St. Thomas-Santo Tomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
During these formative years the congregation gained the support of Henry C. Carter of New York City, who donated a lot on Center Street for the building of a chapel in May 1860. The vestry raised funds to build the small frame church at a cost of $10,000. The first Eucharist was celebrated on 27 June 1860 in the Presbyterian Church; the second was held in November 1860 and the third, the first in the new chapel, was celebrated by Gregory on 3 April 1861. The Rev. Louis Tschiffely arrived in October 1861 and became the parish's first resident priest. Through his efforts, he secured from Henry Carter a donation of the church's first communion set. By 1865, 73 families attended.
When Bishop Upfold made his visitation to Plymouth in 1863, he baptized the babies of Tschiffely and A. O. Packard. Packard's baby pulled the bishop's beard so hard that it hurt him. He had positive comments notwithstanding, writing that he was pleased to see the church filled with 175 people and that "Tschiffely is doing good work here."
Despite this strong beginning, the parish struggled to find permanence in the years following the Civil War. Both Episcopal clergy and adequate funding were in short supply. Between 1865 and 1870, the Rev. William Lusk, a Presbyterian minister, supplied the parish and performed baptisms and marriages, but he was not able to celebrate the Eucharist. After his departure the parish called several priests who stayed only for a few years. In 1877 the Rev. John Jacob Faude arrived in Plymouth, and under his able leadership the parish built a rectory at a cost of $3,500 in 1881. For several years Faude conducted services at both Michigan City and Plymouth before resigning the Plymouth charge and moving to Michigan City to become its rector, remaining there until 1890 and returning to Plymouth for a brief stint between 1889 and 1890.
Services continued in the chapel until 1905, when the congregation outgrew it. During the tenure of the Rev. Walter S. Howard (formerly dean of the cathedral at Michigan City), the parish built a new edifice of Indiana limestone designed by local architect Jacob Ness and located on the southern part of the lot at the corner of Adams and Center streets. Bishop White consecrated it on St. Thomas Day, 21 December 1909. A few years later the old church was moved and remodeled into a parish hall. Among the priests who served during these years was the Rev. Benjamin F. P. Ivins, who later became Bishop of Milwaukee.
After World War II, the congregation suffered financially, and the building fell into poor repair. The Rev. William Cordick, who had become rector in 1916, retired in 1940 after a 24-year rectorate. After several pastors served short tenures, Bishop Reginald Mallett ordered the Rev. William Sheridan, then at St. Paul's Gas City, to become rector in 1947. It marked the beginning of a 25-year pastorate, during which the parish grew and gained distinction. The building was extensively restored under his leadership. Sheridan also became chaplain of nearby Culver Military Academy. He remained rector until he was elected bishop in 1972, the first bishop chosen among the priests of the diocese. After his retirement, he returned to Plymouth and became a member of the congregation. In the 1990s under the leadership of the Rev. John Schramm, St. Thomas developed a strong ministry with the local Hispanic community and began offering Spanish-language services. Schramm also led several mission trips to Honduras in the 1990s to build churches and do community work. Later, under the rectorship of the Rev. Thomas Haynes, the parish became known under the dual name of St. Thomas-Santo Tomas to better reflect the diversity of the congregation.
Clergy:
Almon Gregory, 1856-1861
Louis Phillippe Tschiffely, 1861-1865
Richard Leo Ganter, 1865
William Lusk, 1865-1870 (Presbyterian supply)
John Portmess, 1870-1871
Samuel Johnson Yundt, 1872-1873
James N. Hume, 1874-1875
Andrew Mackie, 1876-1877
John Jacob Faude, 1877-1886
Thomas Byron Kemp, 1886-1889
John Jacob Faude, 1889-1890
William Wirt Raymond, 1891-1902
Walter Simon Howard, 1902-1910
Benjamin Franklin Price Ivins, 1910-1913
Samuel Winfield Day, 1913-1916
William John Cordick, 1916-1936
Charles Delano Maddox, 1936-1939
Edward Lemuel Roland - 1939-1941
George G. Shilling, 1941-1943
J. Bradford Pengelly (supply), 1944-1945
James Savoy, 1946-1947
William Cockburn Russell Sheridan, 1947-1972
James Gossett Greer, 1972-1976
Gregory Brian Sims, 1976-1981
John Schramm, 1982-2013
Thomas Erskine Haynes, 2013-2019
Bernadette Hartsough, 2020-
Sources:
Marshall County Historical Society, History of Marshall County, Indiana (Plymouth: Marshall County Historical Society, 1986), p. 27.
