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Resurrected
Urban Parish
Old St.
Mary's Church, Cincinnati OH
(from the May/June 1999 issue)
IN AUGUST OF 1998, Old St. Mary’s Church in Cincinnati was saddled with a
debt of more than $700,000, with interest accruing at
$800 each week. Just seven months later, however, on
Easter Sunday the parish pulled itself out of debt. Some
say it was a miracle since the parish had been struggling
for the past several years to simply service the interest
from the debt. "It is truly extraordinary that a
parish that last year averaged $2000 in the weekly
collection, has retired the debt so quickly,"
explained parish councilman Mark Hayden.
Old St. Mary’s in
Over the Rhine, one of the city’s poorest
neighborhoods, is home to the oldest standing church
building in Cincinnati (built in 1842). In August of last
year, Father Albert E. Lauer became the parish’s 18th
pastor. One of his first goals, he told parishioners, was
to bring the parish out of debt so that the church’s
resources "could be more fully applied to spreading
the Gospel and advancing the mission of the Church in the
world."
The initial plan,
according to Fr. Lauer, was to bring the parish into the
black by the end of the Jubilee year 2000. "It is no
coincidence, however, that the parish pulled out of debt
on Easter Sunday, the day the Lord was risen from the
dead," he told parishioners in a recent Sunday
homily.
Parishioners at Old St.
Mary’s now speak of their church as the
"resurrected parish."
Three
"miracles"
Debt relief came by way of three "miracles,"
each attributed to prayer and fasting. "There’s
no other explanation," said parishioner Shirley
Suddeth.
The first of the three
miracles came by way of an anonymous patron who offered
$300,000 in "matching funds." In other words,
if the parish could come up with $300,000, the patron
would match that sum with an additional $300,000.
The second miracle came by
way of $128,000 (in donations, not pledges) which
were raised in the extraordinarily short time of 40 days.
Fr. Lauer had set a goal of raising $120,000 by the
January 10, the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Most
people seemed to think that goal was unrealistic, Fr.
Lauer recalled, "but with prayer and fasting, all
things are possible." That "unrealistic"
goal was exceeded by $8,000.
Old St. Mary’s
dedicated the first month of 1999 as the "month of
God the Father." Parishioners studied the Holy
Father’s encyclical Tertio Millennio Adveniente,
and Fr. Lauer devoted each of his January homilies to
elaborating on the special role of the First Person of
the Blessed Trinity. To conclude the Month of God the
Father, the parish prayed a novena which ended on the
Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord (Feb. 2, 1999). The
following day the parish received word of another patron,
who donated $215,000—"miracle" number
three.
By Palm Sunday the parish
debt had been reduced to approximately $20,000, and the
remainder of the debt was retired on Easter Sunday. All
this was accomplished without a capital fund-drive. There
were no fund raisers, pledge envelopes, car washes or
raffles. The parish accomplished this feat through
almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—the three staples of
a penitential Lent!
Beyond money…
Although the parish achieved remarkable economic results
in such a short time, parishioners are not dwelling on,
what some say, is a trivial matter. "If we’re
doing what we ought to do," according to a popular
refrain at Old St. Mary’s, "then the Lord will
provide." Fund-raising is not the issue at this
parish. The issue is "faith-raising." This
faith-raising is firmly rooted in the traditions of the
Church and is expressed through the parish’s efforts
to evangelize, catechize and grow in personal holiness in
unity with the universal Church.
German-speaking Catholics
who immigrated to Cincinnati in the early 19th
century built Old St. Mary’s Church with their own
hands, using bricks baked in their ovens. In this way,
the immigrants preserved the memory of the great churches
of Germany with their elaborate stained glass windows,
massive pipe organs and intricate murals. The church
remains today little changed from its appearance in the
late 19th century.
Just as Marian devotion
has played an important part in the history of Christian
piety, so too has this devotion, which takes so many
different forms, played a most important role in the
devotional life of this parish. Known as the "Mother
of the Marian Churches" in the area, Old St.
Mary’s features six shrines of Our Lady under her
various titles. Each May the parish celebrates a
magnificent May Crowning on Mother’s Day. This year
the church will also host the missionary image of Our
Lady of Guadalupe during the first week of the Month of
Mary.
The parish, which draws
parishioners from some 50 different zip codes, continues
to preserve the rich liturgical, musical and cultural
heritage of Catholic tradition. The Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass is offered in Latin, German and English each Sunday.
Old St. Mary’s has also long been committed to
preserving and fostering the sacred music of the Church.
The Latin Mass features "the musical tradition of
the universal Church" sung by a Gregorian chant
choir. In many ways Old St. Mary’s Church is a
shrine of the past, a powerhouse in the present, and a
prototype for the future.
The following is
reprinted with permission from The Cornerstone of Old St.
Mary’s,
Easter 1999 issue.
1. PRO-LIFE: Old
St. Mary’s Church is fully committed to resisting
the "culture of death" and to building the
"new civilization of love," which Pope John
Paul II has so often exhorted the Christian faithful to
do. The parish is blessed to have as parishioners some of
the most committed and experienced pro-life leaders in
the greater Cincinnati area. Through programs of prayer
and fasting, outreach and evangelization, OSM endeavors
to "discover anew the humility and the courage to
pray and fast so that power from on high will break down
the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal
from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the
evil of practices and laws which are hostile to
life" (Evangelium Vitae 100).
2. EUCHARISTIC
ADORATION: The Pope reminds us in Dominicae Cenae
that "adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love
must find expression in various forms of eucharistic
devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament,
Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short,
prolonged and annual (Forty Hours)—eucharistic
benediction, eucharistic processions, eucharistic
congresses." Understanding the eminent importance of
Eucharistic adoration, Old St. Mary’s recently
instituted two great new opportunities to worship Jesus
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Following the
12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass the Eucharist will remain exposed
in the Church until Vespers and Benediction at 5:00 p.m.
