[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 133 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING ST. JOSEPH PARISH ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. CHRIS CHOCOLA

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2003

  Mr. CHOCOLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rev. Michael 
Couhig, CSC, and the congregation of Holy Cross on the 150th 
anniversary of the founding of St. Joseph Parish by the congregation.
  St. Joseph is South Bend, Indiana's oldest Catholic worshipping 
community. Initially called St. Alexis Chapel, it was established by 
Rev. Edward F. Sorin, CSC, as a mission chapel of Notre Dame.
  Since that time, the congregation has treasured history.
  The first building, which was both a chapel and a school, was erected 
in 1853 in the community of Lowell, at what is now the intersection of 
Hill and LaSalle streets.
  By the next year, the Sisters of the Holy Cross were teaching 
children in the tiny building. In 1866, that first structure was 
replaced with a larger building named the Church of the Assumption.
  The second church building burned to the ground in 1872. A third 
church was built nearby on the present site of St. Joseph Medical 
Center. By 1881, when the cornerstone for the fourth church was laid on 
the current site, the parish was known as Saint Joseph, and Lowell had 
been absorbed by the city of South Bend. The parish thrived, welcoming 
French, English, Irish, Italians, Southeast Asians, and all others as 
they came. Because of structural weaknesses, the handsome old Gothic 
church had to be demolished, and the current church was erected in 
1965. St. Joe's current parish registration numbers over 720 families.
  As the parish grew, so did their school. The school expanded into 
Assumption Academy, a boarding and day school, which in 1886 was 
replaced by a larger two-story building. By 1926, that structure was 
overflowing, and the present school was built. Since that time, the 
school's high standards have remained unchanged. St. Joseph School is 
the oldest continuously operating school in the city of South Bend, 
Indiana, and their building was placed on the National Register of 
Historic Places in 1999.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Rev. Couhig and his parishioners for 
contributing to the spiritual, educational, and economic development of 
the Michiana community for the past 150 years.

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