Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (Somerset, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Saint Joseph's Catholic Church
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Somerset, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Area | 7.6 acres (3.1 ha) |
| Built | 1843 |
| Architect | Thomas Spare |
| Architectural style | Gothic, High Victorian Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002267 |
| Added to NRHP | August 7, 1986 |
Saint Joseph's Catholic Church is a very old and important church located in Somerset, Ohio. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. This church is special because it's one of the oldest Catholic church buildings in Ohio. It's also home to Ohio's oldest Catholic parish, which is like a church community. Priests from the Dominican order have served this community since it started. The church building you see today was finished in 1843. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's History
How It All Began
Around 1798, a German-Catholic pioneer named Jacob Dittoe moved to the wild lands of Ohio, near where Somerset is now. About seven years later, Mr. Dittoe started asking Bishop Carroll in Baltimore for help. Bishop Carroll was the only Catholic bishop in the United States at that time. Dittoe wanted priests to come and serve his growing Catholic community.
In a letter from 1808, Dittoe told the bishop that the people needed Sacraments. These are important religious ceremonies in the Catholic Church. He even asked if a Catholic lawyer could help with marriages if no priest was available. This letter made the bishop act. He sent a Dominican priest named Father Edward Fenwick from Kentucky to find Dittoe and help the community.
Father Fenwick's Journey
Father Fenwick traveled from Kentucky to Ohio along a path called Zane's Trace. He found out where Dittoe lived when he reached New Lancaster. The road was hard to follow, so Father Fenwick listened for the sound of an ax chopping wood. This sound led him to the home of Jacob and Catherine Dittoe in September 1808. After that first visit, Father Fenwick tried to visit the community every year.
One special visit happened in 1812. Bishop Flaget from Bardstown and Father Stephen Badin stayed with the Dittoes while traveling to Baltimore. Bishop Flaget wrote about his visit. He was very happy to see how strong the Catholic faith was in the community. He noted that Jacob Dittoe and his brother had bought land for a priest and a church. They had even built a small house and cleared some land.
Bishop Flaget hoped to send them a priest at least once a year. He also told Mr. Dittoe to build a house that could be both a home for the priest and a chapel. This chapel would be a place for Catholics to gather every Sunday. He believed this would help them stay connected and remember their duties. Bishop Flaget was also impressed by the Dittoe children, who were all musicians. He wrote, "God of all goodness, send me priests!"
The First Church Buildings
The land Bishop Flaget mentioned was eventually given to Father Fenwick. It was meant to be a place for a church and a seminary (a school for priests). In 1816, Bishop Flaget made Father Fenwick a full-time missionary in Ohio. In 1818, Father Fenwick and his nephew, Father Nicholas Dominic Young, moved into a cabin Dittoe built. This cabin became the main office for the Catholic missions in Ohio.
Father Fenwick officially opened the first Saint Joseph Church on December 6, 1818. It was a simple log building, 22 feet long and 15 feet wide. This was the very first Catholic church building in Ohio! Jacob Dittoe chose Saint Joseph as the church's special protector. Life in the log church was tough. In winter, it got so cold that a special heater was used on the altar during Mass to stop the Communion wine from freezing.
New Buildings and Changes
Father Fenwick left St. Joseph Church in 1821. He was chosen to be the bishop of the new Diocese of Cincinnati. Father Young continued the work alone until 1823, when Father Daniel O'Leary joined him.
Over time, the log church became too small. So, a new church made of brick was built. It was opened on January 11, 1829. But even this brick church eventually became too crowded. So, in 1839, work began on another, even bigger church building. Even though there were money problems, the church was finished and opened in 1843. This is the same St. Joseph church building that stands today! In 1864, a fire destroyed everything inside the church, but the strong walls remained. The church was rebuilt, and its inside was updated in 2016.
Important Priests Who Served Here
Some important priests who served at Saint Joseph's Church went on to hold high positions in the Catholic Church:
| Important Priest | What They Did |
|---|---|
| Edward Dominic Fenwick | Became the first Bishop of Cincinnati (1822 - 1832) |
| Joseph Sadoc Alemany | Became Bishop of Monterey (1850 - 1853) and then Archbishop of San Francisco (1853 - 1884) |
Today at Saint Joseph's
Today, Saint Joseph's Church shares its main priest with another church in Somerset, called Holy Trinity.
Images for kids
-
The Jacob Dittoe family grave at the church cemetery
-
Model of the original log church building in the church museum
-
Inside the church, looking from the back
_-_Jacob_Dittoe_family_grave.jpg)
_-_model_of_the_original_church.jpg)
_-_nave,_view_from_the_loft.jpg)
