Scene of Centennial

1971: “St. John the Baptist church, Middletown, will open a year of celebration of the parish's 100th anniversary with Mass Jan. 1.”

From The Catholic Telegraph, December 24, 1971:

“Although the parish was organized in 1872, German-speaking Catholics of Middletown had been attending Holy Name church, Trenton, for perhaps 20 years before that. Meetings that led up to the establishment of St. John’s were held in Theodore Ritter’s saddle shop under the leadership of Mr. Ritter, Matthew Heptig and John Kaser.

“When Archbishop [John Baptist] Purcell dedicated the church in 1874 it was given the name of St. Boniface. The name was changed to St. John the Baptist around 1882.

“In 1879 Father Carl Schoeppner, O.F.M., built a school and rectory at St. John’s, and the following year the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg came to staff the parish school.

“In 1892 the parish was entrusted to the diocesan clergy and Father Frederic H. Bene was named pastor. Four years later, Father Aloysius M. Gerdes was named pastor, a post he was to hold until his death 46 years later in 1942. Father Gerdes supervised the construction of a new school in 1908 and a new church, which was dedicated in 1927.

“ ‘The handsome new church of St. John the Baptist,’ reported the Catholic Telegraph in 1927, ‘was dedicated yesterday (July 31). The day for which the pastor and his flock had been yearning for many years was favored with the fairest weather and an outpouring of people that was remarkable.’

“According to the Telegraph, ‘the church was praised by all as a gem of ecclesiastical architecture. Costing almost $200,000, it represents the faith and sacrifice of God-loving people, mostly wage-earners, who manifested their marvelous religious spirit, only a few years ago, by erecting a model school and commodious rectory. The ceremonies of dedication were extremely solemn and were witnessed by thousands of Catholic and non-Catholics.’

“The Romanesque structure with its 130-foot-high campanile ‘compares favorably with any in Ohio or the Middle West,’ the Telegraph reported.”

Note: In 1991, St. John the Baptist merged with Holy Trinity and St. Mary to form Holy Family. The church continues to be used as St. John the Baptist Chapel of Holy Family.

Agnus Dei Wax Disc Enshrined at Hospital

1960: “Explaining the purpose and meaning of the recently enshrined sacramental, the Agnus Dei, at Madonna Pavilion of Good Samaritan Hospital, Dayton, to Mrs. Robert Guerra of Assumption Parish, Dayton, is Nurse Nancy Walter. The wax disc, especially blessed by the Pope, contains an image of a reclining lamb with a halo around its head and an unfurled banner flowing from a cross-topped staff. On the reverse side is the imprint of a crucifix and two adoring angels on either side of the Crucified Christ. The enshrined sacramental is located on the delivery floor of the pavilion.” (The Catholic Telegraph-Register, December 30, 1960)

A Christmas Treat

1965: “At De Porres Center in Cincinnati's West End last week, 400 children from public and parochial schools in the area were treated to a Christmas feast. Archbishop Karl J. Alter, right, helped to distribute bags of candy to the boys and girls. Father William M. Sicking, left, is director of the center.” (The Catholic Telegraph, January 1, 1965)

Christmas Mass to be First in New Church

1946: “Catholics of Monfort Heights, between Cheviot and White Oak, will attend their new parish church, dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola, for the first time on Christmas when the first Mass will be offered. The new building, occupying a 23-acre site on North Bend Road, is a combination church-rectory-meeting hall, with the church in the center flanked by the rectory and the hall. A garage is seen at right in the picture.” (See related story, The Catholic Telegraph-Register, December 13, 1946)

A New Church for Covington, Ohio

1951: “The sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the first time this Christmas in the mission chapel of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus, Covington, O., shown here. The Mass was the first to be offered in the community in nearly 70 years. Establishment of the mission parish in Covington has been in charge of Father Robert Von Kaenel of St. Mary's church, Piqua, whose parishioners assumed a substantial portion of the expense of erecting the chapel.” (The Catholic Telegraph-Register, January 12, 1951)

Magi Scene

1962: “Magi scene attracts motorists passing Sacred Heart Church in downtown Dayton. The panels, designed by William Schickel of St. Joseph's Studio in Loveland, are reproductions of scenes cut in stone more than 500 years ago. The panel of the angel reproduces a carving on an ancient Hungarian church in Budapest. The others, showing the Child jesus, His Blessed Mother, and the Magi, are taken from a church in Parma, Italy. The Christmas season display, designed especially for motorists, was suggested by the Cincinnati Art Museum.” (The Catholic Telegraph-Register, January 5, 1962)

New St. Bartholomew Church

1969: “Unique construction of St. Bartholomew church in the Northern Hills section of Hamilton County joins the convent, left, and the rectory, right, to the church itself. Main entrance of the church, to be dedicated Dec. 21, by Archbishop Paul F. Leibold, is shown in center. Father Francis J. Flanagan is pastor.” (See related story, The Catholic Telegraph, December 18, 1969.)

