agnes (concurrent with his role in the archdiocese) before becoming Director of Seminarians for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.