About St. Michael (Tri-Parish Community) · Greenville, Indiana
St. Michael Catholic Church is a 190-year-old parish in the small community of Bradford (Greenville), Indiana, founded in 1835 — only a year after Pope Gregory XVI established the See of Vincennes. Today it is the lead parish of the Tri-Parish Community, which joins it with St. Bernard Church in Frenchtown and St. Joseph Church in Marengo, sharing a single pastor, schedule, and Faith Formation program. The parish serves roughly 400 families in Harrison County under the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, with a weekly Sunday Mass, daily Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, and a parish cemetery dating back to the original log church.
- Established
- 1835
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Aaron J. Pfaff
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis (originally Diocese of Vincennes, founded 1834)
Why belong here
St. Michael is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Indiana (1835) and remains a close-knit rural community of about 400 families that worships in prayer and sacrament, not numbers. Members enjoy a full liturgical life — three weekend Masses rotated across the Tri-Parish, daily Mass, Adoration on First Fridays, weekly Confession, a parish cemetery still tended by a Cemetery Committee, and ongoing refurbishments led by their pastor — alongside Little Angels Pre-School and Faith Formation for children, teens, and adults in the parish's own Faith Formation Center.
Mass times at St. Michael (Tri-Parish Community)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 5:30 PM to 5:50 PM, St. Michael Bradford
- Saturday: 3:15 PM to 3:45 PM, St. Michael Bradford
- Monday: 5:30 PM to 5:50 PM, St. Bernard Frenchtown
- 2nd Monday of the month: 6:30 PM at St. Bernard Church
- Wednesday: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and by appointment (per Catholic Church Directory listing)
- Also available by appointment — call the Parish Office at 812-364-6646
Adoration times
- First Friday of the Month: 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM, St. Michael Bradford
- First Friday of the Month: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, St. Joseph Church Marengo
About St. Michael Catholic Church
St. Michael Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin parish of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, located in the small Bradford community of Greenville, Harrison County, Indiana. Founded in 1835, the parish describes itself as a community that worships God in prayer and sacrament and currently serves about 400 families. The parish's stated mission is shared with its Tri-Parish partners: 'We the Parishes of St. Michael in Bradford, St. Bernard Church in Frenchtown, and St. Joseph Church in Marengo, IN, aim to Learn, Live, and Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.'
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis
- Roman-Latin Rite
- Founded 1835
- ~400 families
- Tri-Parish Community of St. Michael, St. Bernard & St. Joseph
Parish History
The parish's own detailed history, compiled by Charles Fessel with additions by Deacon John Jacobi, traces St. Michael from a log church of 1835 through the present day. The original log church was built on land donated by the Buechler and Gettelfinger families; a new 30-foot frame church was dedicated in Bradford in 1855; a larger 1881 frame church burned mysteriously in about 1883; the present brick church was built on the same site after a December 28, 1922 fire. The parish school ran continuously under the Benedictine Sisters of Ferdinand from 1891 until its closure in 1971.
- 1835: log church built 3 miles southwest of Bradford on State Road 135; first Mass celebrated by Fr. Joseph Ferneding
- 1855: 30-ft frame church dedicated by Rev. Joseph Wentz
- 1881: 40×75 ft frame church built under Fr. F. X. Seegmuller
- 1891: St. Michael's School opened (closed 1971)
- 1922: fire destroyed the church; brick church built on same site
- 2013: Fr. Joseph Villa installed as 19th pastor; succeeded by Fr. John Fink's retirement
- 2016: Fr. Aaron Pfaff (20th pastor) installed
- 2019: new roof; 2021: new Stations of the Cross installed
Architecture & Recent Restorations
While the parish does not publish a detailed architectural description, the history page documents several major beautification projects completed under Fr. Aaron Pfaff: the sanctuary crucifix was cleaned, gold-leafed and centered above the altar; the older tabernacle was refurbished and made the principal tabernacle; the rose window and St. Michael half-moon window from the previous church were re-installed in the narthex; the roof was replaced in 2019; and a new set of Stations of the Cross was acquired in 2021, with the previous set donated to Holy Angels Parish in Indianapolis.
