Holy Angels Catholic Church
History

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At the beginning of the 20th century the city of Indianapolis was rapidly growing outward. In the year 1899 some ground located at 28th St. & Northwestern Ave. was purchased in the name of the Catholic diocese of Indianapolis. Catholics who were living in this area were members of St. Bridget's Parish, but it was their desire to have a Church in their own. And so it was that on April 26, 1903, the cornerstone of Holy Angels Church was laid. About 6,000 people were present for the ceremonies. From the very beginning events surrounding Holy Angels Church played a big role in the community and in the entire city. The dedication of the Church was to be an even bigger celebration. The Dedication Mass was celebrated on October 4, 1903, the first Sunday after the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. After Mass the celebration continued with a large parade followed by an outdoor feast. It was labeled one of the greatest events that had ever taken place in this part of the city. Early in the year 1907 work began on the school, which was completed and opened in September of the same year with a staff of 5 Sisters of St. Joseph.

In the 1940's and 50's a major social change slowly developed in the Northwest community, which eventually affected Holy Angels Church. As African Americans moved into the community, the white population moved out. What could have been a complete failure on the part of the Catholic Church was turned into a victory, when Bishop Joseph Ritter purposely issued a pronouncement regarding stricter following of parish lines. His actions along with a little help from Rome paved the way for Black Catholics to be welcomed as members of Holy Angels Church. By 1949 when Rev. Joseph Grothaus became pastor the area and the parish were changing rapidly,. Under his guidance a new rectory was built and the present convent was purchased. In 1964 Rev. Albert Ajamie became pastor of the 3rd predominantly Black parish in Indianapolis and the changes continued. He used his expertise in liturgy to remodel the interior of the Church in order to capture the spirit of Vatican II, which emphasized a new simplicity in design with the focus on liturgical worship. Holy Angels received its 1st Black priest when Father Boniface Hardin was assigned as Assistant Pastor.

In 1970 Holy Angels received its 6th pastor, Rev. Clarence Waldon, who was also the 1st Black and youngest pastor in the Archdiocese. One of his first goals was to institute Holy Angels Parish Pastoral Council and with this action an era of leadership development began. A big step toward financial stability was the introduction of the Sunday Contribution Commitment and the Century Club in 1974. That goal was also given a boost when he started talking about having a $20,000.00 Festival. Although some people at the time laughed at the idea, his encouragement and faith may have helped to move it on up.

(10/99)Over the years of Father Waldon's pastorate he has always recognized that it is the Faith of the People that makes us a great Church Family and will get us through whatever challenges lie in our path. When Bishop O'Meara commented on our spirit-filled liturgy, Fr. Waldon's response was; "It's the faith of the people." Yes, we truly have "come this far by Faith". Few members send their children to Holy Angels School, and yet we are willing to make great sacrifices to help support our school. Why, because we believe that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers and that a Christian quality education is the hope of our children's future. In other words, we know that WE ARE THE VILLAGE. Though we are a small (in numbers) Church Family, we are rich in having a good reputation around the Archdiocese and city, because of our willingness to get out and be counted, when and where actions on behalf of the good of others are happening. How many times have we looked around at meetings and seen that Holy Angels is very well represented? And how many times have we dug into our pockets to support the needs of the Church; the repainting of the Church interior, the renovation of the convent, the United Catholic Appeal, to name a few? And most recently we dug deep, not only into our pockets, but into our lifestyles to "make a miracle" -- our successful Lifestyle Stewardship Campaign. We saw the needs of our children. We saw the need for space so that we could be of service to our community. And we said; "YES, LORD". "PLEASE HELP US, LORD."

And as at the beginning of our history, "events surrounding Holy Angels Church played a big role in the community and in the entire city". People were watching. They saw us "fighting the good fight" against overwhelming odds. They saw the quality and achievements of our school, as shown in the ISTEP results. And God was watching too. In his great love He provided help from the Church, the City and the business community. By His grace we made room for a miracle and God stepped right in.

As we celebrate our 96th Anniversary as a Parish with the Dedication of our New School & Parish Center, let us look forward to our 100th with renewed faith in God and in one another;

... confident in the gifts He has given us and in His abiding presence and help

... trusting in one another

... accepting each other with all our differences

... ready to give and not to count the cost

...willing to serve without needing special praise or thanks

... being witnesses of our faith -- not ashamed to let others know that we are believers in Jesus and His Way and are not afraid to show it with our words and lives.

... realizing that our presence at Mass and our efforts in Church activities are an important part of living our Faith and building a strong friendship with God.

In this way we cannot help but grow stronger as a Christian Community so that we will again have much to celebrate in the year 2003.