About St. Joseph · Kentland, Indiana
St. Joseph Parish is a small Roman Catholic church located at 409 East Allen Street in Kentland, Indiana, founded in 1864 and part of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana. It serves as one of the worship sites of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, which groups the Catholic parishes of Benton and surrounding Newton County towns (Fowler, Oxford, Earl Park, Otterbein, Kentland and Ambia) under a shared leadership team. Weekend Mass for the parish is celebrated on Saturday at 5:00 PM (Central Time) and on a rotating basis through the pastorate. The parish community is small and rural in character, reflective of the farming heritage of northwest Indiana.
- Established
- 1864
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Sean Aaron (pastor of St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, which oversees St. Joseph Kentland)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a faithful, family-sized Catholic community in the rural Newton County area, with the traditional Saturday vigil Mass at 5:00 PM (Central) celebrated in English. As a member church of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, parishioners also share in daily Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and the sacramental and formation programs of the wider Fowler-based family of parishes. It is a good fit for those looking for a quiet, rooted rural parish connected to a broader Catholic network across Benton and southwest Newton counties.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM (immediately before the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass at St. Joseph, per catholicchurch.directory listing)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Wednesdays 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM at Sacred Heart, Fowler (pastorate-wide)
Identity & Location
St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana, located at 409 East Allen Street in Kentland, the county seat of Newton County in northwestern Indiana. The parish was founded in 1864, and today it is one of six worship sites that make up the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate.
- Diocese: Lafayette in Indiana
- Founded: 1864
- Address: 409 E Allen St., Kentland, IN 47951
- Patron: St. Joseph (feast March 19)
Parish History
The parish traces its origins to 1864, when Catholic settlers established a mission church in the Kentland area. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries it was grouped with neighboring parishes into a co-pastorate covering southwest Newton and Benton Counties, originally branded under the domain swnewtonbentoncopastorate.org. That co-pastorate has since been reorganized and renamed the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, reflecting the rural and agricultural character of the region.
- 1864 — Parish founded (per GCatholic)
- Late 20th c. — Became part of Southwest Newton–Benton Co-Pastorate
- Recent reorganization — Renamed St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate
Leadership & Staff
Day-to-day pastoral care of St. Joseph Kentland is exercised through the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate leadership team. The pastor of the pastorate is Fr. Sean Aaron, and Chris Hofmeyer serves as Director of Operations. The Town of Kentland also lists Fr. Richard Weisenberger as a 'Missionary Pastor' of St. Joseph in its local directory.
- Fr. Sean Aaron — Pastor, St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate
- Chris Hofmeyer — Director of Operations, St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate
- Fr. Richard Weisenberger — Missionary Pastor (per Town of Kentland listing)
The St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate
St. Joseph is part of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, a multi-parish grouping of Catholic churches in the rural Benton and southwest Newton county area of Indiana. The pastorate is led from Fowler and encompasses Sacred Heart (Fowler), St. Patrick (Oxford), St. Joseph (Kentland), St. John the Baptist (Earl Park), St. Charles (Otterbein), and St. Mary's (Dunnington/Ambia). The shared staff and schedule make it possible for small-town parishes like St. Joseph to maintain regular Masses, Adoration, and sacramental programs despite limited local resources.
- Sacred Heart, Fowler (pastorate hub, 107 E Main St.)
- St. Patrick, Oxford
- St. Joseph, Kentland
- St. John the Baptist, Earl Park
- St. Charles, Otterbein
- St. Mary's, Dunnington/Ambia
Sacramental Life
Confessions at St. Joseph are scheduled for Saturday afternoon immediately before the Vigil Mass. The wider pastorate offers Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays at Sacred Heart, Fowler, and additional days at other sites. The seven sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony — are coordinated through the pastorate office in Fowler.
- Confession: Saturday 4:30–4:45 PM at St. Joseph
- Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM at Sacred Heart, Fowler
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony — coordinated via the pastorate office (765-884-1818)
Sacred Heart School
Sacred Heart School, affiliated with the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate and based in Fowler, serves as the parish-school option for Catholic families in the region, including those from St. Joseph Kentland. It is listed as one of the main community resources under the pastorate umbrella.
- Sacred Heart School (Fowler) — parish-school option for St. Joseph families
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joseph at its Kentland street address, by phone at (219) 474-5514, or through the pastorate office in Fowler at (765) 884-1818. The current parish/pastorate website is stisidorepastorate.org, which has superseded the legacy swnewtonbentoncopastorate.org domain.
- Address: 409 E Allen St., Kentland, IN 47951
- Parish phone: (219) 474-5514
- Pastorate office: (765) 884-1818 (Fowler)
- Website: stisidorepastorate.org