Immaculata Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holy Cross-Immaculata Church
Location	Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Denomination	Catholic
Website	http://hciparish.org
History
Founded	1859
Founder(s)	John Baptist Purcell
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Cincinnati

The Holy Cross-Immaculata Church is a Catholic church located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It sits high up on a hill in a neighborhood called Mt. Adams. The church is named after the Immaculate Conception, a special belief about the Virgin Mary. From the church, you can see a beautiful view of the Ohio River below.

History of Holy Cross-Immaculata Church

Holy Cross-Immaculata Church sitting atop Mt. Adams as seen from the Newport Southbank Bridge.

The church was built in 1859. This was just before the American Civil War began. It was built for the German people living in the Mt. Adams area.

Founding the Church

Archbishop John Baptist Purcell decided to build this church. He made a promise to God during a very bad storm at sea. He said that if he survived the storm, he would build a church on the highest point in the city. This church was built to keep that promise.

Joining Parishes

Nearby, there was another church called Holy Cross parish. This church mainly served Irish immigrants. In 1977, the Holy Cross monastery closed. Its members then joined with Immaculata Church. Together, they became the Holy Cross–Immaculata parish.

Art and Restoration

The church interior.

The Mt. Adams Preservation Association helped raise money for the church. They paid to restore seven paintings by Johann Schmitt. These paintings were placed above the main altar and side altars between 1863 and 1870.

Above the main altar, there is a painted scroll. It shows a picture of the Immaculate Conception. The words on the scroll are in German. They say: O Maria, ohne Suende empfangen, bitte fuer die Bekehrung dieses Landes, Amerika. This means: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for the conversion of this country, America."

Historic Recognition

On December 29, 1978, the church was recognized as important. The Immaculate Conception Church, School, and Rectory was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The school and rectory parts of the building have since closed.

The Rose Window

In August 2005, workers began a special project. They started to remove bricks and glass where a rose window used to be. The original window had been damaged in a storm a long time ago.

A new rose window was found from another church. This church, Saint Bonaventure Church, had closed down in 2003. Father Neiheisel and Bill Frantz saved a beautiful, round, stained-glass rose window from there. It used to be above the altar in the old church.

Father Neiheisel then raised $44,000 to fix the window. It was made stronger and larger with an 18-inch ring of new glass. Finally, it was placed in the Holy Cross-Immaculata wall. A strong, protective layer of glass was put in front of it.

Traditions at Holy Cross-Immaculata

The church's statue of St. Patrick.

Since 1860, the Immaculata Church has been a place for special traditions.

Good Friday Steps Pilgrimage

One tradition happens every year on Good Friday. People climb 85 steps to reach the church's front door. They pray the Rosary as they go up. These steps start from the neighborhood below.

There are even more steps, 65 of them, at the very bottom of Mt. Adams. A walking bridge over Columbia Parkway connects these lower steps to the main path. The steps were first made of wood. But in 1911, the City of Cincinnati helped the church build them out of concrete.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Another tradition takes place every February. Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians knock on the church door. They ask permission to take out the statue of St. Patrick. The Priest then asks for St. Patrick's help.

With bagpipes playing, the six-foot statue of St. Patrick leaves the church. It then leads a small parade through Mt. Adams.