Remodeling of Church Coincides With Centennial of Parish

1958: “Distant sight to most travelers on State Route 127 is the towering steeple and the gold cross of St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Francis, in Mercer County. The exterior of the church has been tuck-pointed and painted, and a four-foot gold ball, representing the world, installed beneath the regilded seven-foot cross. St. Francis' is one of dozens of Catholic church edifices reaching their tall spires to the heavens in the immediate vicinity — a source of inspiration and amazement to the traveler.”

The Catholic Telegraph-Register, December 19, 1958, offered this short history of the parish:

“The St. Francis Parish, located in the southeast corner of Mercer County, close to State Route 127, is the second filial parish of St. Henry’s in St. Henry, and was organized in 1858 by a handful of German settlers to obviate the difficulties of traveling over bad roads to attend divine services in St. Henry.

“Although the parish was established in 1858, according to archdiocesan records, actual work on the first permanent church was not begun until the end of the following year. This first church edifice was dedicated Sept. 12, 1860, by Archbishop John Purcell.

“Need for a larger and more suitable edifice arose in 1905, and plans were made under Father Edmund Lohmiller for their construction of the present red brick structure. The cornerstone was laid May 14, 1905, and the church was dedicated by Archbishop Henry Moeller Sept. 14, 1906.

“The Fathers of the Precious Blood have administered the parish since its organization. In the beginning the priests traveled from the Convent of the Precious Blood, established near St. Henry in 1851. The present rectory was built in 1910.”

Avondale Parish to Close Doors

1987: “St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Cincinnati, will close its doors in 1988. Members of the parish will merge with St. Clement's in St. Bernard, Ohio.”

From The Catholic Telegraph, December 18, 1987:

“St. Thomas Aquinas was founded in 1927 by Archbishop John T. McNicholas, a Dominican who wanted to establish a permanent Dominican presence in the archdiocese. Its territory was derived from section of St. Clement’s and St. Andrew’s. A history of the parish, written for its 50th anniversary in 1977, noted the first parishioners were maids and hired help of wealthy families in the area. The Franciscans began staffing the parish in 1959.

“The present St. Thomas Aquinas Church was constructed in 1936 and contains one of the oldest altars in the city, taken from All Saints Church which was torn down in 1936. The parish’s school, operated out of an historic three-story mansion, closed in 1965.”

Day of Joy in Huber Heights

1979: “St. Peter Church, Huber Heights, one of the largest parish buildings to be erected in the Miami Valley in many years, was dedicated Dec. 16 by Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin, with an estimated 1,000 parishioners in attendance. Pictured with the archbishop on the occasion are Father Leander A. Schweitzer of St. Francis De Sales parish, Lebanon, founding pastor of the Huber Heights parish, and Father Victor F. Ries, present pastor, under whose leadership the church for the 19-year-old parish was built.” (The Catholic Telegraph, December 21, 1979)

St. Michael, Sharonville

1963: “New church for St. Michael's parish, Sharonville, will be blessed on Dec. 15. Archbishop Karl J. Alter is scheduled to officiate at the ceremony at 4:30 p.m. and at a Pontifical Mass following it. The brick and stone church, which accommodates 1,000 persons, more than triples the capacity of the frame church which served the parish since 1921, two years after its founding. The old church has been transformed into a parish meeting hall. Features of the new building include a balcony, stained glass windows, and a large representation of St. Michael the Archangel engraved on the stone above the church entrance. In the vestibule are mosaics of the Papal and Archiepiscopal coat of arms, the work of a parishioner. Mrs. Barbara Keegan. The ground floor of the new building contains six classrooms, giving the parish school a total of 14 classrooms.” (The Catholic Telegraph, December 6, 1963)

Church-Auditorium to be Blessed

1949: “This is the recently completed Guardian Angels church, Cincinnati. The building's rural English Gothic architectural style matches that of the parish school, of which it forms a wing.”

