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St. John the Baptist Parish A Catholic Parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati |
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St. John the Baptist Parish A Catholic Parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati |
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History of the Parish |
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Parish History
In 1844, St. James Parish, White Oak, was organized to care for the Catholics in the entire northern section of the county; in 1854, the Assumption Parish was started at Mt. Healthy. All this while, the number of Catholics in Colerain Township grew larger, and though the distance to the nearest Catholic church was now only five to six miles, they desired a church and school in their own neighborhood. The First Church To Father Engelbert Stehle, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Cincinnati, was given the task of organizing the Catholics of Dry Ridge as a parish. This was done in the early part of 1860, for on Thursday, March 1, 1860, the organization meeting was held. Following is an extract of the minutes: “At a meeting of a majority of the members, ‘The Catholic St. John Congregation of Colerain Township’ convened after due notice, at the house of Melchior Betscher, being the place of holding meetings, on Thursday afternoon, at one o’clock, March 1st. A.D., 1860, for the purpose of electing trustees and a Clerk. . . . . It was further resolved that the corporate name of said congregation be “The Catholic St. John Congregation of Colerain Township.’ Signed, B. Stoeckel, chairman, Franz Leierer, Secretary.” The tract of 6.11 acres, on the west side of Dry Ridge Road, and one mile from the Colerain pike, was bought from Melchior Betscher, because he promised to donate the largest sum of $500 to the new congregation. While Henry Klein was given the honor of proposing the name of the patron saint for the church - he promised the next largest sum of $400. He proposed the name St. John the Baptist. Thus the church became known as St. John the Baptist Church, Dry Ridge, Ohio. The Catholic Telegraph of June 6, 1860, has this item: “Archbishop Purcell gave permission to the Catholics of Colerain Township to erect a church at Dry Ridge. Father Engelbert Stehle has planned a brick building, forty by sixty feet.” The Catholic Telegraph of September 8, 1860 states “The corner-stone of the new church of St. John the Baptist, at Dry Ridge, thirteen miles from Cincinnati, was blessed last Sunday afternoon, September 2, by the Most Rev. Archbishop Purcell.” After this there seemed to be no delay in getting the superstructure under way. Much of the material for the church was provided by the members. The cost of the church was about $5,000, which was financed by a subscription and loans, principally from the members. The building of the church must have been completed some time in 1861. No mention of its dedication has been found except among the receipts of 1861, is one of a collection for $26.65, taken up at the dedication of the church. It was at this time also that the one-room log schoolhouse one mile away was moved to the new site, in front of the church, and continued to serve its purpose for a little while longer. Then there was built a story and a half frame, which was used for a school and a teachers’ residence. The first teachers were lay-teachers; men and women, who, in the one classroom, taught religion and the elementary branches of education.
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About Our Parish |
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