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Welcome

St Joseph, St Jude and Our Lady of the Visitation are united under the family name of Divine Mercy while retaining their individual parish names and saintly patrons. As a parish Family, we come together to be Apostles of Mercy; to pray for each other and to show mercy, understanding, respect and patience toward one another. Join us on this journey as we ask God to bless our work to become disciples that witnesses His love and mercy to one another and to all the world!

St. Joseph,
North Bend

St. Joseph,
North Bend

25 East Harrison Avenue
North Bend, OH 45052

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St. Jude,
Bridgetown

St. Jude,
Bridgetown

5924 Bridgetown Road
Cincinnati, OH 45248-3108

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Our Lady of the
Visitation

Our Lady of the
Visitation

3172 South Road
Cincinnati, OH 45248

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RCIA

Interested in becoming Catholic or learning more about the Catholic faith? We would enjoy walking with you on your spiritual journey and invite you to consider joining others in the RCIA process.

 

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is the faith formation program through which those who are new to Catholicism or Christianity in general can learn more about the what the Catholic Church teaches and begin the process of becoming Catholic. Whether you are coming from a different Christian denomination, were baptized Catholic and need to receive the rest of your Sacraments, or are from an entirely different faith tradition, we will walk you through the process from start to finish, and answer all your questions.

 

For more information, contact:

Ken Meymann

(513) 922-2056

kmeymann@divinemercyfam.org

Adult Formation

We offer a wide range of groups, programs, and events for you to grow in your faith. Check out the “News & Announcements” or the bulletin to see what is currently being offered. Or contact one of our Adult Evangelization Coordinators:

Ken Meymann

(513) 922-2056

kmeymann@divinemercyfam.org

Youth Formation

Family Faith Formation

Youth religious education is offered through the parish’s Family Faith Formation program for children who attend public or non-Catholic private schools. Yearly parish programs begin in the fall and conclude in the spring, and include sacramental preparation for youth seeking Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation. We recognize that parents are the primary educators of their children and seek to support and partner with them in their mission of forming their children. Parents attend monthly sessions and lead at-home components for their family.

For more information, contact the Youth Evangelization Coordinator:

Lisa Spraul 
(513) 347-2228
lspraul@divinemercyfam.org

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

CGS is a Montessori-based program where children engage with God through Scripture and Liturgy. CGS provides a place (the Atrium) for this relationship to blossom. It holds materials such as figurines, dioramas, and craft activities paired with scripture to depict Christ’s Incarnation. It’s a tactile way of meditating upon the essentials of our Faith.

CGS meets during the school year on Sunday mornings at Visitation. Level 1 is for ages 3-5. Children must be potty trained.

Interested in enrolling? Contact Nakia Stallkamp
(812)577-4595
nakiamariaking@gmail.com

“The instruction that the catechumens receive during this period should be of a kind that while presenting Catholic teaching in its entirety also enlightens faith, directs the heart toward God, fosters participation in the liturgy, inspires apostolic activity, and nurtures a life completely in accord with the spirit of Christ.”

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults #78

Frequently Asked Questions

The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. We must be properly prepared to receive it (1 Cor. 11:26-29). A non-Catholic who does not believe in the Real Presence would not be properly prepared to receive the Eucharist.

Currently, our Saturday Vigil Masses are live streamed weekly.

Children at the future of our Church and are welcome at Mass. If you are concerned – but you shouldn’t be – St Jude has a cry room for parents with restless infants and small children.

All three parishes have devices to help the hearing impaired. Please see an usher before Mass. St Jude has a ASL interpreter at 5:00 Mass on Saturday evenings.

Please see an usher before Mass. They will let a Eucharistic Minister know where you are seated, and Holy Communion can be brought to you in the pew.