Parish Registers:
First Book, 1857-1871: Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, Confirmations, Visitations, History, Sponsors
Book 2, 1872-1890, History, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Burials
Book 3, 1892-1910, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Burials
Book 4, 1909-1956, Communicants, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Burials
Book 5 [marked as Book 1], 1956-1977, Communicants, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, Confirmations, Index
This page references:
- Rev. Walter S. Howard, Dean and Associate Rector at Trinity Michigan City, 1898-1905, later rector of St. James South Bend and St. Thomas, Plymouth
- Rev. Almon Gregory of St. Paul's, La Porte, St. John's, Bristol, and St. Thomas, Plymouth
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, altar at Easter, 1980s
- Rev. Richard L. Ganter, rector of Trinity Michigan City 1863-1865, second pose
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, installation of Rev. Thomas Haynes with Bishop Little and Susan Haynes, 29 May 2015
- Rev. Andrew Mackie, rector of St. Paul's, La Porte, and Trinity, Peru
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Rev. John Schramm and wife Barbara, 16 Jun 2013
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, visitation with Bishop Sparks, 13 Dec 2019, with Rev. Thomas Haynes
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, postcard, ca. 1915
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, altar, Advent 1980s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, Indiana, postcard ca. 1910
- Bishop Edward S Little II with Rev Thomas Erskine Haynes, St. Thomas Plymouth, Dec 2015
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, exterior, color
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, interior, 21 Dec. 2014
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, drawing, 1993
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, tour of Catholic Sisters by Rev. William Sheridan, 1960s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, Indiana, interior, 1908
- Bishop Edward S Little II at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymooth, 6 December 2015
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Rev. John Schramm, Bishop Little, and unidientified, 2 Oct 2011
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, exterior, 21 Dec. 2014
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Bishop Sheridan and wife Trudy
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, tour of Catholic Sisters by Rev. William Sheridan, 1960s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, Indiana, exterior 1910s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, interior 2015
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Rev. Thomas Haynes, Bishop Little, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, and Rev. John Schramm, 17 Oct. 2011
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Great Room and Calvary group 1980s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, rectory, 1960s
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, visitation with Bishop Sparks, 13 Dec 2019
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Bishop Little and Rev. John Schramm, 25 Nov. 2012
- Rev. John Jacob Faude, rector at Plymouth and Michigan City, Indiana
- Rt. Rev. Benjamin F. P. Ivins, rector of St. Thomas, Plymouth and Christ Church, Gary, later Bishop of Milwaukee
- Rev. Gregory Sims, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
- Unidentifed women with the Rev. Gregory Sims, right, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, visitation with Bishop Sparks, 13 Dec 2019 2
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Bishop Little, Armando Suarez, and Rev. John Schramm, 28 Apr. 2013
- Rev. James Savoy, St. Thomas, Plymouth
- Rev. John Jacob Faude of St. Thomas, Plymouth, and Trinity Michigan City
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, postcard, alternate coloring
- Joseph Illes, Margaret Shaw, and Rev. Gregory Sims, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Haynes, and Marcy Prochaska, 3 Nov. 2013
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, exterior, 1980s
- Rev. John Jacob Faude, (1853-1901) rector of Trinity Michigan City and St Thomas Plymouth,2
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Rectory, Plymouth, 1885-1886, reverse
- Unidentifed Group, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Rev. Thomas Haynes at baptism, 14 Jul 2019
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Erskine Haynes, and unidentified, 3 Nov. 2013
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, exterior, 1960s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Rectory, circa 1885-1886, with Rev. Thomas B. Kemp in front
- Rev. William C R Sheridan as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Rev. Thomas Haynes at baptism, 14 Jul 2019 2
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, Jose Armando Suarez, Bishop Little, Rev. Thomas Haynes, Dania Mercias, and Jason Barahona, 21 Dec. 2014
- St. Thomas, Plymouth, altar at Palm Sunday, 1980s
- St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Plymouth, tour of Catholic Sisters by Rev. William Sheridan, 1960s