The Church in Mid-18th Century Vincennes, Indiana

In 18th century Indiana, to talk of European presence was to have a conversation about the French military trading post known as the village of Vincennes.

Many visitors to the village were pretty negative about it inhabitants, saying they were self-indulgent, ill kept , and had questionable morals.

Father Pierre Gibault visited Vincennes in 1770. He was the only priest to have been present in the town for more than ten years. Gibault reported to his bishop a place desperately in need of the guidance and level of civility that a permanent presence of the Church brought. He reported that the local residents had given over to "libertinage and irreligion. " In no doubt an attempt to make himself look good Gibault claimed his presence in the town lead to a level of Christian revival among the inhabitants. He said the locals greeted him on his arrival on the river bank sobbing and saying God had sent Gibault to allow them, " do penance for their sins." Others exclaimed , " Father ,save us we are nearly in hell.''

Father Gibault stayed in the village of Catholic back sliders long enough to see that a small wooden chapel was rebuilt and to perform sacraments for those who had died during the absence of a priest. The good father barely made it out of town for people wished him to stay and perform marriages , baptisms, and to say extreme unction. It is a wonder that the bishop of Canada did not send a priest on a permanent basis to minister to the French settler of Vincennes.

There were a few slaves present in Vincennes and the record of the church rather inconsistent presence provides one of the few glimpses into their lives that we have. We know the names of the first slaves in the area were Alexandre and Dortharee.

According to St. Francis Xavier Parish records they were legally married slaves belonging to the Jesuit Fathers. Their daughter was baptized by a Jesuit father on May 30, 1753. Her name was Agatha. Seven years passed and a visiting Priest then baptized a slave child named Suzanne who was owned by a M. Crepau. Later that day she married another slave named Joseph. Fourteen months later a visiting priest baptized their daughter who was named after her mother. There were no other church sacraments given to slave from 1763 to 1785 because there were no priest in residence and only times of short visits. Father Gibault was finally given permission to minister in Vincennes and took up residence there in 1785.

In regards to the Catholic Church in Vincennes , slaves were seen as spiritual equals to the other French settlers. Many times marriage and baptisms were supported by various slave owners shown by their willingness to act as witnesses to these events. American slavery in the South did not recognize the slave as human enough to be entitled to the sacraments of the Church.