Guide to the Saint St. Joseph Parish Collection

History of Saint Joseph Parish (North Bend, Ohio)

St. Joseph Church was founded in 1860 and was the anchor church for Catholics in the southwestern corner of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Although the parish formed in 1860, the church took several years to complete. During this time, the parishioners attended mass in Delhi and priests from St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio said mass in a one story frame building east of south Miami Avenue. That building still stands today. In 1886, the large Holliday or Halliday family estate, on Taylor Avenue, was purchased and the new church and rectory were dedicated on July 31, 1887. The church is bordered by 2 states and served people that lived in Addyston, Cleves, Hooven, Miami Township, and North Bend. The first church was also the gateway into Cincinnati. Atop the church was a gold cross with copper steeple which the boat captains would use to mark their approach into the Queen City. The land adjacent to the rectory was donated to the church by the Gleason family and was called the Tippecanoe Park. This is the site of the current church and school. The church underwent many renovations from 1953-1961 but by 1961 it was concluded that a new church was needed. Many are amazed to learn that the building of the new church was financed by tax stamps! All of the labor was donated and the state reimbursed the parish $260, 000. The building of the new church and school cost $200,000. The church was dedicated in 1962. Three Sisters of Charity taught religious education classes in this parish from 1980 to 1985. Another Sister of Charity, Sister Grace Graber, had played the organ at parish Masses for a number of years. However, it was Sister Helen Groeber who worked more consistently in the parish. She worked in Parish Ministry from, 1995 to 1999. During that time, she reorganized the Parish Council, setting up specific commissions: Worship; Building and Grounds; and Finance. Sister Helen retired from active ministry in May, 1999. In later years, Sister Rita Hawk worked in this parish. Over the years the St. Joseph Church has been the recipient of many gifts of time and treasure. The parishioners continue to meet the needs of their growing parish which now includes people from the Indiana towns of Greendale, Lawrenceburg, Bright, and Rising Sun. St. Joseph also has an outdoors area which features Prayer walks along the Way of the Cross and Labyrinth.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of one file containing 4 historical reports and 1 brief summary of St. Joseph Church.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Access: Permission to use the collection can be obtained from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Congregational Archivist. External researchers need to complete a request form stating the purpose of their research and a list of collections to be consulted upon their visit, which must be approved by the Archivist prior to an on-site visit. If a researcher is unable to visit the Archives in person, the Archivist will conduct a minimum amount of research and provide scanned copies of some materials if requested.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Permission to use the collection can be obtained from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Congregational Archivist. External researchers need to complete a request form stating the purpose of their research and a list of collections to be consulted upon their visit, which must be approved by the Archivist prior to an on-site visit. If a researcher is unable to visit the Archives in person, the Archivist will conduct a minimum amount of research and provide scanned copies of some materials if requested.

Photos -- 17 Box 28 in repository Can be viewed in notebook 20 Material on this mission may also be included among our oral history and presentation transcription collections. Please consult with the Congregational Archivist if you would like to explore and possibly utilize these collections.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

Saint Joseph Parish Collection, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Archives, Mount Saint Joseph, Ohio.

Detailed Description of The Collection