St. Joseph, North Bend

Parish History

The History of St. Joseph Church, North Bend

St. Joseph Church was founded in 1860 and was the anchor church for Catholics in the southwestern corner of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. After Catholic families that had settled near North Bend and Cleves approached the diocese asking for a Catholic church, Bishop John Purcell granted permission to allow a church to be built. Representatives from both villages, however, demanded that the church be built in their town. To settle the dispute of where the church would be located, the diocese gave the village residents a challenge. The first village to raise the necessary funds would have the church built in their community. Residents of both villages hustled to raise the money. The people of North Bend, however, proved swiftest, and St. Joseph Parish settled in North Bend.

Although St. Joseph Parish was formed in 1860, without a church, parishioners had to attend Mass in Delhi. Priests from St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio said Mass in the one-story frame building east of South Miami Avenue, which still stands today in Sayler Park.

Then, in 1886, property on Taylor Avenue was purchased for the first St. Joseph Church. The church, including the rectory, was located on the large Holliday (or Halliday) family estate and dedicated on July 31, 1887. The first pastor of the new church, Father Anthony Runnebaum, held office from 1896-1902. He resided at St. Aloysius. Before Father Runnebaum was appointed pastor, several priests had charge of the parish. 

 

Railroad Workers Build First St. Joseph Church

Old St. Joseph The actual construction of St. Joseph Church was completed under Fr. Scholl. Five men dug the foundation of the first church, and a Mr. Zinn (no first name found) laid the foundation. Railroad workers, who worked for 96 cents per day, worked on the construction of the church. All the stone came from a quarry near St. Paul, Indiana, and the windows in the first church cost $50 to $75 each.

In 1907, Lillian Sullivan became the first organist and choir director. She played a small, pedal-operated organ. Later, Nell Hanlon became one of the church organists. Denis Gleason, Leonard Meyer, and Frank Franz, Sr., served as the trustees of the parish.

Although the number of Catholics living in the area at first was small, the parish did serve a large territory. The church is bordered by two states and served people living in Addyston, Cleves, Columbia Park, Elizabethtown, Hooven, Miami Township, and North Bend.

 

Cross Guides Riverboat Captains

The first church also served as a gateway into Cincinnati. Atop the church gleamed a gold cross, proudly displayed on its copper steeple, which could be seen by boat captains on the Ohio River, alerting them to their approach into the Queen City.

The rectory was built in 1911, approximately 100 steps above the Taylor Avenue church on the Holliday (or Halliday-Meyer) property on Harrison Avenue. A building and land adjacent to the rectory were donated by the Gleason family. Many picnics and chicken dinners were held on this property, then called Tippecanoe Park. The present church and school now sit on this property.

The church went through many renovations from about 1953 to 1961. A furnace was replaced, the wooden posts in the church basement were replaced by steel and concrete reinforcements, and the church tower slowly decayed. New windows were installed and the entire church interior was repainted. But the parish could only renovate so much. In 1961, it was decided that a new church was needed. Plans called for building the new facility on the park property next to the rectory. Father Robert Leugers, who started the church’s first newsletter, The Carpenter’s Shop, began a crusade to redeem Ohio sales tax stamps. He hoped proceeds from the tax stamps could be used to build a new church.

 

Second Church Built with Tax Stamps

More than 200 volunteers mailed between 3000 and 5000 letters each day across Ohio, asking people to donate their tax stamps to the church. Tax stamps could be redeemed by religious and charitable groups for a certain percent of the face value (between 2 and 3 percent). Because of the volume of mail, up to 9000 letters a day at times, post office officials printed a special pre-cancelled postage stamp for the parish, which is now considered a collector’s item. Tax stamps were received from people of all faiths and in all stations of life, and few empty envelopes were returned. Along with the stamps, people also sent notes of encouragement or apologies for not sending more stamps.

The state reimbursed the parish $260,000 over a six-year period. Although all of the labor was donated, postage cost about $20,000 per year, and paper, ink, and envelopes took about half the money earned. The rest of the proceeds went toward building the new church and school, which cost $200,000. The church was dedicated in 1962. Today, parishioners still boast having a church that stamps built.

The old church was used for many years by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and then as a day care center. In 1965, a new rectory was built after a fire severely damaged the old rectory.