The Catholic Telegraph-Register of December 2, 1949, reported:

“The new church-auditorium of Guardian Angels parish, Mt. Washington, Cincinnati, will be dedicated Dec. 11, Father John H. Lamott, pastor, has announced. The Most Rev. Bishop George J. Rehring, who was pastor of the parish from 1921 to 1923 and who preceded the present pastor, will bless the building.

“The church-auditorium adds an east wing to the parish’s present school building, with which it harmonizes in rural English Gothic style and ashlar Bedford stone construction. It measures 115 feet by 54 feet and will seat 524 persons.

“The building has been constructed according to plans drawn in 1930 by Edward J. Schulte, Cincinnati architect. Edward J. Honnert and Sons of Cincinnati built the church-auditorium and also the school, which was completed in 1931.”

Church Hall in Mt. Healthy To Be Dedicated

1957: “Assumption Parish, Mt. Healthy, will open its new church hall, above, Dec. 8.”

“Construction of the church hall was part of a project which included also an eight-classroom addition to the parish school,” The Catholic Telegraph-Register of December 6, 1957, reported.

“The church, which is combined with the school, will accommodate 700 persons. It will replace the present 87-year-old church, which holds about 400. The organ will be transferred to the new church but the old building itself will be demolished.

“Construction is of reinforced concrete, brick, stone, laminated wood, wood purling, and wood sheathing. The classrooms have painted block walls, asphalt tile flooring, and acoustical tile ceilings. The church interior has painted block, oak paneling, and aluminum and glass walls, asphalt and rubber tile flooring, and exposed wooden beams. The altars also are of wood.

“The architect was Fred C. Weber of Chicago. Construction was in the charge of the Penker Construction Company of Cincinnati.”

Jamestown Mission Dates from 1870

1945: “St. Augustine's mission, Jamestown, dates back to 1870 when the parish was organized by the Rev. Thomas Blake. The first church was erected two years later. From 1872 to 1898 the parish was served by the priests of St. Brigid's church, Xenia.

“During the administration of the Rev. John Trench, who resided at St. Brigid's, the church was struck by lightning on the night of May 11, 1933, and was completely destroyed by fire. The rectory was saved, but from that time until Oct. 1 of the same year the parish was inactive.

“Mass was resumed in the rectory in October, but when this arrangement proved unsatisfactory it was decided to use the insurance collected from the destroyed church to build a new one. Work began on a frame church Dec. 9, 1935, and the first Mass was offered there in March 1936, by the Rev. Florian Hartke, C.PP.S., administrator at that time. Archbishop John T. McNicholas dedcated the building on May 17, 1936.

“The church, a white Colonial building, can accommodate 120 persons. The parish at present has 20 families.” (See related story, The Catholic Telegraph-Register, December 21, 1945)

Imposing Shrine

1957: “Imposing shrine, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and the Queenship of Mary, will be erected on the Immaculate Conception Parish property, Dayton. A scale model of the shrine is shown above. To be constructed of concrete and cement block and faced with Ohio sandstone, the shrine will measure 80 feet along the rear wall and will rise to a height of 21 feet to the central figure of the Blessed Virgin, a 10-foot statue depicting Mary with her regal crown and flowing mantle, her feet resting on a cloud, the crescent, and the serpent, and her hands extended earthward.

“Six five-foot statues, arranged in three tiers, will depict St. Joseph, St. Ann, and St. Joachim to the right of the central figure, and Pope Pius IX, who defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception; St. Bernadette, to whom the Immaculate Conception appeared in 1858; and Pope Pius XII, who defined the dogma of the Assumption and established the Feast of the Queenship of Mary.

“At the base of the shrine will be two six-foot statues of St. Michael and St. Gabriel, the Archangels. An altar at the foot of Mary's statue will bear the inscriptions Salve Regina and Gratia Plena. Between the three tiers, symbolic of Mary as the Virgin Mother, the co-redemptrix, and mediatrix of all graces, will be planted beds of roses and boxwood.

“Members of the parish and friends will finance and erect the shrine through voluntary offerings. Designers were Father James Sherman, pastor; Ivor Keller, and H. Robert Carvers. A roadway from Smithville Road along the south of the new school addition will lead to the shrine. Fourteen marble plaques on sandstone pedestals will form a way of the cross beside the road. (The Catholic Telegraph-Register, June 14, 1957)

The completed shrine, dedicated May 18, 1958.

