Name: Becher, John Baptist
Born: 06/10/ 1879
Place Born: St. Meinrad, Indiana
Ordained: 11/13/ 1904
Place Ordained: St. Meinrad, Indiana
Years of Service: 1904-1944
Died: 08/29/ 1954
Place Died: Vincennes, Indiana
Burial Info: Mount Calvary Cemetery, Vincennes, Priest’s Circle
Served from his ordination until 1944 when he became a part of the Evansville Diocese..
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Find-A-Grave:
Listed as R.D. BecherBirth: Jun. 10, 1879
Death: Aug. 29, 1954Inscription:
Founder of Sacred Heart Church; Pastor 1908-1954Note: Information taken from “Indiana Knox County Vincennes City–Catholic Cemeteries, Book Five, 1975”.
Burial:
Mount Calvary Cemetery
Vincennes
Knox County
Indiana, USA
Plot: Priest’s CircleEdit Virtual Cemetery info [?]
Created by: Rita Hagerty
Record added: Jul 01, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 113195461
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From the Sacred Heart Website:
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish History — (http://www.sacredheartvin.com/Home/ParishHistory.aspx)
Prosperity, muddy streets, and long walks to Mass led Frs. Louis Gueguen, pastor of the St. Francis Xavier’s (“The Old Cathedral”) Church, and Meinrad Fleischmann, pastor of St. John’s Church, to purchase most of a “cow pasture” bound by Second, Reel, Day, and Eberwine Streets as the potential site for a new church on the city’s North side for a then high cost of $1430.00. Fr. John A. Becher, then an assistant pastor at St. John’s was directed by Biship Silas Chatard, the Bishop of the Indianapolis and of the Diocese of Vincennes,” to look up the Catholic families of that locality and the prospects for the organization of a new congregation.” On December 15, 1908, Bishop Chatard created Sacred Heart Parish and named Fr. Becher as its founding pastor. Within three weeks, Fr. Becher had formed a building committee, and a parish of 65 families was born. By the Fall of 1910, the first church and school building, the rectory, and the convent had been constructed at a combined costs of approximately $37 000.00. The church was dedicated on September 26, 1909. The first mass occured on October 2, 1909, just two weeks later. By 1911, the parish had grown to 125 families. As a result of even more growth. In 1921, a major fund drive was held to raise enough money to clear the church’s debt. This was followed one year later by another fund drive to raise money for the erection of a new church. A cornerstone blessing was held on October 15, 1922 for the new church. The church was completed in 1924. The formal dedication was held on Sunday, June 1, 1924. This proved to be a spectacular event that was attended by an estimated 5 000 people. The parish continued to grow through the years. Today the parish has over 500 families. The pastors of Sacred Heart Church are as follows: Msgr. John A. Becher 1908-1954, Fr. Henry Doll 1954-1969, Fr. Sylvester Schroeder 1969-1977, Fr. William Schwenk 1977-1982, Fr. Lowell Will 1982-1987, Fr. James Blessinger 1987-1997, Fr. Joseph Swartz 1997-2007, and Fr. Jason Gries 2008-Present. (Special Thanks goes out to Deacon Phillip E. Pierpont, Ph.D. for allowing us to glean portions of his research on our parish’s history.)