About St. Mary Parish, Arnheim

St Mary Parish in Arnheim is one of the oldest parishes in the state of Ohio. As early as 1827, Catholic families settled in the area. Missionary priests celebrate Mass in the home of WendelKlein. In 1835, his daughter, Appolonia, married John Ernst, Jr. (Their descendants are still members of the parish) The first CHild of the couple was the first Catholic baptism in the area. When that child died in 1837, Wendel Klein donated a half acre of land for a cemetery and the building of a church. In 1838 the parish was founded and a church erected on Brownstown-Arnheim Road, a half mile north of the village of Arnheim. The first church was a log structure, named in honor of St. Wendelin. The cemetery, which was expanded in 1901, still serves the parish and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area.

By the 1850’s, the original church was too small for the growing congregation. In 1858, the present church was built in the village of Arnheim. It is a brick structure, raised on a foundation of limestone taken from nearby Straight Creek. THe bricks were handmade and fired on the farm of Jacob Kelch on Purdy road. In 1863, Morgan’s Confederate Raiders swept through Arnheim, destroying many of the buildings. The church was spared, but the town never fully recovered from this devastation. Finally, on January 9, 1865, Bishop Sylvester Rosecrans blessed the church under the title of St. Mary.

THroughout this period, the parish continued to be served by missionary priests, who would celebrate Mass once a month and spend the week following giving religious instruction to the area children. It was not until 1882 that St Mary received its first pastor. From 1896 until 1954, the parish was served by Benedictine priest from St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, ALabama. In 1898, the present sanctuary was added to the church and the original plain glass windows replaced with the present stained glass windows, which bear the names of the donors. (Families still represented in the parish)

In 1916, the present rectory was built and the church stuccoed. At that time, a German artisit namedBausch painted the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary on the ceiling of the church, as well as the large murals in the sanctuary.

In 1932, the SIsters of St Ursula began coming to Arnheim to instruct children. In 1934, the parish bought the old one room Arnheim District School #5 (built in 18884) to use for religion classe. In 1944, parishioners dragged this building to its present location. Now known as St. Wendelin Hall, it still serves as a religious education center for the parish. At this time, too, the buttresses and vestibule were added to the church. In 1955, Glenmary Sisters took over the religious education program of the parish.

In 1958, the church was refurbished for its 100th anniversary, and new chandeliers were added. In 1972, the rectory was badly damaged by fire and extensively remodeled. In 1977, parishioners built a large storage barn behind the rectory. A new spire was added to the church in 1984. The church was renovated in 1988 for the 150th anniversary of the parish, and in 1989 St Mary Hall was erected to serve for both religious education classes and social functions.

In 2005, new carpet and pews were installed in the church. In 2007, a neighbor, Frank Schirmer, donated two acres to St Mary Cemetery, nearly doubling the size and allowing for the construction of a driveway through the cemetery for the first time. Mr. Schirmer also donated a granite statue of the Blessed Mother, in memory of his wife Marilyn. Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk blessed the new cemetery and statue in a colorful rite on September 9, 2007. In the fall of that same year, the parish purchased the property at the corner or Arn Alley and expanded its parking facilities.

In 2009, St Elizabeth Parish in Sardinia closed, and its territory and people became part of St Mary. The hand carved statue of St Elizabeth was brought from St Elizabeth Church to St. Mary to mark this event. At the same time, Father Dohrman Byers, pastor of St. Mary, became pastor also of St Michael Parish in RIpley and St. George Parish in Georgetown, creating a new network of relations for St. Mary. In 2010, Ronald Dvorachek became the first permanent deacon to serve the parish, together with St. Michael and St. George.