Corpus Christi Church (Columbus, Ohio)

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Corpus Christi Church
Corpus Christi Church (Columbus, Ohio) - exterior Cropped 1.jpg
Corpus Christi Church (Columbus, Ohio)
39°56′26″N82°57′59″W / 39.94042°N 82.96637°W / 39.94042; -82.96637
Address111 Stewart Avenue
Columbus, Ohio, 43206
Denomination Catholic
History
Founded1922
Dedication 18 May 1952
Architecture
Style Modern
Groundbreaking 4 March 1951
Closed1 July 2023
Specifications
Capacity700
Administration
Diocese Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus
Parish Saint Mary, Mother of God

Corpus Christi Church was a parish church of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus in the South Side of the city of Columbus. The parish was founded in 1923 and the current Modern-style church was completed in 1951. In 2023, the parish was suppressed and merged with Saint Mary Church. Two years later the church property was sold for $1.2 million to a developer who plans to tear down the church and build afforable housing.

Contents

History

Founding

In 1922, Corpus Christi parish was established on the southeastern side of the city of Columbus by bishop James Hartley with the majority of its territory being taken from St. John the Evangelist parish. Fr. Edmund Burkley, then assistant at St. Mary Church, was appointed pastor by July of 1923 and began purchasing land in September of the same year. [1] [2] Ground was broken for the first parish building -- a combined church, school, and convent -- in March of 1925, and in the summer a rectory was added to the property. [3] [2] In May of 1928 a convent to house Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, who had taught at the parish school beginning in September of 1925, was built. [4] [3] Continued growth made the construction of a basement chapel nessecary, which was completed in 1930. This building was intended to eventually become part of a school auditorium. [5] [6] In addition to a primary school, the parish ran a two-year high school beginning in 1935 , with most students transferring to St. Mary High School for the final two years. Due to an increased need for teachers and classroom space, it ceased operations in 1950. [3] [7]

Current church

Fr. Edmund Burkley, the founding pastor of Corpus Christi, breaking ground for the 1951 church building. At this time he was pastor of St. Mary Church. Corpus Christi Church (Columbus, Ohio) Groundbreaking with Burkley.jpg
Fr. Edmund Burkley, the founding pastor of Corpus Christi, breaking ground for the 1951 church building. At this time he was pastor of St. Mary Church.

Fundraising began for a purpose-built church in 1944 following the payment of all debts for the basement chapel, and ground for the new church was broken on March 4, 1951. On August 12, bishop Michael Ready laid the cornerstone for the present Modern-style church, which was completed and dedicated on May 18, 1952 by Ready. [5] Upon completion, it was described as "modern in every design" and featured seating for 700, a mosaic tile floor, a mural depicting a Corpus Christi procession, and a large stone cross on the front of the church. [5] The altar was consecrated by auxiliary bishop Edward Hettinger on December 26. [8] In 1953, Corpus Christi's parochial school had eleven sets of twins enrolled for classes. [9] That same year, members of the parish founded a credit union, the only one of its kind among the Catholic churches in Columbus. [10] [11] [12] A six-room addition to the school was made in 1956 and a new athletic center constructed and dedicated in 1961. [13] [14] Membership in the parish began to decline in the 1960s due to parishoners moving to the suburbs. [15]

The interior of Corpus Christi as seen from the choir loft in 2021. Corpus Christi Church (Columbus, Ohio) - nave, view from the loft 2.jpg
The interior of Corpus Christi as seen from the choir loft in 2021.

