Mission Statement

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you until the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20

History

Since the creation of the diocese of Lafayette in Indiana by Pope Pius XII in 1944, Catholics in Hamilton County were cared for by parishes in Cicero, Lebanon and Noblesville. In 1955, however, Bishop Bennett foresaw the potential for growth in the Carmel area and established Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish to serve Washington and Clay Townships of Hamilton County.

In 1981, further growth in the community of Carmel led Bishop Raymond Gallagher to issue a decree establishing the parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Fr. Leo Piguet was named the first pastor and served the parish for seventeen years. Upon his retirement in 1998, Fr. Ted Rothrock was named pastor and is serving the spiritual needs of the parish with Fr. Brendan Okechukwa Mbagwu, Parochial Vicar, Fr. Melvin Bennett, Senior Associate Pastor, and Fr. Brian Doerr, Vocations Director for the Lafayette Diocese.

Beginning with only 254 households in July, 1981, there were 885 registered households in July, 1986 and 1775 households by October, 2006. Growth is expected to continue.

Located on the corner of Haverstick Road and 106th Street, in southeastern Carmel, the building was dedicated on October 20, 1985, by Bishop William Higi.

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Parish Timeline

1981 – Bishop Raymond Gallagher issued decree establishing St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
1985 – Bishop William Higi dedicated the building on October 20.
1998 – Administration Wing completed.
1999 – Waterfall and statue of Our Lady installed.
2002 – Completion of new parking lot.
2003 – Grotto and surrounding lighting completed.
2003 – Parish Rectory construction completed.
2003 – Installation and dedication of crucifix in the Nave.
2004 – Kneelers installed in the Day Chapel.
2005 – Parish Life Center construction completed.
2005 – “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” statue dedicated September 24.
2006 – Rosary Walk completed.
2006 – Labyrinth completed.
2007 – Kneelers installed in the Nave.
2007 – Glass Stations of the Cross installed in the Nave.
2007 – Stations of the Cross installed in the Day Chapel.
2007 – Arbor at the Parish Life Center built.
2007 – Stained glass window installed in the Day Chapel.
2007 – Ball Fields upgraded.
2008 – Wood deck completed off Social Hall.

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Sister Parishes

Who was St. Elizabeth Ann Seton?

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was raised Episcopalian, married and had five children. At the age of 30 she was widowed and converted to Catholicism. In 1812 she founded Sisters of Charity, the first congregation for religious women in the United States, whose devotion was education of the poor and teaching in parochial schools. She was credited with opening the first American parish school and the first American Catholic orphanage. She was the first native born citizen of the United States to be honored with canonization. In the homily at the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton, Holy Father Paul VI said “as the Church renders the greatest honor possible to Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton and extols her personal and extraordinary contribution as a woman –a wife, a mother, a widow, and a religious”.

Born:  August 28, 1774 in New York City
Died:  January 4, 1821 in Emmitsburg, Maryland
Canonized:  September 14, 1975
Feast Day:  January 4

The Parish Facility

The parish facility is set on 33 acres surrounded by trees and Blue Woods Creek. The layout of the parish facility is a cluster similar to many farm buildings in Indiana. The simplicity of the design blends with the setting of an agricultural community. The driveway opens with a boulevard from Haverstick Road and gently guides you into the campus to the church. Looking across the pond, a lighted grotto with a statue of Our Lady and a waterfall adds to the beauty of the campus. The waterfall was donated by the Women’s Club and constructed by Lynn’s Pond, Pets, and Water Gardens. The beautiful statue of Our Lady was donated by a parish family in honor of their parents, Mr. & Mrs. Larry Ricci and Mr. & Mrs. Donald Burkhart. Click here for a larger view of the Grotto.

To complete an Eagle Scout project in 2003, Ben Blotsky took on the building of the grotto around the statue which is set off beautifully by the night lighting. Another Eagle Scout project completed in 2006 by Jim Merchun is a Rosary Walk along the west parking lot ending at the Grotto. It depicts the 20 mysteries of the Rosary. Thanks to the many donors, this makes a wonderful area for a quiet spiritual walkway on our grounds.

The low walls extending from the front of the church building form friendly arms of welcome to all people. For persons with disabilities, there is a ramp at the front entrance and a specially designed covered entrance at the rear of the building. Reserved parking spaces are available at both entrances.

