About St. Bartholomew · Columbus, Indiana
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church is a vibrant parish in Columbus, Indiana, founded in 1841 by a small group of Irish Catholic immigrants and now home to roughly 1,765 households. The community belongs to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and worships in a 900-seat church dedicated in 2001 at 1306 27th Street. It is an unusually diverse faith community, with parishioners from China, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, several African and European countries, India, and a growing Hispanic population that draws about 450 people weekly to the Sunday Spanish Mass.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- St. Bartholomew the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Chris Wadelton
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Seymour Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Bartholomew is a large, multi-generational faith community known for welcoming young families and people from all over the world — its congregation includes Catholics originally from China, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Africa, Europe and Latin America, with a thriving Sunday Spanish Mass and full-time Latino pastoral staff. The parish runs an on-site Catholic school, a year-round OCIA (RCIA) process, a Confirmation program for teens, a College Student Dinner, and active youth ministry, alongside a robust lineup of outreach including a weekly hot-meal site, a prison ministry, the Friends in Haiti sister-parish relationship with St. Anne's in Limonade, Bread for the World advocacy, blood drives, a Care for Our Common Home environmental ministry, and strong liturgical ministries from altar servers and lectors to art and environment and music. Whether you are looking for daily Mass, a Spanish-language worship community, faith formation for your children, or a way to put your faith into action, St. Bartholomew offers a place.
Mass times at St. Bartholomew
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Adoration times
- Friday: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
- All-day adoration on the 1st Friday of every month: 12:30 PM – 12:00 AM
Parish History
St. Bartholomew was founded in 1841 in Bartholomew County by a small group of Irish Catholic immigrants — descendants of families who had lived for a century in Maryland and Kentucky. Mrs. Basil (Owens) is remembered as the first Catholic pioneer of the parish. The first church, completed in 1841, was a frame structure fifty feet by thirty feet and the largest building in Columbus at the time; its $830 cost was paid in full by the congregation. Comstock painted the large mural of the Crucifixion over the altar in 1844, and a 488-pound bell was acquired in 1848. Between 1853 and 1863, Saint Theodora Guerin and the Sisters of Providence established a Catholic school here. The parish grew steadily — 50 families by 1860 and 75 by 1875 — and survived its earliest decades with a priest visiting only once a month, sometimes only once a year.
- 1841: Parish founded; first frame church built for $830
- 1844: Crucifixion mural painted by Comstock
- 1848: Bell (488 lbs) purchased from G. F. Coffin of Cincinnati
- 1853–1863: Saint Theodora Guerin and the Sisters of Providence found a Catholic school
- 1860: 50 families; 1875: 75 families
- 1963: St. Columba Parish founded at 27th and Home Avenue
- 1987: St. Bartholomew and St. Columba merge into one parish with two oratories
- 1992: Twinning relationship launched with St. Anne's, Limonade, Haiti
- 1994: School renamed St. Bartholomew Catholic School
- 2001: Current 900-seat church dedicated under Fr. Clem Davis
- 2003: New school gym and administrative wing dedicated
- 2016: 175th anniversary Mass celebrated with Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is currently served by three priests and one deacon, supported by a large lay staff for liturgy, faith formation, music, the school, communications, and Hispanic ministry. Fr. Chris Wadelton is the current pastor; Fr. Clem Davis, who led the parish for 22 years (1997–2019), continues as Senior Associate after his retirement.
- Rev. Chris Wadelton — Pastor ([email protected])
- Rev. Clement T. Davis — Senior Associate ([email protected])
- Rev. Ashok Valabazzi — Associate Pastor ([email protected])
- Deacon Juan Carlos Ramirez ([email protected])
- Dr. Bogdan Minut — Director of Music Ministry
- Bobbie Pittman — Sacristan
- Diane Schafer — Pastoral Associate & Liturgy
- Andrea Davis — Liturgy Coordinator
- Kimly Hoang — Children and Youth Faith Formation Coordinator
- Tony Ejie — Youth Minister
- Isa Patino-Secundino — Children Faith Formation Assistant
- Kristofer Osborn — Business Manager
- Doreen Verplank — Finance Administrator
- Margaret Janes — Secretary
- Maria Nieto — Secretary (Español)
- Carolina Duarte Alvarez — Communications Coordinator
- Gaby Ramirez — Asociado Pastoral Latino
- Kathy Pataky — Wedding Coordinator
- Tish Fuller — Arts & Environment Coordinator
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. Bartholomew provides faith formation at every stage — from OCIA for adults exploring the Catholic faith, to children's faith formation, to Confirmation preparation for high schoolers, and youth ministry including a College Student Dinner for recent high school graduates.
