Our Parish

French Catholics migrated to the northern area of what is today the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana in the 1830s.  At that time there was no diocese and few priests.  The Miami and Potawatomi Indians inhabited the area and did receive Catholic spiritual teaching from early priests.  The new immigrants called the area of the present church site New Gaul or New France.  They were seeking farmland and the opportunity to enjoy political freedom from French rule.  As French-speaking people, priests who spoke English were required for communication.

From its beginning, Mass was said in local catholic homes with a few Catholics attending.  As the numbers grew, the first church was built in 1846 and the first pastor was named in 1843 - Father Julian Benoit.  

Father Benoit is remembered as the founder of St. Vincent’s parish.  He cared for early settlers and Native Americans and traveled in a one hundred mile radius of St Vincent’s to serve.  He built St. Augustine’s church in the inner city and it became the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

The growth of St. Vincent’s parish has been great with a membership of 70 souls in 1900, 192 souls in 1946, 4,400 souls in 1968, and 5,420 souls in 1974.  Today St. Vincent’s parish serves around 3,500 families and 11,000 souls.

Our Patron Saint

Saint Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of our parish and his devotion to charity and to the Gospel are integrated into our culture.  St. Vincent was born in 1581 and was canonized as a saint in 1737.  He told his followers that “Poor people are our masters; they’re our kings; they must be obeyed.”  “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”  His three fundamental virtues were simplicity in being like God, humility in submission to God, and gentleness as tolerance of our neighbor.  He died in 1660 in Paris, France, but his teachings and example live worldwide today, as they do at this parish bearing his name.

Church Buildings

The first of six St. Vincent de Paul churches was built in 1846 as a small wood building and the sixth and current in 2001, built and dedicated by Monsignor John Kuzmich, pastor from 1984 to 2014.  Thirty pastors have served this parish from 1843 to now.  When visiting the Oratory of Saint Mary Magdelene, be sure to view the stained glass window (pictured right) in the bathroom, which images the series of church buildings that came before our current church.

Our School

Bishop Joseph Dwenger (1837-1900) developed the parochial school system in Fort Wayne.  St. Vincent de Paul School was started in 1955 and today it is a K-8 grade school with over 700 students.