Is it safe to visit the Catholic Churches of Cincinnati? (Hillsboro: chapel, house)
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As some of you might have seen I have posted the same question “Is it safe to visit the Catholic Churches of __________” on several other cities’ forum listing churches in each respective city that would be neat to visit. A few posters on various forums have questioned suspiciously why I want to visit churches. It is a fair question and one I might ask too if someone were to pose the question I posed. So, I thought it would be beneficial to explain exactly why I would like to visit these churches.
I am a practicing Catholic and have been all my 22 years of life. For quite nearly 16 years of my life I wanted to be a Catholic Priest, so I have always had a natural interest in sacred things including churches. Back in the Holy Year 2000, when I was in 6th grade, the Bishop of Gaylord, MI (my diocese) decreed that for anyone in the Diocese who could not make the pilgrimage to Rome’s 4 major basilicas he would designate 3 churches in the Diocese that we could go to instead. I was eager to do this for some reason, but then I got the idea to visit all 81 churches of the Diocese of Gaylord instead of just 3. In about 2 years time my parents and I visited 80 of the 81 churches in the Diocese of Gaylord (the only one I have not visited is Holy Cross on Beaver Island). Around that time I also visited several churches in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is the Diocese of Marquette, and a couple churches in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. After that I didn’t visit new churches for about 9 years.
Last year I had the privilege of making a trip out to Winona, MN to attend the ordinations of 9 Priests at Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary. A coworker of mine told me that, since I was making the trip all the way out to Minnesota, I really needed to go visit the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN because it is a really pretty church. I did this the day before I was to head home, and I was stunned at what a pretty church the Cathedral is. I also visited the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, WI. If I had done this earlier on my trip I maybe could have visited more churches out there, but I can’t change the past of course.
Getting to visit those 2 churches brought back a desire to visit churches again. So, throughout last fall I went on the websites of every diocese in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky looking for churches that were architecturally glorious. I wanted to make a big trip throughout the Midwest last fall to visit a bunch of these cities, but I ended up only going to Grand Rapids, MI.
Then, in late December 2010 I found out about a church tour of some of Detroit’s Catholic churches being sponsored by a parish in Sterling Heights (a suburb of Detroit). Other than just passing through on the freeway I had never been to Detroit before but I had heard plenty about how dangerous it is. But, Detroit also has really nice churches, so I really wanted to go see them but I didn’t want to get murdered in the process. When I saw the possibility of a church tour of Detroit I jumped at the idea. On January 7th I went on the church tour and visited 9 of the nicest Catholic Churches in Detroit, still decked out in their Christmas best because the Church’s Christmas season starts on Christmas Eve and lasts until February 2nd. While on the tour bus going down the streets of Detroit I was able to see it was as overtly dangerous as what I had heard, especially for the activity that I was doing. So, I stayed the night outside of Detroit and the next day visited 10 more churches on my own. Then, because Detroit has way more than 19 pretty churches, I made a second trip 4 weeks ago and visited 34 more. I still haven’t visited them all, but I am more than half done. Hopefully I will get down to Detroit again sometime and finish them up.
I deeply appreciate the architectural beauty of these houses of God. All of the work put into them by the Catholics of 100 years ago or more is a testament to their faith and their devotion to the Catholic Church. As a Catholic attached to the preservation of the unchanged Faith, including the Traditional Latin Mass, I am edified by the architectural beauty of the churches built before the Second Vatican Council, and have a very low opinion of modern Catholic church buildings built after it.
It is also a sad fact that many of these beautiful churches are being closed because of poor attendance and low finances in these parishes. The Archdiocese of Detroit infamously closed over 30 churches in 1988-1990 and has closed more since. Some of these churches (like Saint John Cantius in Detroit) were among the most beautiful in the city. I know the Diocese of Cleveland has also closed many churches, and I’m sure it is a similar story in other Dioceses throughout the United States. This is a true shame, but by photographing these churches we’ll always have a remembrance of what was. That is part of the reason why I do this.
Hopefully this sheds some light on why I have posted these questions.
You said you wanted to visit St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church. Are you aware that it was built in 1960, and is a round church, and very mod and 50s space-age-looking? It's pretty, but it is kind of funky looking.
There are two other St. Aloysius churches, one in Shandon in Butler County, the other, St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio in Sayler Park. I've never been to St. Al's in Shandon but I am a member of St. Al's in Sayler Park, and that is a small church built in the late 1800s. There was also a St. Aloysius Church in Northern Kentucky (I think Covington) but it burned down at least 15 years ago.
Oh, and for your useless trivia for the day: It's pronounced GON-za-ga, not gon-ZA-ga.
Wow, agreed with all those who said it would be safe. I'm sorry, I just can't think of a single place that I wouldn't feel safe doing what you want to do.
St. Francis DeSales should without a doubt be on your list.
St. Francis de Sales. Oops....already mentioned. So, a second vote! Supposedly beloved of brides for having the longest aisle of...any church? any RC parish church? I forget, but the exterior is amazing.
You said you wanted to visit St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church. Are you aware that it was built in 1960, and is a round church, and very mod and 50s space-age-looking? It's pretty, but it is kind of funky looking.
There are two other St. Aloysius churches, one in Shandon in Butler County, the other, St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio in Sayler Park. I've never been to St. Al's in Shandon but I am a member of St. Al's in Sayler Park, and that is a small church built in the late 1800s. There was also a St. Aloysius Church in Northern Kentucky (I think Covington) but it burned down at least 15 years ago.
Oh, and for your useless trivia for the day: It's pronounced GON-za-ga, not gon-ZA-ga.
