1997 Catholic Telegraph article

The article, “St. John the Baptist Parish dedicates new church” was published in The Catholic Telegraph on March 28, 1997.

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Fr. Charles Wirtz – St. John’s 5th Pastor

Fr. Schwartz was succeeded by Fr. Charles Wirtz on June 30, 1912. St. John the Baptist was his first pastorate, and the young priest got right to work, first getting the parish out of debt. Then in August of that year, Fr. Wirtz was successful in obtaining the return of the Sisters of the Divine Providence. Sister Mary, Sister Mary Celeste, and Sister Mary Severina were sent to Dry Ridge to take charge of the school.

In November 1914, Fr. Wirtz oversaw the razing of the first church. A temporary chapel was set up on the first floor of the school building, and by March 1915 excavation began for the second church and rectory. The design was of English mission style and the architect was J.F. Sheblessy.

Fr. Wirtz along with the parishioners helped dig the foundation and by November the church and rectory were completed. The dedication ceremony was held on November 7, 1915 and afterward the parishioners celebrated with a chicken dinner.

Everyone was overjoyed with their new church. It was about fifty feet wide by ninety feet long, and could hold a capacity of 250 people. The exterior was of dark brown brick, stained glass windows, and the roof of red tile. The interior had an open timber frame ceiling, a nave for pews and three aisles, and a baptistery near the entrance. Many of the furnishings were gifts from the Married Men and Married Ladies Societies or individual parishioners. The cost of the new church and rectory were $25,000.

During the next few years, Fr. Wirtz continued to make improvements, an electric light plant for the church and rectory, a cistern, and more. But then he became sick with the flu, and at the young age of 37 passed away on November 5, 1918. His funeral took place on November 8 at the little church of which he was so proud. His death was deeply mourned by the parishioners who loved him. Fr. Wirtz was buried in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Article from 1995

This article, dated March 1, 1995, was published in the Northwest Press a few days before the last mass would be held in the old church. If you haven’t already, watch the video featuring the old church which includes clips from the closing ceremony.

Click on the images to enlarge.

 

 

Hey, I Know That Person

Parishioner Pat Grogan was able to spot her parents, Marge Insprucker and Walter Ashbrook, in the school photo that Rose Putnick submitted last week. You can see the photo here.

Always feel free to let us know if you recognize a person in any of the photos we share on the blog, and we’ll be happy to update the post.

Fr. John Schwartz – St. John’s 4th Pastor

Fr. Beckmeyer was succeeded in September 1905 by Fr. John H. Schwartz. The parish outlook for the new pastor was not encouraging. The members were disgruntled, the school building was condemned, and the children were going to public school. With determination, Fr. Schwartz set to work. First of all the school was reopened and the children were taught in church. Then, the finances were put in order and the members were encouraged to take an interest in parish affairs.

In nearly a year, he was able to start building the third schoolhouse. As mentioned in the post about the school’s history, Fr. Schwartz as well as the people labored in its construction. With the men he dug the foundation, and donning an apron with his hammer and nails he helped finish the building.

With the school complete, Fr. Schwartz invited the Sisters of the Divine Providence to return to Dry Ridge, however the Sisters were unable to send anyone. So, along with the lay teachers hired, he helped conduct classes.

Fr. Schwartz also busied himself with the other branches of pastoral work. Church services, society communions and meetings, school work and religious instructions, social gatherings and entertainments, all received their proper attention; and St. John’s once more flourished and made progress. He labored at St. John’s for nearly seven years. Toward the end of June 1912 he was transferred to St. Stephen Church in Cincinnati, earning a promotion.

A Family’s History at St. John’s

After reading the post about St. John’s 75th Jubilee and seeing the raffle ticket for the Ford Tutor, parishioner Rose Wolterman Putnick emailed us, sending this photo.

Her uncle, John Wolterman, pictured sitting on the wheel frame, won this Tutor Ford from a St. John’s raffle. Although it’s not certain if it’s the same car from the Jubilee. She knows in fact it was won from St. John’s, possibly before the Jubilee around 1926-29.

In the photo are: Robert Wolterman (sitting inside the car), John Wolterman (the winner, on the wheel frame). And from left to right: Rosella Wolterman Beckett, Edward Wolterman, William Wolterman, and Edna Wolterman.

Rose also sent along this school photo from her family’s mementos. The year is uncertain, but you can see they’re standing in front of the school building that was built in 1923.

In the last row are:  Jack Moriarity (second from right), Edward Wolterman (third from right), Leo Espel (second from left), Walter Ashbrook (third from left)

And in the first row: Edna Schmidt Dorrmann (fourth from left), Marge Insprucker (sixth from left)

Thanks, Rose, for sharing these great photos! If you’d like to share a photo or memento from St. John’s history, please email us at stjohns150@aol.com.

What Was Old is New

Look around our current church and almost everywhere you turn you can spot something from the past.

Many of the original stained glass windows from the 1915 church were restored and incorporated throughout the Gathering Space, Daily Chapel and Eucharist Chapel. In the Gathering Space, you’ll also find some restored server benches.

Look up above the baptismal font to see this restored window.

Above the entry door inside the Daily Chapel, you’ll find original woodwork from the 1860s church.

The Daily Chapel also houses the Stations of the Cross paintings from the 1915 church.

Inside the Eucharistic Chapel, you’ll find the alter from our 1915 church, along with a Statue of Mary from the Sister’s chapel, and additional stained glass windows that used to be up near the choir area of the 1915 church.

Inside the main church area, the bordering stained glass windows and open-frame ceiling are reminiscent of the 1915 church. Also, a interesting fact: if you stand at the back of the church, you’re standing approximately the same distance to the alter as you would if you were standing in the 1915 church.

In the rear of the church, you’ll find wooden statues of Mary and Joesph from the 1860s church. These statues used to sit on either side of the alter area in the 1915 church.

The devotional area is made up from elements of the 1915 alter, including the statue of the cross, a communion rail, and alter stone. The devotion candles found on either side, are from the old church as well.

NOTE: Do you have more to add to this post? If so, let us know. Leave a comment or send us an email.

Remembering our 75th

St. John’s celebrated its 75th anniversary with a Diamond Jubilee on September 22, 1935. Below are a couple of pages from the program. Fr. Rechtin was the pastor at that time. After mass, the parish celebrated with a chicken dinner picnic on the church grounds, while the Our Lady of the Angels High School Orchestra entertained the crowd.

The parish also raffled off a brand new Tutor Ford. You can see one of the original raffle tickets below. The celebration continued to the following Sunday, when the St. John’s Players and the Young Ladies Sodality performed the play “The Cradle Song,” in the parish auditorium.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Go back to past posts to see how St. John’s celebrated its 100th and 125th anniversaries.

Here’s to the People

Here is the church, and here is the steeple

Open the door and see all the people.

It’s the people of St. John’s that makes our parish so special. Today, 1,350 families call St. John’s “home,” but over the past 150 years there have been many more who have helped shape our parish into what it is today.

Who in particular stands out to you? Was it a pastor, a sister, teacher or a parishioner? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

First Grade Discontinued

Did you know in 1964 the Archdiocese of Cincinnati discontinued first grade in all parochial schools? This was under the direction of Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter who decided discontinuing the first grade would save on high costs and help solve the problem of overcrowded classrooms.

According to this article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cincinnati-area public schools had to take on an influx of roughly 10,000 first-graders who had been turned away from parochial schools that year.

After the first grade was discontinued at St. John’s, our school continued to make room for students with renovations and classroom additions. But it wasn’t until 1982 that St. John’s was able to re-institute the first grade. Kindergarten classes were added in 1987.