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — Thursdays 6:30–8:00 PM in the parish hall; sessions for 2025–26 began September 11, 2025
- Adult Confirmation — for Catholics baptized but not previously confirmed; registration in January
- Confirmation Program — registration open annually for high school teens
- Children's Faith Formation — coordinated by Kimly Hoang, with assistant Isa Patino-Secundino
- Youth Ministry — Tony Ejie, Youth Minister
- College Student Dinner — for recent high school graduates
St. Bartholomew Catholic School
The parish school has deep roots in the community: Sisters of Providence (under Saint Theodora Guerin) established a Catholic school here between 1853 and 1863, and a new consolidated school building was opened in 1963–64 as St. Columba Catholic School. After the 1980s consolidation with the St. Bartholomew program the school was briefly called St. Columba-St. Bartholomew and then All Saints Catholic School before being renamed St. Bartholomew Catholic School in 1994. A new gym and administrative wing were dedicated in June 2003.
- Mission: empower all students in a faith-filled, welcoming community to grow in mind, body and spirit
- Principal: Charity Campbell
- Assistant Principal: Tara Walulik
- Educational Coordinator & Reading Specialist: Laura Howell
- Ongoing professional development in Responsive Classroom, Orton-Gillingham, and Language Foundations
- Approximately 20% of students speak a language other than English as their first language
Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic Ministry is one of the most visible expressions of parish life at St. Bartholomew, drawing roughly 450 worshippers to the Sunday 1:00 PM Spanish Mass and offering a full bilingual pastoral team.
- Sunday Spanish Mass: 1:00 PM
- Thursday Spanish Mass: 6:00 PM
- Bilingual Healing Mass (monthly)
- Bilingual Ash Wednesday 6:00 PM Mass
- Gaby Ramirez — Asociado Pastoral Latino
- Maria Nieto — Bilingual Secretary
Liturgical Ministries
The Liturgy Committee plans and implements all liturgical celebrations, and a wide array of lay ministries keep the parish's many Masses running smoothly.
- Servers (boys and girls) — altar service at Sunday Masses, weddings, funerals
- Ushers & Greeters — ministers of hospitality for ages 16+
- Lectors — proclaim the Word of God at Mass and liturgical gatherings
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion — confirmed lay men, women and teens
- Mass Coordinators
- Sacristan (Bobbie Pittman)
- Music Ministry (Dr. Bogdan Minut, Director)
- Arts & Environment / Martha's Helper — seasonal sanctuary and narthex decorations
- Liturgy Committee
- Contact: Diane Schafer, Pastoral Associate & Liturgy
Outreach & Social Ministry
Outreach is central to parish identity, with ministries addressing hunger, incarceration, the homebound, the environment, and international solidarity — including a 30+ year sister-parish relationship with Haiti.
- Hot Meal Site — parish prepares and serves the Sunday community meal each week
- Love Chapel — Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches
- Friends in Haiti — twinning with St. Anne's, Limonade, Haiti since 1992; supported earthquake recovery and rebuilt a parish hall
- Prison Ministry — 'The Chosen' at the Edinburgh IDOC facility, led by Fr. Ashok Valabazzi
- Cheer Cards — cards sent to parishioners who are shut-ins or in nursing homes/assisted living
- Giving Tree — seasonal giving program
- Care for Our Common Home — environmental stewardship ministry rooted in Laudato Si'
- Bread for the World — collective Christian voice urging policymakers to end hunger
- Blood Drive
Sacraments
St. Bartholomew celebrates the seven sacraments through its regular parish life, faith formation programs, and dedicated staff.
- Baptism — celebrated on Saturdays and Sundays
- First Reconciliation / First Communion — for children
- Confirmation — high school program and adult option
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Mass
- Marriage — Wedding Coordinator: Kathy Pataky ([email protected])
- Anointing of the Sick — monthly bilingual Healing Mass
Getting Involved
The parish says plainly that 'our parish is only as great as the people who get involved.' Opportunities span liturgical service, faith formation, music, outreach, school, and parish governance.
- Parish Council — representative body discerning the needs, hopes and ideas of the community
- Knights of Columbus council
- Volunteer for any of the liturgical, formation, or outreach ministries listed above
- Contact the parish office at (812) 379-9353 to be connected with a ministry leader
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Stephen Banetthrough 1991 (150th anniversary)
Pastor at the parish's 150th anniversary in 1991; oversaw the 1987 merger and early consolidation.
- Rev. Clement T. Davis1997–2019 (Senior Associate 2019–present)
Came from St. Monica, Indianapolis; led the building of the current 900-seat church dedicated in 2001; retired in 2019 but continues as Senior Associate and sacramental minister at Holy Trinity, Edinburgh.
- Rev. Chris Wadelton2019–present
Current pastor; leads the parish's feasibility study and ongoing growth.