Parish without borders marks anniversaries

1987: “St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel celebrates the silver anniversary of the dedication of its current building and the 60th jubilee of its founding as a parish.”

From the December 4, 1987, Catholic Telegraph:

“Every Sunday, hundreds of parishioners travel from throughout the city — representing 50 zip codes in all — to worship at St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel on the campus of Xavier University.

“ ‘It’s a parish of choice,’ said Jesuit Father Donald Nastold, pastor. People are drawn to Bellarmine — which has a reputation both locally and nationally for its successful implementation of Vatican II reforms — by a strong sense of community, welcoming, open atmosphere, and quality liturgy, Father Nastold added.

“Bellarmine’s roots actually go back to 1840, when Xavier College was established by the Jesuits on Sycamore Street in downtown Cincinnati. Students, faculty and neighborhood people attended Mass at downtown St. Xavier Church.

“In 1920, Xavier College moved to (then rural) Avondale, but university students and faculty continued meeting downtown for Mass. Seven years later, Archbishop John T. McNicholas gave permission for the establishment of a university parish and on-campus chapel at the new location. Thus, St. Robert Bellarmine Parish was formed on April 27, 1927.

“For the next 25 years, Bellarmine parishioners gathered for worship in the Walter Seton Schmidt Library Building on campus. But on Dec. 16, 1962, thanks to donations and a major gift from the Williams family, the current chapel building was dedicated.

“ ‘It was a student chapel and parish for the neighborhood,’ said Father Nastold of Bellarmine’s small beginnings. ‘Things went along like that from the late 1940’s until 1970.’ During those years, the president of the university also served as official pastor (though during 1950-1970 Jesuit Father Robert Manning handled day-to-day pastoral responsibilities as ‘acting pastor’).

“But in 1970 — ‘a major turning point’ in Bellarmine’s history — the presidency of the university was separated from the pastorate. That year, Jesuit Father Leo Klein was named pastor, bringing with him a doctorate in liturgy. ‘He instituted a lot of changes in the liturgy,’ said Father Nastold. ‘Seminarians would come here to see how it was done.’

“Another key shift occurred in 1971, when Archbishop Paul Leibold implemented a request by the archdiocesan synod that individuals be allowed to choose their parish regardless of geographical boundaries. Free to come to Bellarmine from any part of the city, many parishioners were attracted to the parish.

“Good worship continues to be at the ‘core’ of parish life at Bellarmine today, Father Klein said. Though staff and structure have changed, ‘it’s basically the same place as it was in 1970 — worship is at the heart of it.’ ”

Parish Completes 25 Years

1971: “Standing in front of St. Mary church and school in Middletown is Father Sylvester B. Huser, pastor. The present auditorium-style church was erected over the original basement church. Father Huser was the founder and organizer of the parish 25 years ago.”

From The Catholic Telegraph, December 3, 1971:

“Father Huser has been pastor of St. Mary’s throughout its history. He came to Middletown Nov. 23, 1945, to organize the parish. An 11-acre parish site was acquired in the rural area just northeast of Middletown.

“Masses in the parish were first held in a public high school auditorium. On Dec. 8, 1946, the first Mass was held in the first parish unit — a basement church.

“The first floor of a school was built in 1952 and the school opened in September of that year with 66 children in eight grades, taught by three Franciscan Sister of Oldenburg. A fund drive was held in 1957 to build a rectory and add a second floor to the school. Following that expansion an auditorium church was built over the basement church in 1960. Archbishop Karl J. Alter blessed the completed parish plant.”

Note: In 1991, St. Mary merged with Holy Trinity and St. John the Baptist to form Holy Family.

Mt. Carmel Parish Plans New Church

1978: “Proposed new church of St. Veronica at Mt. Carmel, Clermont County.”

The Catholic Telegraph of December 1, 1978, reported that St. Veronica Parish in Mt. Carmel “has undertaken a $285,000 capital fund drive to build a new church, a major addition to its school, and to expand the parish rectory.

“The new church will seat over 800 members, including the main sanctuary, a balcony, cry room, choir area and a small chapel for weekday Masses and other small-group services. It will be constructed facing Mt. Carmel-Tobasco Road, south of the present frame church on land owned by the parish.”