In 1996, Father Harry Gerdes appointed a Building Committee to research the possibilities of renovating the existing church or building a new church at a different location. The committee members, working under the guidelines of the Archdiocese, first surveyed the parishioners. Then a steering committee, headed by Rita Allen, gathered information about community growth, the church, the church organizations, the neighboring churches, and the church finances. 

At the same time, five architects were contacted to determine the feasibility of expanding from the existing church. Three responded. Two said that it was possible, but additional land would be needed. Two adjoining properties were acquired, and the parish began making plans for a new worship space. Father Harry later became ill and Father Greg Lockwood was appointed by the Archdiocese to oversee the building and design process. Father Greg was instrumental in helping the parish to acquire stained glass windows from St. Michael’s church.

In October 2003, ground was broken alongside the second church building for the third and current St. Joseph Church. The formal ceremony was presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Carl Moeddel and our new pastor, Father Mike Savino. 

This new sanctuary addition was made to the existing church facility, creating a wonderful blend of new and old; you enter through the old church into the new gathering area which serves as a meeting place and event space before you move into the church. The architectural focus of the new worship space is evident in the arch-shaped baptismal font and distinctive abstract metal screen that separates the sanctuary form the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. 

The Stations of the Cross and the corpus above the alter are original to the first church on Taylor Avenue. The altar and most of the wood furnishings in the new space are made from a historical gingko tree which, after towering over St Joe’s for nearly 200 years, was removed to make way for the new building.  A stainless cross was installed on top of the new building and is lit nightly, recreating the image of the gold cross atop the original church that guided the boat captains on the river.  

On October 31, 2004, with much of the finishing touches to come, the new worship space was officially dedicated by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.

In 2019, pastor Father Andrew Umberg fulfilled Fr Savino’s original plan to paint the church interior. Fr Umberg enlisted the help of Karen Thorpe, parishioner Mary Hatch, and other committee members to create the color scheme and paint details. Color decisions were made to harmonize with the stained-glass windows, the wood work, and the metal screen behind the altar. A company was hired to paint the interior and Todd Brausch, an artist who studied church painting in Italy, completed the detail art work including the starry sky with its border, the lettering on the beams, and the artwork representing the Father and the Holy Spirit on the wall over God the Son on the crucifix. The Father and Holy Spirit artwork has biblical references: the triangle on a cloud with rays and the Hebrew name of God (YHWH) written on it represents the cloud over the meeting tent in the desert that was a sign of God’s presence with the Israelites. The hovering Holy Spirit dove, with its seven beams, represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven Sacraments. The gold lettering on the three olive-colored beams of church, “Holy Holy Holy LORD God of Hosts”, is what the angels cry out in Isaiah 6:3, when God appears in the Temple. 

St. Jude, Bridgetown

Parish History

The History of St. Jude Church

 

In 1956, during the papacy of Pope Pius XII, and at the direction of the Most Rev. Archbishop Karl J. Alter, St. Jude Parish began as a 16.25-acre tract of land on Bridgetown Road. On September 8, Msgr. Stanley Bertke was appointed to organize this new parish. In early October, the members of St. Jude Parish celebrated their first Mass in the Bridgetown Public School gymnasium.

 

Construction on a new parish “plant” began with ground breaking ceremonies on July 28, 1956. The design was a combination church and school. The first floor was used for church seating on Sunday and a classroom on school days. The basement served as a cafeteria. This temporary church was to be converted into a gymnasium later.

 

Parish Council voted to build a new church in 1968 and by the following March construction had begun. Parishioners watched with anticipation as our present church was built. On a Sunday in July 1970, the cornerstone was placed. Finally, on Sunday, September 20, 1970, the new church was dedicated.

 

Our most recent undertaking is the new Parish Center built with money raised through our Capital Campaign Fund. The Parish Center houses a new gym, plus computer, art and music rooms for the school children. Also, there are three meeting rooms for our organizations.