Further, Forty Hours devotion will be revived this year,
April 22-25. On Thursday, traditionally the Day of the
Holy Eucharist, we will continue to pray before the
Blessed Sacrament following the 12:10 p.m. Mass until the
end of Holy Hour at 8:00 p.m. OSM also hosts an All-Night
Eucharistic Vigil every First Friday beginning after the
9:30 p.m. Mass.
3. TITHING: The
custom of giving tithes, "a the tenth part of all
fruits and profits justly acquired, owed to God in
recognition of his supreme dominion over man, and to be
paid to the ministers of the Church" (Catholic
Encyclopedia), reaches back into unknown antiquity.
It is mentioned in Gen. 14, without anything to
indicate that it was something newly instituted. Just as
Abraham is there represented as offering tithes of the
spoils of the enemy to the royal priest, Melchisedech, so
in Gen. 28, Jacob is recorded as giving a tithe of
all his possessions to the Lord. Drawing upon this sacred
tradition, Old St. Mary’s will be developing tithing
programs "to open the windows of heaven" and
pour down for us "an overflowing blessing" by
doing the will of God (Mal. 3:10).
4. SACRAMENT OF PENANCE:
During 1999, the Year of God the Father, the Pope has
called all Catholics to develop a "renewed
appreciation and a more intense celebration of the
Sacrament of Penance" (Tertio Millennio
Adveniente, 50). Bearing this in mind, Old St.
Mary’s is now providing many more opportunities for
individual sacramental confessions, including several
special penance services in Lent and Advent. Forgiveness
is the basis for responding to the "call to
conversion" as we prepare for the Jubilee of the
Year 2000.
5. EVANGELIZATION:
In the words of Pope Paul VI, the Church "exists in
order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach
and teach" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14). Putting
our faith and love together to share the Gospel, Old St.
Mary’s has embarked on new evangelical outreaches:
Parish visitations, the Catechumenate, and reviving the
parish’s Legion of Mary. Every Wednesday afternoon,
an Evangelization team shares the faith of Jesus’
Church through the neighborhood of Over the Rhine.
Catechism instruction will continue every Thursday
evening at 8:00 p.m. "The presentation of the Gospel
message is not an optional contribution for the Church.
It is the duty incumbent on her by the command of the
Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be saved…
It is truth." (EN 5).
6. MISSIONS: In his
1999 document Ecclesia in America Pope John Paul
II re-emphasized that "Parishes in America should be
distinguished by their missionary spirit, which leads
them to reach out to those who are faraway." To
better do this, Old St. Mary’s is looking into
aiding a parish church in one of the poorest dioceses of
Central America. This will be yet another way to
understand the Church in her universal dimension.
7. SOLVENCY: Over
the past few years the parish has been saddled with an
enormous debt, one that would be an albatross to anyone,
but especially to an inner-city parish like Old St.
Mary’s. Prayers, novenas, and the generous support
of parishioners, patrons and other generous benefactors
will eventually pull the parish out of debt by the
Jubilee, God willing! Once we are out of debt, our
resources can be more fully applied to spreading the
Gospel and advancing the mission of the Church in the
world.
8. RESTORATION AND
MAINTENANCE: Every physical structure needs to be
maintained so that it may successfully serve its purpose.
The purpose of the church building is to serve the
parish, the Church, and ultimately to serve God. The
parish will therefore look into ways of best maintaining
the integrity, beauty and splendor of our beautiful
church, its statues, organ and other furnishings, so that
it may continue to provide a most fitting place in which
to adore, worship and serve God and the Church.
9. ADDITIONAL
FACILITIES: In addition to the church, the parish
complex includes a building that once served the parish
as a girls’ grammar school. At present St. John
Social Services continues to lease the building from the
parish to house several of their outreach programs to the
neighborhood. Beginning July 1, Old St. Mary’s will
be using the first floor of the school for more office
and ministry space. We will be exploring the many
possible uses for the entire school building to better
meet the needs of the parish and neighborhood.
10. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY:
The urban parish may be called to be a "community of
communities and movements," according to Pope John
Paul (Ecclesia in America). The institution of the
parish "can be the source of great hope. It can
gather the community, assist family life, overcome the
sense of anonymity, welcome people and help them to be
involved in their neighborhood and society" (EIA).
Old St. Mary’s will move more toward forming small
Christian communities.
Old St.
Mary’s Church ,123 East Thirteenth St.,
Cincinnati OH 45210
Sunday Masses: 9:15
a.m. Latin Mass, 11:00 a.m. German Mass, 12:30 p.m.
English Mass.
Monday-Saturday:
12:10 p.m. English Mass
Exposition and
Adoration: Thursdays after the 12:10 p.m. Mass
until 8:00 p.m. Sundays after the 12:30 p.m. Mass until
Vespers and Benediction at 5:00 p.m. First Fridays
following the 9:30 p.m. Mass (All-Night Vigil until 5:30
a.m.)
Confessions:
Thursdays after the 12:10 p.m. Mass and before all Sunday
Masses.
Liturgy of the
Hours: Morning Prayer (Lauds) daily at 6:30 a.m.
Evening Prayer (Vespers) daily at 5:15 p.m. except
Thursdays (7:00 p.m.)
Scripture Study:
Sundays at 5:30 p.m., following Vespers and Benediction
Holy Hour:
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (Vespers, Scriptural Rosary and
Benediction)
Catechism Class:
Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.
Home-schooler
Mass/Program: Every third Friday of the Month at
12:10 p.m.
RELATED ARTICLE: Old Saint Mary's On the Web
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