Pastor: Rev. Father Larry Gearhart
Parish Council President: Kay Miller

Rectory / Office Telephone: (937)-834-2664

Email: frlarry@email-file.org

Masses

Sunday        8:00 AM
Wednesday  7:00 PM
Thursday       5:00 PM

Reconciliation
Wednesday  6:15 PM

 

The history of St. Michael Church goes back to the middle of the 19th century. The exact date of establishment of the parish is uncertain, but it has its origins as a mission church in the 1850's, with priests celebrating Mass in private homes in or about Urbana and Rosedale. In 1872, the people of Mechanicsburg came together to form a Catholic parish under the patronage of St. Michael the Archangel. Under the pastorate of Rev. Alfred Dexter, the church was built, costing nearly $5,000 (in pre-inflation adjusted dollars). From the History of Mechanicsburg by Joseph Ware, it is written, “The St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Walnut Street is a brick edifice dedicated in 1888. It has a large membership which is extremely faithful in the country surrounding the town. Although we do not have access to any records, we think the church began holding services here in 1859.” Fr. John Wolbert, pastor from 1987 to 1993, consulted the archdiocesan archives and determined that, although the parish's sacramental records date from 1859, the date of founding is most likely 1854. The church was dedicated by William Henry Elder, Archbishop of Cincinnati, on Thanksgiving Day, 1886. The church was remodeled during the pastorate of Rev. John G. Venneman, in 1901. Obviously, some records conflict on certain dates.

One of the most beneficent gifts ever received by the church was given by Bridget Tully, who died in October of 1904. According to her will, she gave her home to the parish to be used as a pastoral residence.

St. Michael’s was administered by the priests in the nearby town of Marysville. although Marysville was part of the Columbus diocese, the priests served the mission churches in Milford Center, Woodstock, North Lewisburg and Mechanicsburg more readily than might be possible from Cincinnati. St. Michael’s was not served by a resident priest until 1942, when the renovation of the house next to the church was completed.

In the spring of 1945, the parish received Father William Buchheit as their pastor. This ended the mission status of the parishes of St. Michael’s and Immaculate Conception.

As perhaps is found elsewhere, St. Michael’s has had its share of colorful pastors. I am sure they all did their best to share the Gospel as best they could. It would take a book to even highlight some of the stories that are remembered by those who survived them. From some of the correspondence still in the files are these notes to remember a few:

20 September 1965:

Permission was given Fr. Jesse Lonsway to spend $3,080 to re-roof St. Michael’s Church, install new lights, install new front doors on the church, repair the gutter, the windows, and the bad plaster spots on the church ceiling.

22 November 1965:

Permission was granted Fr. Lonsway for the renovation of the sanctuary at St. Michael’s “to provide an altar facing the people.” (It was noted that it would incur no cost!)

Note: Under the pastorate of Fr. Lonsway, both churches underwent substantial changes in the sanctuaries. Applying some of the guidelines from the directives of the Archdiocese, Fr. Lonsway “turned the altars around” and made other changes in the churches because of materials received from the old St. Mary’s Church in Urbana. Ceiling lights and pews were donated to the parishes, which are still in use today. Part of the materials used in the renovation of the parishes came from the chapel at Mercy Hospital in Urbana. The sanctuary lamp at St. Michael’s and the small gold leafed stations of the cross were major gifts to the parishes. Fr. Lonsway placed the stations from St. Michael’s Church up at Immaculate Conception Church, and put the newly acquired ones up at St. Michael’s.

1966:

Ground was broken for the construction of the parish hall. Costing approximately $36,000, it was eventually paid for by festivals, card parties, bingo games, and raffles. The hall is faced with the original brick from the American Legion Hall which had stood on the grounds before the parish hall was built.

16 April 1973:

Fr. Thomas Gavin was given permission for the celebration of a Saturday Evening Mass for the Sunday obligation.

January-April 1993:

A major renovation of the parish church was undertaken. Done as a self-help project, the balcony and Communion rail were removed, the pews were refinished, new carpeting, and enlargement of the sanctuary were accomplished. New curtains and fresh paint complete the project for the Easter services.

April 1994:

The altar of repose and the tabernacle underwent a major reconstruction. A new face plate was made for the tabernacle and the new design highlights the sanctuary. Both altars and the tabernacle were painted giving them a “finished appearance.”

Now in its 130th year, St. Michael’s Parish is experiencing a constant growth in new parishioners. The spirit of enthusiasm from its parishioners reflects the encouragement of its history and the resource of its members. May each of us preserve the richness of what we have received as our beautiful heritage. “Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)