 

The windows of the church are both beautiful and meaningful. Two types of stained glass are used. The large front windows and the windows in the sanctuary are of faceted glass. The great window over the front entrance depicts the Holy Trinity with the large Christ figure, our Lord, the Redeemer, in the center. The left panel depicts God the Father, Creator. The right panel has the Holy Spirit and the fiery tongues of Pentecost. The creation panel shows the symbolic hand of God from which emanates the sun, moon and stars, and humankind with its co-creation, sputniks and space ships.

 

The sanctuary windows show the seven sacraments. From left to right are Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick.

 

The windows in the west side of the body of the church depict the Annunciation, the Birth of Christ, Jesus in the Temple, the raising of Lazarus, the Feeding of the Multitude, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, and finally the Resurrection.

 

The opposite side has scenes from the Old Testament that have some similarity with the scenes of the New Testament. They are: Noah’s Ark, Abraham offering his son in sacrifice, Moses and the Ten Commandments, Elisha raising the dead son of the Shunamite woman, Moses and the manna from the sky, and water from the rock, Melchisedech offering bread and wine, the suffering Job and his love of God, Moses and the serpent, and Elijah raised to heaven in a flaming chariot. In 1976, two long-awaited statues were also added to the church — the Sacred Heart and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

 

Our patron saint, St. Jude, has very little known about him. He was a cousin of our Lord, an apostle, one of the inspired writers of the New Testament, and a martyr for the faith. Perhaps, the most important history of St. Jude is the supernatural action of God that has taken place after his death through his intercession. He is recognized as the patron of difficult and hopeless causes.

 

We, the parishioners of St. Jude have been so blessed to have such a place to come and worship our God and Lord. “O Lord, how lovely is your dwelling place o’er all the earth.” For this and His many blessings, we humbly thank the Lord for bestowing His abundant grace on us.

Our Lady of the Visitation

Parish History

The History of Our Lady of the Visitation Church 

The history of Our Lady of the Visitation starts in 1946. After the Word War II, Cincinnati’s suburbs grew rapidly, including Bridgetown and Mack. Archbishop John T. McNicholas purchased a 23-acre farm between South and Werk roads for $21,000. Father VonderBrink was appointed by the Archbishop to organize what would be known as Our Lady of the Visitation Parish.

There was no church. Fortunately, the Diocese was able to purchase several army barracks one of which was designated for Visitation as a church. To move it from the Wright Plant in Lockland, a downtown suburb of Cincinnati, to Werk and South roads, it was cut into three sections and moved by truck then reassembled.

Then it was time to turn the barracks into a Church. Only electricity was available. Andy Haas hauled water from his cistern using a sled and a team of horses. With water, the new parishioners could mix plaster for the inside walls and concrete to build an entrance and a room for the furnace. White siding was added too. The Luken family and other men of the parish built forty-six benches. Unfortunately, they used green wood, which was the only wood available and it bowed as it dried. The Archbishop, realizing that the parish was already concerned about their debt, paid for the cost of covered padding for the kneelers.

The first Mass was offered on February 2, 1947 on the feast of the Presentation. Sixty families celebrated in this little rural Church with its eight foot ceilings and a seating for only 275.

 

First Mass

Father VonderBrink lived in the Fenwick Club and commuted each day. Clifford Schneider loaned him the use of his house while he was away on business for six months. A friend of Father VonderBrink designed a rectory and an aid to the Archbishop built the present house. On the day of the framing, 25 carpenters from the parish arrived and under the direction of Al Carle, they had framed the house in 5 hours. For the price of sandwiches and beer, Visitation parishioners showed what team work could do.

The basement of the rectory became the center of parish social activities with Friday night Bingo, Fish Fries, Rummage Sales & Turkey Raffles.

With a young parish, it became obvious that the parish needed a school. In January of 1950, the first 140 students enter a brand new school building.

