[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH IN KNOX, INDIANA, ON THE OCCASION 
                        OF ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN E. BUYER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 1998

  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to St. Thomas 
Aquinas Church of Knox, IN as it celebrates its 75th Anniversary. The 
church is commemorating this special year by hosting a variety of 
festivities each month.
  A church of humble beginnings, the original church was purchased in 
1911 by Father Joseph Abel who traveled to Knox for the occasional 
Sunday Mass. The church was officially recognized as a parish in 1923 
and received its first resident pastor, Father John Lach. Father Lach 
performed the church's first baptism, marriage, and funeral before 
retiring in 1926.
  St. Thomas Aquinas expanded in 1927 with the addition of its 
sanctuary and its sacristy under Father Charles Malay, the church's 
second pastor. As the United States emerged from the Depression, so too 
did the parish. Although St. Thomas Aquinas suffered through the Great 
Depression along with the rest of the country, the parish persevered 
through this trying time and entered a new era of growth led by Father 
Conrad Stoll. The church, led by the visions of Father Conrad A. Stoll, 
began a building fund for a new church in 1941. By 1953 it had raised 
enough funds to build both a new church building and a new school.
  The new school was run by the Dominican Sisters and lay teachers. The 
Order left the school in 1962 to the devoted leadership of lay staff, 
the Principal, Mrs. Marie Martin, and the staff, Mrs. Anne Hindle, Mrs. 
Mary Jo Kennedy, and Mrs. Emily Brown who ran the school from September 
1962 to June 1964 when the Sisters of St. Joseph arrived. The school 
provided an education for many children through love and dedication 
until it closed in 1983.
  The parish continues to grow under the guidance of Monsignor Richard 
Zollinger, the current pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas. Its latest 
addition is a new rectory which was built in 1993.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate St. Thomas Aquinas Church on the 
celebration of its Diamond Anniversary, and thank its pastors, lay 
leaders, and parishioners for their witness and contribution to the 
Knox community. I wish the church many more long and prosperous years 
of worship and service to God.




                          ____________________