In 2002 the new parking lot was completed providing an additional 440 spaces to our existing lots as well as a lighted drive through the parish campus exiting on 106th . Along the drive is a Labyrinth (an ancient path of wisdom and peace) made of stone with a dirt path done as an Eagle Scout project in 2006 by Christopher Hill. Many people are seen walking and meditating on it.

Construction of the Parish Rectory, positioned in the wooded northeast corner of the campus, was completed in 2003 giving the priests a much needed on-site home.

The Parish Life Center was completed in 2005 on the east side of the church. This building houses a full size gymnasium with a stage, and classrooms around the perimeter. It has one office which houses the Director of Religious Education, Preschool Curriculum Director, Coordinator of Religious Formation, and an Athletic Director. It also provides space for our parish pre-school, kindergarten and youth religious education, for meetings and liturgies, and for an activity center. Opportunities for basketball and volleyball make this space a hub for our athletic and social activities. Our outdoor ball fields have been upgraded and provide space for scheduling many different sports activities including softball, football, and soccer. Once again our Eagle Scouts went to work enhancing our facilities.  In 2005, Philip Morton completed his project by installing a much needed playground for our preschool age children.  In 2007, Matt Oliver designed a pergola for the PLC patio providing an outdoor shaded area for small group meetings.

The church building itself is divided into several areas:  The Commons, the Nave, the Mary Chapel, the Reservation Chapel with Confessionals, the Day Chapel, the Wake Chapel, the West Wing, the Administrative Wing, the Social Hall, and the Playroom.

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Facility Operations
 
The church building, which serves as the gathering place for our parish community, requires proper attention.  Developing preventive maintenance schedules and assessing the needs of the physical plant and parish grounds falls under the reponsibility of the Sacristan.
 
The Parish Life Center and ball fields are the hub of our educational, social and athletic activities and falls under the responsibility of the Athletic Director, Susan McRoberts.

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The Commons

The Commons is a gathering space that encourages friendly interaction of the parish community before and after liturgy. This area allows access to all other areas of the building without having to go outside. The Commons is large enough to hold 850 people standing; room enough for gatherings preceding and following weddings, funerals, baptisms and special liturgies such as the Easter Vigil.

The many varied ministries of the parish community publicize their activities in the Commons before and after Sunday Masses, making this area the “information center” of the building.

The Baptismal Font (top)
Water is a major Christian symbol and the constantly flowing water of this font reminds us of life and of our Baptism. The central location in the Commons is both symbolic and practical. It is the central axis of the facility and relates to all we do in the parish.

The Nave (top)  
The design of the main worship space was purposely kept simple so that it needs people to complete it. The seating arrangement allows the assembly to participate more fully in the liturgy. In 2007, after a long period of design research, kneelers were installed with the help of many volunteers.

The wood on the ceilings of the nave and chapels is fir. The doors of the three prayer spaces are white oak which identify these as special places for worship.

Our new crucifix is a unique creation of artist/sculptor Wiktor Szostalo. Made possible by the gift of a single donor family, this piece of sacred art was installed and dedicated on September 14, 2003, the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross. Both crucified and resurrected, both ancient and modern, the Christ figure in this piece of sacred art is both evocative and compelling in its form and design, taking a center position in the sanctuary between the ambo, altar, and the presider's chair. Made chiefly of stainless steel with colored glass, this corpus stands over ten feet high and weighs over 800 pounds. The completion of this piece was the result of almost five years of research, design and production. We are grateful to the donor family for making this sacred art possible. 

The lighting features for the corpus were made possible through the generosity of the Thomas Linnen family as a memorial to Mary J. Linnen. Click here to read a homily by Fr. Fred regarding the crucifix (corpus).

Kiln cast crystal Glass in a post modern depiction of the Way of the Cross, along the north wall of the Nave was designed by Wiktor Szostalo. Many donors made it possible to install these beautiful bas-relief sculptures in time for Holy Week 2007.

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel (top) 
The Church has had an ancient tradition of reserving the Blessed Sacrament. The purpose of this reservation is to provide communion to the sick and for the devotion of the faithful.