Soon playgrounds were needed; and since many students lived outside of walking distance and not everyone owned a car in those days, the parish purchased a school bus. Andy Haas, the maintenance man, became a school bus driver too. He and Father VonderBrink toured the parish, mapping the best routes and, with stopwatch in hand, estimated the pickup times. Later, a bus garage was built next to the rectory.

 

School 1950

The parish grew quickly and before long, Visitation had outgrown the converted army barracks. The Master Plan called for a new church and in the immediate future, more classroom space too. In 1959, Archbishop Karl J. Alter gave permission to build a new church with five classrooms in the basement once the parish was clear of debt. After a successful fund drive, work began.

Easter Monday in 1961 was the last Mass offered in the little barracks church. The south wing of the school became the interim church and that day, the seventh and eight grade boys carried the pews from the old church to the school. The barracks were demolished and construction began in June.

 

New Church 1962

The first and second grades moved into their new classrooms in the church basement in the Fall of 1962. The church dedication took place in November of 1962. Seating 700 parishioners, its unique cruciform design is the product of architect Elmer Schmidt.

Two years later, under the leadership of Fr. Vogelpohl, Fr. Rettig, and the Worship Commission, our Parish began making changes to reflect decisions of Vatican II. In order to comply with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, a wood altar was placed in the sanctuary in 1964, so the priest would have room to stand behind the altar to face the people. The credence table was placed in front of the altar.

In 1974, the church suffered damage from a tornado, and the stained glass windows had to be replaced. Some parishioners’ houses were destroyed, lives upturned, but everyone came together to rebuild their homes. The Mary Shrine was placed in front of church “In thanksgiving for the preservation of life and the successful recovery from the tornado of April 3, 1974.” 

During the remodeling of 1979, the baptistry became a cry room and reconciliation room, and was no longer entered by way of the vestibule.  The Baptismal font was moved into the sanctuary, the wood altar was removed, and the main altar was positioned away from the back wall. In 1982, the communion rail was removed, and the sanctuary was opened to all. Mr. Mike Carnevale was hired to repair the terrazzo floor, as the brass pins connecting the rail to the floor pulled up much of the floor. The stand which holds the tabernacle is part of the original communion rail.

In 1991, a decision was made to add on to our present church. A larger foyer, 2 restrooms, and a meeting room were added upstairs. A meeting room, 2 restrooms, 2 offices, and a teachers’ lounge were added downstairs. As part of that remodel, an Auditorium was added to the school property extending toward Werk Road. 

In 1997 the school was again “bursting at the seams” and plans were made to build a new classroom building. This building included eight Jr. High classrooms, a nurse’s office, and the school office. It was added to the north side of the school building, and a Memorial Garden was established on the grounds behind.

 

Memorial Garden

In 1998, the Pavilion was added in the back fields to replace the athletic equipment room and boy scout cabin that had to be removed to provide room for the Jr. High building. The Pavilion includes a large meeting room, restrooms, festival storage room, locker room, concession area and a garage to store the field and maintenance equipment.

 

Pavilion

Completed just before the Festival in August of 2011, a “bump-out” was added to the MPR toward the back parking lot. The two-level addition holds a storage area for the cafeteria tables and restrooms on the ground level, and a spiritwear shop and storage room on the second level. The windows in the original building were bricked over, and a new ceiling was installed in the basketball court area.

In the Spring of 2018 we, again, needed to expand. This time to our church. Bids were received in late July 2018 by Beischel Building Co. from subcontractors for the project.  The total project, which was to include the expansion of seating in the church, the finish of classrooms underneath and the addition of a gathering space to the front of church.  However, after review with members of the Building Committee and Fr. Mark Burger, it was decided that we would proceed with the project except for the addition of the gathering space to the front of church. By foregoing this portion of the project, we were able to proceed within the limits of our fundraising, and the parameters identified by the Finance Committee. The project allowed us to meet the goals identified for expanded seating, additional classrooms and additional parking. The project was completed in The Fall of 2019.

Our Lady of the Visitation is a vibrant community that continues to change and grow through the commitment and generosity of its parishioners.