About St. Bernard · Crawfordsville, Indiana
St. Bernard Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located at 1306 East Main Street in Crawfordsville, Indiana, in the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana. Established in 1859, it is the historic Catholic parish serving Crawfordsville and surrounding Montgomery County. The parish offers Mass in English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, online giving, and live-streamed liturgies, and it has long been active in community service, including a notable multi-decade partnership with the Indiana Special Olympics.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Bower
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana
Why belong here
St. Bernard's welcomes Catholics and seekers in Crawfordsville and across Montgomery County with a bilingual schedule (English and Spanish Masses), daily and weekend Mass, easy-to-find Confession in the Cry Room before Sunday Mass and Saturday afternoon, and a full day of Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration culminating in benediction. The parish offers online giving, live-streamed Mass, weekly bulletins, and active community outreach — including a roughly 50-year partnership with the Indiana Special Olympics — making it a fitting spiritual home for families, college students at nearby Wabash College, and anyone seeking a welcoming Catholic community in west-central Indiana.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:30 AM – 9:15 AM (in the Cry Room)
- Saturday: 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM (in the Cry Room)
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM (music and benediction during the last hour, 6:00–7:00 PM)
Parish Identity & History
St. Bernard Catholic Church is a Roman Latin-rite parish in the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana, serving Crawfordsville and Montgomery County from its present church at 1306 East Main Street. The parish traces its origins to 1859, when Crawfordsville's first resident priest, Father Edward O'Flaherty, built the first church from local virgin timber at Walnut and North Streets. Over the decades the parish has grown from that small timber church into a regional worshipping community with a bilingual schedule, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, live-streamed Mass, and outreach that includes the Indiana Special Olympics.
- Founded 1859 by Father Edward O'Flaherty
- First church: Walnut & North Streets, built of local virgin timber
- Parish school founded 1864; closed 1970
- Calvary Cemetery founded 1872
- Larger red-brick-and-stone church at Pike & Washington built 1876
- Interior renovation of the Pike & Washington church in 1957
- Present church at 1306 East Main Street built 1958
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
Leadership & Clergy
The parish is served by Rev. Michael J. Bower as pastor. Father Bower was ordained on June 3, 2017, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Lafayette alongside three classmates, taking vows of celibacy, simplicity, and obedience to the Bishop of Lafayette-in-Indiana. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas (2009–2012) and completed seminary formation in Ohio, Minnesota, and Rome before serving as associate pastor prior to his assignment at St. Bernard's.
- Pastor: Rev. Michael J. Bower
- Ordained June 3, 2017 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Lafayette
- Educated at University of St. Thomas
Devotions & Spiritual Life
Beyond the regular Mass and Confession schedule, the parish sustains a weekly Eucharistic Adoration hour culminating in Benediction, the standard daily Mass rotation Monday through Thursday, and a Spanish-language Mass for the Spanish-speaking Catholic community in Crawfordsville. Live-streamed Mass and weekly bulletins extend participation to the homebound and traveling parishioners.
- Live-streamed Sunday Mass via stbernardcville.org
- Wednesday Adoration with musical Benediction
- Spanish-language Sunday Mass at 12:15 PM
- Wabash College student outreach via Sunday 5:00 PM Mass on campus
Outreach & Community Service
St. Bernard's is closely tied to Crawfordsville life, including a partnership with the Indiana Special Olympics that has spanned approximately fifty years — a distinctive mark of parish identity beyond Sunday worship. The parish further supports the local Catholic community through Flocknote communications, online giving, and bulletins that keep members connected to ministries and liturgical celebrations.
- Indiana Special Olympics — ~50 years of parish involvement
- Online Giving program
- Weekly bulletins (posted online)
- Flocknote email/text communications
Sacraments at St. Bernard's
The parish publishes sacramental opportunities primarily through its Mass, Confession, and Adoration schedule. Daily Mass Monday through Thursday anchors a regular rhythm of Eucharistic worship, while weekend Mass and Confession in the Cry Room make the sacraments widely accessible.
- Eucharist: daily Mass Monday–Thursday plus full weekend schedule
- Confession: Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning in the Cry Room
- Eucharistic Adoration Wednesday with Benediction