St. George Parish, Georgetown

On September 17, 1831, Mr. John Rooney deeded a lot at the corner of Apple and Plum Streets in Georgetown to Fr. Martin Kundig, founder of the first Catholic parish in Brown County at St. Martin (1830). The land was to be used for the building of a Catholic church, but it was not until May of 1902 that ground was broken. In that year, a Catholic mission was created in Georgetown, to be served from St. Mary parish in Arnheim (founded in 1837). Six families donated $2,488 to build a church on the Apple Street lot, and on October 1, 1902, Cincinnati Archbishop William H. Elder dedicated the new structure under the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The little frame church served the parish until 1952 and still stands, now home to the Apple Street Christian Church.

The Catholic community in Brown County grew; and in 1935, land was purchased for the building of a new church on State Street (S.R. 125). It was not until May 18, 1952, however, that the cornerstone of the new building was laid with some 300 people attending the ceremony. On October 15, 1952, Fr. Clarence J. Meyer, O.S.B. celebrated the first Mass in the new church; and on Sunday, November 2, 1952, more than 400 people attended the dedication Mass, celebrated by Cincinnati Archbishop Karl J. Alter. At that time, the parish was renamed and the church dedicated in honor of St. George.

In 1954, the house at 320 E. State Street was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Moyer to serve as a residence for the parish priest. Wanting something closer to the church, however, in 1959, a house on Elm Street was purchased from Robert and Lily Frodge and became the new rectory. By this time the parish had grown to about 100 families.

In 1955, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati purchased a house at 612 E. State Street to be used as a catechetical center for Brown County. For ten years, Glenmary sisters, then sisters of St. Ursula, and, beginning in 1966, Sisters of St. Joseph provided religious education for the children of the parish. In 1988, the archdiocese sold the State Street property.

In 1983, work began on an addition to St. George church to include classrooms, a social hall and a bell tower. The cost was $224,000. The addition included a stained-glass window of St. George slaying the dragon, designed and executed by St. George parishioner Jerry Blum, Sr. The carillon included the bell from St. Mary on Apple Street and a bell from Mt. St. Mary Seminary of the West. A memorial garden with a fountain was created between the church and social hall, and a sheltered walkway built to connect the new hall to the church. At this time, the parish had about 170 families.

In 2007, the bell tower had to be dismantled when it became unstable. In 2010, the altar, ambo, and priest’s chair from St. Elizabeth parish in Sardinia (closed in 2009), found a new

home at St. George. Then in 2013, the parish received a bequest of $250,757 from the estate of Evelyn Schafro Reynolds, to be used in memory of her parents, Joseph and Amanda Schafro. With this generous gift, in 2016, the parish was able to undertake a major renovation of its facilities. This included remodeling the sanctuary, installing new pews, carpeting, and lighting. creating a new confessional, and installing new front doors for the church. The restrooms in the basement of the church and the kitchen for the social hall were remodeled, a new lift was installed to improve access for the handicapped, an electronic carillon replaced the vanished belltower, and a new digital sign was erected to publicize parish events and activities. In 2019, the parish counted about 190 families.

For all but three years (1958-1961) of the parish history, the pastor of St. George has also served one or more other parishes. From 1902 until 1958 and again from 1965 until 1971, the pastor of St. George also served St. Mary parish in Arnheim. From 1961 until 1965 and again from 1971 until 2001, the priest caring for St. George also had charge of St. Michael parish in Mt. Orab. Then from 2001 until 2009, the pastor of St. George was also pastor of St. Michael parish in Ripley; and since 2009, St. George has shared its pastor with both St. Mary in Arnheim and St. Michael in Ripley. In all, to date, fifteen priests have been pastors of St. George. From the parish’s organization in 1902 until January of 1954, it was served by priests of the Order of St. Benedict from St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. Since 1954, all St. George’s pastors have been priests of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.