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Saint James Church... how it began The history of Saint James dates back to around 1840. Reverend John M. Henni, S.J., a missionary and pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Cincinnati, said the first Mass in the barn of Sylvester Oehler on August 15, 1840. Recognized at that time as Saint James Station, the fledgling parish continued to be served by missionary Fathers. The first Church, a log building, was erected in 1841-42. It is interesting to note that they needed $124.62 for building materials, labor and surveying, with a grand total of $66.62 1/2 being collected. They had to borrow $100.00 to build this first church. With the log church completed, records seem to establish 1843 as the year of Saint James' formal organization as a parish. On Sunday, May 5, 1844 Reverend Charles Boeswald officially blessed the church and cemetery of Saint James. The two acres appropriated for the church, school house, and cemetery were deeded to the Bishop by Ambrose and Eva Oehler and George and Theresa Werth. The rest of the 1800's saw the first stone church erected in 1849 where early missionary pastors served the needs of our ancestors. The first brick two-room school house was constructed in 1874, replacing the original one-room log cabin at a cost of $2,700. The 1900's began with the Sisters of St. Francis from Oldenburg, Indiana, accepting the teaching responsibility for the school. The present main school building was started in 1912. The 50's and 60's saw the new convent built for the many sisters serving our parish, the North and South additions to the school, and the building of a basement facility to be used as a temporary place of worship. Having outgrown our 112 year-old church, it was demolished to make room for a growing parish and its needs. In the late 70's, the parish began plans for expanding the office complex and completing the superstructure for our present church, which was dedicated in 1980. The year 1995 brought the completion of our extensive building project, which included the new Parish Center with offices and school addition. Saint James has grown from that log cabin church for a handful of parishioners to a large suburban parish with almost 3,000 families. Today, having celebrated our Sesquicentennial, our parish continues to grow not only in numbers, but also in the quality of worship, ministry, and dedication to serve God and our parish family. |
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