Religion can literally be found on almost every corner of Cincinnati: The city has more than 1,000 churches, synagogues, temples, chapels, mosques, and other meeting places for various denominations.
The places of worship are some of the most interesting and historic buildings in our community. The crown jewel is probably the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky. (See the Close-up in this chapter.)
But there are many other historically and architecturally significant buildings, especially in the older parts of Greater Cincinnati such as Over-the-Rhine, Covington, and downtown. Then there also are some newer noteworthy architectural additions such as the Islamic Mosque in West Chester.
It would be impractical to write about all 1,000 houses of worship, so we provide you with an overview of part of the religious scene. However, if you’re looking for a specific church or place of worship, check the Yellow Pages for listings of churches or, for specific times of worship, check the Saturday religion pages of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A study by Cincinnati Magazine in 1995 showed that the No. 1 denomination in Greater Cincinnati was Roman Catholic. Baptist was a distant second, while Presbyterian and Methodist were third and fourth, respectively. Other religions in the top 10 were Church of God, Church of Christ, Jewish, Lutheran, Episcopal, and the United Church of Christ.
In 2006 Cincy Business listed the biggest congregations in the area as Good Shepherd in Symmes Township and St James in White Oak. Seven of the top-10 congregations sizewise were Roman Catholic.
Crossroads Community Church in Oakley is No. 6 on the list. It is the largest Protestant church in Ohio and one of the 100 largest in America. Some 5,500 people attend services each weekend at the church, housed in a former home improvement warehouse store. Other large Protestant churches include the Vineyard as well as congregations that meet in at least two renovated movie theaters, one in West Chester and one in Milford.
The smallest worship facility in the world is Monte Casino, on the grounds of Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The chapel was used for prayer by monks working in the vineyards. The vineyards are gone now, and the chapel is near the entrance to the college, where it is more of an attraction these days. It is rarely used, because it can only accommodate a few people at a time.
The only replica of the tomb of Jesus in the United States, which includes trees and plants mentioned in the Bible, is in Covington’s Garden of Hope.
The first Jewish cemetery west of the Allegheny Mountains is located in the West End.
Greater Cincinnati has been the home of many noted theologians. The Rev. Lyman Beecher headed the Lane Theological Seminary for 18 years, beginning in 1832. Although the most powerful preacher of his day, the Rev. Mr. Beecher was eventually surpassed in recognition by his daughter, Harriet Beecher Stowe, who used her experiences in Cincinnati to help write Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Isaac M. Wise founded the Reform Judaism in America movement after coming to Cincinnati in 1854 and founded Hebrew Union College here. Joseph L. Bernardin, who later became a cardinal in the Catholic church, was named archbishop of the Cincinnati diocese in 1972.
There are several groups that promote ecumenism in Greater Cincinnati. The Northern Kentucky Interfaith Commission has existed for 30-plus years and provides a number of programs in Northern Kentucky including Exodus Jail Ministry and the chapel at the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati International Airport.
In Cincinnati there are two organizations where, ecumenically, various churches work together. The Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati was created to bring people together during the race riots of the 1960s. Today it works with 16 local denominations on social issues in metropolitan Cincinnati in order to influence political decisions.
The second organization is the Council of Christian Communions, which has a jail ministry and sponsors the Weekday School of Religion at various schools.
On occasion, though, religious leaders also will get together for political reasons. Several ministers from the area’s predominately African-American churches have formed a coalition known as the Black Ministers Conference. The conference has become an influential political entity within the city, regularly voicing an opinion on issues affecting the city’s African-American community.
But the mixing of church and state doesn’t stop there. Each holiday season, religion seems to dominate the news, which may not be too surprising except when the Ku Klux Klan and American Civil Liberties Union get involved. Several years ago, the Jewish Federation began erecting a large menorah on Fountain Square to celebrate Hanukkah. Offended, a local chapter of the KKK decided that because the menorah was in a public place, a giant wooden cross should be erected as well, and the KKK should be the ones allowed to build it. The battle over the legality of the idea raged between the KKK and the city, eventually ending up in the courts, where the KKK, with the ACLU’s help, won the right to put up a cross. However, the Cincinnati city council voted to only allow “government use” for Fountain Square from mid-November to early January, effectively keeping the cross off the square during the holidays.
More recently, there has been some controversy about the Ten Commandments. In Adams County, monuments with the Ten Commandments were placed at four high schools in the Ohio county. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of one resident with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union. They were removed in 2003, but the case is under appeal.
On a more peaceful note, every Good Friday more than 10,000 Catholics from the area and from other states walk the 200-plus steps up a steep hillside to Immaculata Church in Mount Adams, pausing on each step to pray a bead of the rosary. This ritual has been going on for more than 135 years. And on occasion huge masses of people gather in suburban Norwood at the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, where sightings of the Virgin Mary have been reported.