No, I wasn't aware of that. I looked at its website just now and I really don't know why I put that on my list.
I didn't see one of the most popular churches listed - Holy Cross-Immaculata in Mt. Adams. If you really want to make your trip worthwhile, you should come for the Good Friday pilgrimage up the 96 steps that lead to the church.
I take pictures of churches as a hobby. I am a Catholic and I like visiting Catholic churches because of their beauty and thinking of all the hardwork Catholics a century ago put into those sacred edifices. Some of these churches are being closed as well, so by taking pictures they can remain in our memory forever.
I'll post my pictures of the churches of Grand Rapids and Detroit when I get them done completely. That way you can see what it is that I do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cath4ever
As some of you might have seen I have posted the same question “Is it safe to visit the Catholic Churches of __________” on several other cities’ forum listing churches in each respective city that would be neat to visit. A few posters on various forums have questioned suspiciously why I want to visit churches. It is a fair question and one I might ask too if someone were to pose the question I posed. So, I thought it would be beneficial to explain exactly why I would like to visit these churches.
I am a practicing Catholic and have been all my 22 years of life. For quite nearly 16 years of my life I wanted to be a Catholic Priest, so I have always had a natural interest in sacred things including churches. Back in the Holy Year 2000, when I was in 6th grade, the Bishop of Gaylord, MI (my diocese) decreed that for anyone in the Diocese who could not make the pilgrimage to Rome’s 4 major basilicas he would designate 3 churches in the Diocese that we could go to instead. I was eager to do this for some reason, but then I got the idea to visit all 81 churches of the Diocese of Gaylord instead of just 3. In about 2 years time my parents and I visited 80 of the 81 churches in the Diocese of Gaylord (the only one I have not visited is Holy Cross on Beaver Island). Around that time I also visited several churches in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is the Diocese of Marquette, and a couple churches in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. After that I didn’t visit new churches for about 9 years.
Last year I had the privilege of making a trip out to Winona, MN to attend the ordinations of 9 Priests at Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary. A coworker of mine told me that, since I was making the trip all the way out to Minnesota, I really needed to go visit the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN because it is a really pretty church. I did this the day before I was to head home, and I was stunned at what a pretty church the Cathedral is. I also visited the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, WI. If I had done this earlier on my trip I maybe could have visited more churches out there, but I can’t change the past of course.
Getting to visit those 2 churches brought back a desire to visit churches again. So, throughout last fall I went on the websites of every diocese in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky looking for churches that were architecturally glorious. I wanted to make a big trip throughout the Midwest last fall to visit a bunch of these cities, but I ended up only going to Grand Rapids, MI.
Then, in late December 2010 I found out about a church tour of some of Detroit’s Catholic churches being sponsored by a parish in Sterling Heights (a suburb of Detroit). Other than just passing through on the freeway I had never been to Detroit before but I had heard plenty about how dangerous it is. But, Detroit also has really nice churches, so I really wanted to go see them but I didn’t want to get murdered in the process. When I saw the possibility of a church tour of Detroit I jumped at the idea. On January 7th I went on the church tour and visited 9 of the nicest Catholic Churches in Detroit, still decked out in their Christmas best because the Church’s Christmas season starts on Christmas Eve and lasts until February 2nd. While on the tour bus going down the streets of Detroit I was able to see it was as overtly dangerous as what I had heard, especially for the activity that I was doing. So, I stayed the night outside of Detroit and the next day visited 10 more churches on my own. Then, because Detroit has way more than 19 pretty churches, I made a second trip 4 weeks ago and visited 34 more. I still haven’t visited them all, but I am more than half done. Hopefully I will get down to Detroit again sometime and finish them up.
I deeply appreciate the architectural beauty of these houses of God. All of the work put into them by the Catholics of 100 years ago or more is a testament to their faith and their devotion to the Catholic Church. As a Catholic attached to the preservation of the unchanged Faith, including the Traditional Latin Mass, I am edified by the architectural beauty of the churches built before the Second Vatican Council, and have a very low opinion of modern Catholic church buildings built after it.
It is also a sad fact that many of these beautiful churches are being closed because of poor attendance and low finances in these parishes. The Archdiocese of Detroit infamously closed over 30 churches in 1988-1990 and has closed more since. Some of these churches (like Saint John Cantius in Detroit) were among the most beautiful in the city. I know the Diocese of Cleveland has also closed many churches, and I’m sure it is a similar story in other Dioceses throughout the United States. This is a true shame, but by photographing these churches we’ll always have a remembrance of what was. That is part of the reason why I do this.
Hopefully this sheds some light on why I have posted these questions.
Sincerely,
Cath4ever
Thanks so much for sharing with us your reasons for doing this. It truly sounds like a wonderful hobby. I apologize if I sounded overly skeptical of your intentions. I appreciate good photography, as it's a major hobby of mine also, so I think it's fantastic that you have such a focused passion to photograph structures dedicated to the worship of God.
St. Francis de Sales. Oops....already mentioned. So, a second vote! Supposedly beloved of brides for having the longest aisle of...any church? any RC parish church? I forget, but the exterior is amazing.
Agreed, also.
But Guardian Angels ... one of the least attractive churches in the city. I would probably add Christ the King on Linwood Rd. or St. Rose's on Eastern Ave.
You have all these large urban churches on your list. Have you considered the smaller, more rural churches like St. John Fisher in Newtown or St. Mary's in Hillsboro.
IMO, you are missing out if you limit yourself to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. You have a ton of old historical Catholic churches in Covington, KY. There are some beautiful churches along I-74 in Batesville and Oldenburg, IN.
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