August 10, 2006

By Tara Miller

On Aug. 15, 1856, the cornerstone for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, later called St. Paul Catholic Church, was laid at the corner of South High and West North College Streets, the same year the Village was incorporated. On Tuesday evening, Aug. 15, St. Paul parishioners will hold a 150th anniversary celebration mass, followed by a champagne reception. In addition to this milestone, St. Paul parishioners recently welcomed their 27th pastor, Father Mark A. Meyer, who began his post July 1.

Two scrapbooks, containing old photos of past parish functions, such as picnics, Christmas Eve celebrations, sacraments and weddings, were created to commemorate the anniversary, according to member Donna Haller, who said there will also be a display of historical memorabilia in the church undercroft during the reception.

The St. Paul congregation moved from High and West North College Streets to the current location at Phillips and Elm in 1908, purchasing the building from a Christian denomination that built the original building, which still stands.

St. Paul parishioners care about providing service to the community, and each month they sponsor a food drive, according to church secretary Gail Chambers. Parishioners also collect magazines for Community Hospital in Springfield and sponsor a Newborn Outreach Program, which provides new parents with a layette before leaving the hospital. Every November, a semi-truck is hired and loaded in front of the church to take to St. Vincent de Paul the clothing, furniture and other items that church members collected. Parishioners also collect eyeglasses which are then distributed in Jamaica.

The church also has a very active youth group and the first Tuesday of every month, the church hosts a scrapbook workshop, offering support and fellowship while preserving memories, with proceeds from scrapbook supplies going to the youth ministry, according to Haller. And the church’s newest program is a Peace in Justice program, which includes discussion of world events and potential actions to take, according to member Andrée Bognar.

All these outreach programs are supported by Father Mark Meyer and the church’s 335 families. Meyer, who attended seminary in Cincinnati and recently spent four years in Bolivia, comes from Ascension Catholic Church in Kettering. In Bolivia he worked with children in orphanages and with the Catholic University campus ministry, he said. Meyer chose Bolivia because he “wanted to experience a different culture, a different people,” he said, and he also wanted to learn Spanish, as there is a growing Latino population in Cincinnati.

Meyer hopes to get to know everyone here while he fulfills his six-year contract, and he looks forward to becoming a part of the Yellow Springs community.

“My second week, I was walking downtown and thought it felt really good,” he said.