- Crucifix cleaned, gold-leafed and centered above the Altar
- Refurbished older tabernacle now serves as principal tabernacle
- Rose window and St. Michael half-moon window installed in the narthex
- New roof added in 2019
- New Stations of the Cross acquired 2021; old set donated to Holy Angels, Indianapolis
Tri-Parish Community
St. Michael shares its pastor and many programs with two neighboring parishes under the umbrella name 'Tri-Parish Community': St. Bernard Catholic Church in Frenchtown and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marengo (Crawford County). Sunday Mass is spread across the three churches — St. Joseph at 8:00 AM, St. Bernard at 9:30 AM, St. Michael at 11:00 AM — with daily Mass rotating between them and confessions scheduled at each site on different days of the week.
- St. Bernard Church — 7600 Hwy. 337 NW, DePauw/Frenchtown area
- St. Joseph Church — State Road 66, Marengo (Crawford County)
- St. Michael Church — 11400 Farmers Lane NE, Greenville/Bradford
- Shared pastor: Rev. Aaron J. Pfaff
- Shared bulletin, faith formation and live-streamed Masses
Parish Staff
The parish relies on a small staff supported by many volunteers. Fr. Aaron Pfaff is the pastor; Deacon John Jacobi serves as Director of Religious Education and historian.
- Rev. Aaron J. Pfaff — Pastor (20th pastor, since July 1, 2016)
- Deacon John Jacobi — Director of Religious Education / parish historian
- Barb Rainbolt — Parish Secretary
- Tim Murner — Director of Choirs
- Beth Gettelfinger — Pre-School Director (Little Angels)
- John Jacobi — Director of Religious Education
Faith Formation & Little Angels Pre-School
The Faith Formation Center on the parish campus houses the Faith Formation Office, fourteen classrooms used for classes for children, teens, and adults, and the Little Angels Pre-School. The parish also offers Adult Education and faith-formation classes from Pre-School through high school and beyond.
- Little Angels Daily Pre-School
- Faith Formation classes for children, teens, and adults
- Adult Education / RCIA
- Fourteen-classroom Faith Formation Center
Cemetery Committee
St. Michael maintains two historic cemeteries: the current one behind the church on Farmers Lane, and the original 1835 log-church cemetery near Central Barren on Highway 135. A Cemetery Committee assists the pastor with preservation, rules, and grounds-keeping (new trees, a paved drive with turnaround, landscaping) and publishes bylaws and meeting minutes online.
- Leo Kaelin — Chairperson
- Fred Uhl — Vice Chairperson
- Katy Casper — Member
- Billy Jacobi — Member
- Marvin Koch — Member
- Melissa Schenck — Member
- Steve Deckard — Member
- Cemetery Bylaws and Regulations (revised 3/5/2025) available on the parish website
Visiting and Contact
The parish is located in the Bradford community — two miles south of US Highway 150 on N. Bradford Road / Farmers Lane NE — about a 15- to 25-minute drive from downtown New Albany. The Parish Office is reached at (812) 364-6646 or [email protected]. The website offers online parish registration and current bulletins.
- Address: 11400 Farmers Lane NE, Greenville (Bradford), IN 47124
- Phone: (812) 364-6646
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.saintmichaelschurch.net
- Parish Registration available online
- Bulletins posted online
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. H. Kintrup1869-1871
First resident pastor of St. Michael.
- Father F. X. Seegmuller1879-
Second resident pastor; built the 1881 frame church.
- Rev. Andrew Schaaf1889-
Third resident pastor; native of Harrison County.
- Rev. Joseph Senefeld1895-1898
Fourth resident priest.
- Rev. Charles Cluever1898-
Succeeded Fr. Senefeld.
- Rev. Stephen J. Donohue1906-1908
Died suddenly in 1908.
- Rev. Mark, O.S.F.1908
Assigned fall 1908 (Mt. Saint Francis had been assisting).
- Rev. Austin, O.S.F.1909
Assigned early 1909.
- Father M. G. Halpin1909-1913
- Rev. Herman Gadlage1913-1914
- Rev. John B. Gorman1914-1939
Faithful Irish priest who served nearly 25 years until his death in Feb 1939.
- Msgr. James Jansen1939-
Assigned to Bradford after Fr. Gorman's death.
- Fr. Joseph Villa2013-2016
19th pastor; born July 28, 1959, Terre Haute area; ordained June 7, 1997 by Archbishop Buechlein.
- Fr. John Fink10 years ending 2013
Retired July 3, 2013 after ten years of pastoral care.
- Rev. Aaron J. Pfaff2016-present
20th pastor; from Jasper, IN; ordained June 1, 1996 for Diocese of Manchester, NH; incardinated into Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 2013.