Consolidation, closure, and alternate use

In 1987, the Columbus diocese began to study solutions to deal with declining enrollment and rising costs at Corpus Christi school, as well as other neighboring schools including Saint Leo and St. Mary. [16] Two years later, Corpus Christi and St. Ladislas schools merged, with 5th through 8th grades being housed at the Corpus Christi campus. [17] The merger resulted in $100,000 in savings annually. [18] The merged school closed in June 1993. [19] By 1999, St. Ladislas and Corpus Christi parishes were administratively merged but with each location continuing to host Masses. [20] The rectory at Corpus Christi served as the home of the Dominican Learning Center, an apostolate of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, from its founding in 1994 until it moved to new facilities at St. Mary. During its time at Corpus Christi, the center served over 6,000 people with General Educational Development assistance, English as a second language classes, and other basic adult education courses. [21] [22] [23] In 2013, Corpus Christi and St. Ladislas were clustered with St. Mary. [15] On July 1, 2023, the two churches were merged into St. Mary, with the last Sunday Masses being said at each church on June 25, 2023. [15] [24] The closed property was purchased by Healthy Homes, an affordable housing initiative of Nationwide Children's Hospital and Community Development For All People, in July 2025 for $1.2 million. [25]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=CC19230706-01.2.85&srpos=23&e=------192-en-20-CC-21-byDA-txt-txIN-%22Corpus%22----1923---# The Catholic Columbian, Volume 48, Number 27, 6 July 1923, page 8.
  2. 1 2 by Catholic Church. Diocese of Columbus (Ohio) (1943). The History Of The Diocese Of Columbus: Volume II, 1918 1943.
  3. 1 2 3 "Corpus Christi". The Catholic Times. 1961-09-22. p. 23. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  4. ↑ The official Catholic directory for the year of Our Lord. Boston Public Library. New York : P.J. Kenedy. 1929.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. 1 2 3 "Corpus Christi Parish". The Catholic Times. 1952-05-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  6. ↑ by Catholic Church. Diocese of Columbus (Ohio) (1943). The History Of The Diocese Of Columbus: Volume II, 1918 1943.
  7. ↑ Schegel, Donald (May 2007). "A Survey of Catholic Secondary Education in Franklin County (Continued, from Vol. XXXII, No. 4) Corpus Christi High School, 1935-1951" (PDF). Journal of the Catholic Record Society of Columbus.
  8. ↑ "Consecrate Altar at Corpus Christi". The Catholic Times. 1952-12-26. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Did Somebody Say Twins?". The Catholic Times. 1953-03-20. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  10. ↑ "Credit union established at Corpus Christi". The Catholic Times. 1953-10-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  11. ↑ Union, The Corpus Christi Credit (1958-10-17). "Marks Fifth Year". The Catholic Times. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  12. ↑ "Corpus Christi Credit Union to Elect". The Catholic Times. 1959-01-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  13. ↑ "Corpus Christi Gets Addition". The Catholic Times. 1956-08-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  14. ↑ "To Dedicate Center At Corpus Christi". The Catholic Times. 1961-11-10. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  15. 1 2 3 "Bishop celebrates Masses at two churches set to close". The Catholic Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  16. ↑ DIOCESE STUDIES SCHOOL OPTIONS ON SOUTH SIDE November 18, 1987 | Columbus Dispatch, The (OH) Author/Byline: Debra Mason, Dispatch Religion Reporter | Page: E3 | Section: NEWS https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=0E57256569C75960&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11B8706864491FA0
  17. ↑ TWO PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS WILL JOIN TO CUT COSTS March 7, 1989 | Columbus Dispatch, The (OH) Author/Byline: Debra Mason, Dispatch Religion Reporter | Page: 4B | Section: NEWS https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=0E57256569C75960&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11B86B1D66EF8B68
  18. ↑ BOTH CONSOLIDATION, GROWTH AFFECT DIOCESE August 16, 1989 | Columbus Dispatch, The (OH) Author/Byline: Debra Mason, Dispatch Religion Reporter | Page: 20 | Section: NEWS - NEIGHBOR NEWS https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=0E57256569C75960&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11B86C58A1B04480
  19. ↑ Brooks, Sylvia. "THREE MORE SCHOOLS ARE SET TO CLOSE - CATHOLIC ELEMENTARIES." Columbus Dispatch, The (OH), January 30, 1993: 01C. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/10E0D95012843FE8.
  20. ↑ Crumbley, Ray. "WELCOME MAT OUT AT ST. MARY CHURCH." Columbus Dispatch, The (OH), June 26, 1999: 01D. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/10DD3F8511F28738.
  21. ↑ Viviano, JoAnne. "Sisters offer education, new hope to students." Columbus Dispatch, The (OH), August 15, 2014: 6B. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/14FB8EEFA215EBF0.
  22. ↑ Mahoney, Dennis M.. "FROM ABCS TO GEDS - Dominicans' tutoring center marks 10th year." Columbus Dispatch, The (OH), October 29, 2004: 01F. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/10DADEEBF9BA9C38.
  23. ↑ King, Danae. "St. Mary School in German Village renovating school expanding services to community." Columbus Dispatch, The: Web Edition Articles (OH), October 18, 2022. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.oh0024.oplin.org/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/18D3AB42E5DB0E28.
  24. ↑ https://columbuscatholic.org/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMjMvMDQvMTgvMmtxOHo4d2l5dl9Db3JwdXNfU3RfTGFkc19TcHByZXNzaW9uLnBkZiJdXQ/Corpus%20-%20St%20Lads%20Sppression.pdf Diocese announces suppression of St. Ladislas, Corpus Christi, Holy Cross parishes
  25. ↑ King, Danae. "Nationwide Children's buys former Catholic church site, plans to create affordable housing". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-10-20.{{cite web}}: |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help)
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