About St. Isidore the Farmer · Bristow, Indiana
St. Isidore the Farmer is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rolling hills of Perry County in southern Indiana, founded in 1968 through the merger of two older neighboring Perry County parishes, St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and is currently led by Benedictine Father Luke Waugh, OSB. With about 195 families and a church that seats 350, St. Isidore remains a tight-knit, family-centered faith community best known for its rural character, its young families, and its annual October Shooting Match & Festival — its signature social and fundraising event. In 2018 the parish absorbed nearby St. Martin of Tours in Siberia, continuing the merger pattern that gave it birth.
- Established
- 1968
- Patron
- St. Isidore the Farmer
- Rector
- Rev. Luke Waugh, OSB
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Indianapolis)
Why belong here
St. Isidore the Farmer offers the warmth of a small, multi-generational Catholic community in the rolling hills of southern Indiana, where young families sit alongside founding members and everyone pitches in. Weekend Masses (Saturday 6:00 PM and Sunday 9:30 AM) are complemented by weekday Masses, Saturday confessions, and a calendar shaped by parish traditions like the October Shooting Match & Festival, with its country store, bingo, ham shoot, and cornhole tournament. It is the kind of place where the same people you worship with are also the people maintaining the grounds, teaching the faith, and feeding the parish family — a literal "family of faith" in Perry County.
Mass times at St. Isidore the Farmer
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- By appointment (call the parish office)
History of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish
St. Isidore the Farmer was established in 1968 when two older Perry County parishes — St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph — were merged into a single new Catholic community in the rolling hills of southern Indiana. The founding pastor, Father Ralph Staashelm, was leading the new parish when, on January 10, 1969, a fire and explosion in the rectory killed 23-year-old parishioner Martin Lasher and severely burned Father Staashelm himself; the pastor died of his injuries four days later. Through those painful early years, the Catholic families of the area "stuck together" to build a parish that, at its 50th anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson in 2018, was described as faith-filled and brimming with life — and notably full of young families.
- Founded 1968 by merger of St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph parishes
- Founding pastor: Rev. Ralph Staashelm
- 1969 rectory fire: death of parishioner Martin Lasher and Fr. Staashelm
- Founding member Hubert Harpenau (formerly of St. Joseph) and wife Ruth Ann
- 2018: 50th anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson
- July 5, 2018: St. Martin of Tours Parish in Siberia merged into St. Isidore
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday evening at 6:00 PM and on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM. Weekday Masses are offered on Wednesdays at 7:30 AM and on other days as listed in the parish schedule. Confessions are heard on Saturday afternoons from 5:00 to 5:30 PM before the Vigil Mass, and at other times by appointment. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis directs visitors to call the parish office for the latest Mass and sacramental times.
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 6:00 PM
- Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM
- Wednesday Mass: 7:30 AM
- Additional weekday Masses (Monday 5:00 PM and Friday 7:30 AM per third-party listings)
- Confession: Saturday 5:00–5:30 PM and by appointment
- Other sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Anointing) — contact the parish office at 812-843-5713
Parish Life and Community
St. Isidore is known for its strong family character — Archbishop Thompson's homily at the 50th anniversary recalled how 1968 "shattered America" and called the parish "a sign of hope, a sign of unity." Father Luke Waugh has noted that on the parish council there are "no more than one or two people older than me" and that the majority of council members are young parents. Members serve as lectors, catechists, choir members, maintenance and grounds volunteers, and organizers of the parish's signature social events.
- Strong presence of young families on parish council
- Multi-generational parish: founding members alongside newer families
- Lectors, catechists, choir, maintenance and grounds volunteers
- Former St. Martin of Tours (Siberia) members integrated into parish life
Annual Shooting Match & Festival
St. Isidore's signature social and fundraising event is its annual Shooting Match & Festival, traditionally held on the third Sunday of October on the parish grounds. The day features a target-shooting competition popular with local hunters, a ham shoot running from morning until early evening, a closed match, a youth BB shoot (with guns provided), a cornhole tournament, bingo, dice games, splatter boards, children's games, a bouncy house, a country store with homemade baked goods, a cake stand, and a raffle with thousands of dollars in prizes including gift certificates to Merkley Quality Meats. Lunch is served throughout the day, including homemade chili, hamburgers, homemade pie, coffee, soft drinks and bottled water.
- Held annually on the third Sunday of October
- Target shooting competition and Ham Shoot (10:30 AM – 6:00 PM)
- Closed shooting match
- Youth BB Shoot (guns provided)
- Cornhole tournament (registration 10:30 AM, throwing at noon)
- Country store, cake stand, bingo, dice game, splatter boards
- Children's games, bouncy house, raffle ($6,000+ in prizes)
- Food: homemade chili, hamburgers, homemade pie
Parish Merger History
St. Isidore the Farmer exists because of parish mergers, and its identity has continued to be shaped by them. It was created in 1968 from the extinctive union of St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph parishes in Perry County. Exactly 50 years later, on July 5, 2018, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson decreed that nearby St. Martin of Tours Parish in Siberia be merged into St. Isidore as part of the Connected in the Spirit pastoral planning process. Members of the former Siberia community now serve on St. Isidore's anniversary committee and sing in its choir.
- 1968: Created from merger of St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph parishes
- July 5, 2018: St. Martin of Tours (Siberia) merged into St. Isidore
- Part of the Archdiocese's 'Connected in the Spirit' pastoral planning
Contact and Visiting Information
St. Isidore the Farmer Catholic Church is located at 6501 St. Isidore Road in Bristow, Indiana, in the rural rolling hills of Perry County in southern Indiana. The parish mailing address is P.O. Box 54, Bristow, IN 47515. The parish office can be reached by phone at 812-843-5713 (fax 812-843-3103) or by email at [email protected]. The parish maintains a presence on Facebook, which serves as its primary online hub for news and announcements.
- Street address: 6501 St. Isidore Road, Bristow, IN 47515
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 54, Bristow, IN 47515
- Phone: 812-843-5713
- Fax: 812-843-3103
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: facebook.com/p/St-Isidore-Catholic-Church-Bristow-in-100081487843209/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ralph Staashelm1968–1969
Founding pastor; died January 14, 1969, of burns sustained going back into the rectory fire to save parishioner Martin Lasher on January 10, 1969.
- Rev. Luke Waugh, OSBAdministrator by 2018; Pastor from 2025
Benedictine priest of Saint Meinrad; in 2023 was appointed priest in solidum (moderator) with Rev. Brian Esarey for St. Isidore the Farmer, St. Augustine (Leopold), and Holy Cross (St. Croix); in 2025 formally named pastor of the grouping.