St. Thomas More Church, Withamsville (Part 1)

1961: "St. Thomas More, English martyr who was beheaded in 1535 for refusing to acknowledge the ecclesiastical supremacy of King Henry VIII, is the patron of this new church in Withamsville (Clermont County), which will be dedicated Sept. 10, at 4 p.m. The church displaces a former methodist church, more than a century old, which served the parish since 1944. Father Leo H. Boeke is the pastor." (The Catholic Telegraph-Register, September 8, 1961)

The early history of St. Thomas More Parish was reported by The Catholic Telegraph-Register on December 21, 1945 ("Chapel Made From Fruit Market"):

“The history of the mission church of St. Thomas More, Withamsville, begins in the summer of 1940 when two zealous men of the community, Frank Dorcy and Thomas Prendergast, made a survey of the Catholic families living in the Withamsville area. Hoping to have a Catholic church established near by, they presented the results of the survey to the Most Rev. Archbishop John T. McNicholas.

“Eager to help these people, the Archbishop late in 1940 directed the purchase of the old Withamsville school and the Beard property next door to it, which contained a house and barn. Both parcels of property included about three acres.

“The Rev. Alfred G. Stritch was appointed to organize the parish and Brother Bertrand Bailey, O.P., set about preparing a place for a mission chapel. He used the school for this purpose, placing an 'I' beam through the center of the building to strengthen it. The first Mass was offered in this chapel on Jan. 19, 1941.

“The two pieces of property cost $5,000 and the repairs $2,000. In less than two years the original indebtedness was paid.

“The old house on the Beard property was used as a schoolhouse for the children, who were instructed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Mt. Washington, on Saturdays, from 9 to 11 a.m. A bus was hired by the church to take the children to and from instruction classes.

“Father Stritch was appointed chaplain of the Dominican Sisters on Madison Road, Cincinnati, on Nov. 1, 1942, and the Rev. Bernard Piening was placed in charge until the appointment of the Rev. Francis J. Heider, on Dec. 3, 1942. Father Heider lived in St. Gregory’s seminary in Mt. Washington while the old house was being converted into a rectory and then, on March 3, 1943, he moved to the rectory, becoming the parish’s first resident pastor.”

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the early history of the parish.