St. Michael’s Church was dedicated by Bishop Chatard to St. Michael the Archangel on September 29th, 1888, the feast of St. Michael the Archangel.
About fifty staunch Catholic families in and around the tiny settlement of Trainor were members of the parish at the time. Some had come from Kentucky by way of Baltimore, some had come by way of the New Orleans and some had come from Ireland by way of the New York and Chicago.
Prior to the building and dedication of the Church Mass was celebrated in the John W. Ryan home by Father Piers from St. Peter Church., Montgomery and by Father Joseph P. Matthews, the founding pastor. Land for the parish was deeded to Bishop Chatard by the Morgan and Madden families.
Rather Charles Gerdon, the second pastor from 1906 to 1010 found it necessary to enlarge the church due to the increase of families. In 1930 the enrollment of the parish began to decline due to some families losing their farms in the depression and some moving to town to obtain jobs. In that same year St. Michael’s became a Mission Church under St. Peter’s. In 1935 Father Cornelius Hall was appointed resident pastor. In 1952 St. Michael’s again became a mission under St. Joseph, Bramble. In 1955 the parish came under the care of the pastor of St. Mary’s Barr Township, which was Father Raymond Schoering. In 1980 St. Michael’s again was ministered by the pastor of St. Peter’s
Over the years the parish enjoyed many wonderful picnics and ice cream socials (especially the children), lenten devotions, Forty Hour celebrations, May crownins, religion classes for all the children.
In 1959 the rectory was destroyed by fire. A smaller one story house was built and is now rented.
The church was renovated in 1971 to conform to the norms promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. A wall was built separating the sanctuary from the nave of the church. This allowed the sanctuary is to become the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. A new altar was build allowing the priest to celebrate Mass facing the people. Highlighting this wall in the nave side of the sanctuary is a painting of Christ seated upon a rainbow blessing all the people with one hand and holding the Crown of Victory in the other. Flanking Christ are the archangels, Michael and Gabriel. The painting was done by Father Donald Walpole, a monk from St. Meinrad.
St. Michael’s now nestled in th quiet contry and amids a large Amish farming area, continues to provide for the spiritual and sacramental needs of its people.