This chapel has a seating capacity of approximately 12 people and is open to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful 24 hours a day. Located in the Blessed Sacrament chapel is the tabernacle. It is also made of white oak and the interior is lined with teak. Our tabernacle is surrounded by pillars of granite that match the altar, ambo and chair of the major worship space, and the Baptismal Font in the Commons. The sanctuary light was donated by a parish family.

The Confessionals
Two individual reconciliation chapels (rooms) are located on the right side of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. These two confessionals provide the opportunity for the traditional celebration of the sacrament or the more familiar “face-to-face” confession.

The Day Chapel (top)
Daily Mass is celebrated in this chapel, as well as small weddings and funerals, Eucharistic Adoration, music rehearsals, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Communion Services, Morning and Evening Prayer and related gatherings. Kneelers were installed on the chairs in 2004.

One hundred and fifty year old Stations of the Cross obtained from a Monastery in France were donated by a parishioner in 2007 to grace the walls of our Day Chapel.

The Mary Chapel (top)
This small chapel is located at the northeast corner of the Nave. It provides an intimate prayer space with vigil candles available. A new sculpture depicting the Blessed Mother as “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” was commissioned through the generosity of a family in the parish. This addition to the religious art in the church was fashioned by Wiktor Szostalo and dedicated on September 24, 2005.

The Wake Chapel (top)
Originally designed as an area to accommodate the casket for wakes prior to funerals, this area has become multi-functional, being used for preparation for weddings, small meetings, and various educational activities. Our history has shown that families are better served by placing the casket on the Sacristy side of the Commons, giving more space for visitation. Our beloved Senior Associate, Fr. Fred Schroeder was waked here in 2004.

The West Wing (top) 
The West Wing houses the working sacristy, Vesting Sacristy, the Parlor, the Nursery, and the Wake Chapel on the lower level. The upper level currently houses additional offices for parish staff.

The Administration Wing (top) 
The administration wing houses the offices of the pastoral and office staff, a reception area, conference room and office workroom. The second floor was designed as a multi-purpose room for meetings and educational activities. An elevator makes the space accessible to all.

The Social Hall (top)
The social hall in our building provides a space for large gatherings, with the added convenience of a commercial grade kitchen. The capacity of the room is 175 for a sit-down dinner. Currently the social hall is used for continental breakfast on Sunday, parish dinners, meetings and various educational and social functions. A paired panel operable partition has been installed to accommodate two meetings being held at one time.

The Parlor (top) 
The parlor is a small room in which grieving families may relax, brides may prepare for weddings, or small meetings can take place.

The Nursery (top) 
This is a carpeted area with large windows, toys and furniture designed for young children. During 9:30 a.m. Mass it serves as a “co-op” nursery so little ones can be left in safety — not far from their parents — allowing the entire community to participate fully in the liturgy. Parents of participating children take turns with childcare. The nursery provides space for the 2 year old classes of our parish pre-school, mom’s time out, and is used throughout the week for childcare for various parish ministries.

The Parish Life Center (top)

This 24,000 square foot building houses a full size gymnasium with a stage which will be a hub for our athletic and social activities. Nine classrooms are situated around the perimeter of the building. Four of the classrooms are for Pre-School students and the additional five classrooms, two of which have a removable wall to become one large room, provide space for our children's religious education, adult formation, parish meetings and social activities. In addition to the above, the Parish Life Center's 1,100 square foot basement will provide storage space for the parish's equipment.

For the centerpiece of the PLC Contribution Panels located in the main hall of the Parish Life Center, Fr. Ted commissioned Carmel artist, Karen Glanders, to design and create a beautiful 3 foot by 6 foot mosaic, titled “The Holy Family.”  Karen is a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as is her husband, Geoffrey and her three sons, Eric, Sam, and Charles.

Materials Used
The brick used throughout the building both inside and out is Alwine White brick from Pennsylvania, a handmade brick of red clay hand rolled in white lime. The exterior brick will eventually get a warm weathered look while the interior brick will be maintenance free. The altar, ambo, baptismal font and pillars for the tabernacle are constructed of Carnelian Granite from Milbank, South Dakota. The presider’s chair is constructed from the two major materials in the worship space, Carnelian Granite and the red oak of the benches.

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