St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Zanesville, Ohio)

Last updated
St. Thomas Aquinas Church
St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Zanesville.jpg
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location130 N. 5th St., Zanesville, Ohio
Coordinates 39°56′35″N82°0′24″W / 39.94306°N 82.00667°W / 39.94306; -82.00667
Arealess than one acre
Built1842
ArchitectKeely, Patrick; Grinsley, William
Architectural style Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No. 80003199 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 11, 1980

St. Thomas Aquinas Church is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus at 130 North. 5th Street in Zanesville, Ohio. The current church was completed in 1842, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and was under the care of the Order of Preachers until July 2017.

Contents

History

Trinity Church

The first Mass celebrated in Zanesville was celebrated by Dominican Fr. Nicholas Young, who was traveling through the area to Perry County. However, upon discovering three Catholic families in the area, he said Mass on the second floor of the Green Tree Tavern in the spring of 1819. The tavern was owned by John Dugan and stood at the corner of Fifth and Main Streets. [2] In November 1820, Dugan purchased a brick warehouse to serve as a church, renaming it Trinity Church. Young came via horseback twice a month from Somerset to say Mass for the community. In 1823, Fr. Stephen Montgomery, O.P., became the first resident pastor of the church.

St. John the Baptist

As the church continued to grow, the converted warehouse became too small, and Dugan purchased the lot on which St. Thomas Church is now constructed, at the corner of Fifth Street and Spruce Alley. To be named St. John the Baptist, the cruciform building's blueprints were a gift of a New York architect, [3] and the cornerstone was laid on March 4, 1825. The building was dedicated by bishop Edward Fenwick on July 2, 1827 [4] [5] The congregation soon outgrew the existing building, and so in preparation for a new church, St. John's was demolished in the fall of 1841. [4]

Dugan died in Maryland in 1825 while escorting Bishop Fenwick back to Ohio. He was interred under St. John's, his tomb marked with a cross. [6]

St. Thomas Aquinas

Interior Saint Thomas Aquinas Church (Zanesville, Ohio) - nave.jpg
Interior

Construction for the foundation of St. Thomas began in 1842, with Zanesville's Protestant community contributed funding; local Quaker, John Howard, donated stone from his property. [2] [4] The cornerstone for St. Thomas Aquinas Church was laid on March 17, 1842 by bishop Richard Pius Miles of Nashville. The English Gothic structure cost $40,000, and the first Mass was celebrated on in the basement of the church Christmas of 1842. The church was gradually finished over time, with a steeple being added in 1871 [2]

On June 16, 1912, a tornado collapsed the church steeple into the nave during morning Mass, killing three people and injuring twenty-eight. The next year, the Muskingum River flooded, further damaging the church. The parish raised approximately $25,000 to repair the building. The parish ordered new pictorial stained glass windows from Joseph Osterrath of Liège, Belgium in 1914, but order fulfillment was delayed until after the end of World War I. [6]

The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 11, 1980. [7]

In March 2017, The Dominican Province of Saint Joseph announced that the Order of Preachers would no longer staff the parish, and a priest of the Diocese of Columbus would be pastor, as of July 11. [8]

Structural Issues and Temporary Closure

Structural engineers inspected the church attic on February 26, 2020, and discovered cracks in the wood trusses. As a result, the Mid-East Ohio Building Department condemned the building until repairs could be made. [9] The parish adopted a plan to prevent further damage via shoring, repair the damaged timbers using steel structural channels, and make necessary cosmetic repairs. After starting the project on April 6, the work crew discovered asbestos fiberboard insulation which was likely installed in the 1920s or 1930s. The requisite asbestos removal delayed the shoring effort. [10] Fundraising for an estimated $1.7 million dollars in repairs was approved by bishop Robert J. Brennan in July 2020, [11] and the parish used the main church for Christmas Mass in 2021 after holding worship services at an alternate site for a time. [12]

Schools

The parish school began operating in the church basement in 1830, and was staffed by The Dominican Sisters of the Springs and the Holy Cross Brothers at various times. In 1884, the school added a one-year bookkeeping course that by 1914 became a full high school program based in a dedicated building constructed that year. In 1950 the high school was merged with that of neighboring St. Nicholas parish, forming Bishop Rosecrans High School. [13] The same happened with the grade schools of the Zanesville parishes in 2006, forming Bishop Fenwick School. The former St. Thomas school building houses kindergarten through third grade for Bishop Fenwick. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ohio, USA

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Roman Catholic Church that covers southwest Ohio in the United States. It includes the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Fenwick</span> American Catholic bishop (1768–1832)

Edward Dominic Fenwick, was an American prelate of the Catholic Church, a Dominican friar and the first Bishop of Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Ohio, USA

The Diocese of Columbus is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church covering 23 counties in central Ohio in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Bishop Rosecrans High School is a private, Catholic high school, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, located in Zanesville, in the U.S. state of Ohio. The school's athletic teams are known as the Bishops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Joseph Hartley</span> American Catholic bishop

James Joseph Hartley was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1904 until his death over 39 years later. His was the longest episcopate in the diocese's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvester Horton Rosecrans</span> Catholic bishop

Sylvester Horton Rosecrans was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1868 until his death in 1878. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio from 1862 to 1868.

Clarence Edward Elwell was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1968 until his death in 1973. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1962 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher</span> American prelate

Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas from 1892 until his death in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Catholic Church (Zanesville, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

St. Nicholas Catholic Church is an historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus located in Zanesville, Ohio. The parish was founded in 1836 to serve the German Catholics of the area. The current Romanesque Revival church was dedicated in 1899 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Cross Church (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

Holy Cross Church is a historic church and home to an active parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus located in the Discovery District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The Gothic Revival building was completed in 1848 and is the oldest church in Columbus. The church, along with the school and rectory also on the property, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The parish was suppressed and its territory absorbed by St. Joseph Cathedral in 2023, but remains open for public Masses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (Somerset, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

Saint Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, located in Somerset, Ohio. It is one of the oldest Catholic church buildings in Ohio and home to Ohio's oldest Catholic parish which has been served by priests of the Dominican order since its foundation. Built in 1843, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church (Portsmouth, Ohio)</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

St. Mary of the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus in Portsmouth, Ohio. It was built in 1870 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph Cathedral (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Church in Ohio, United States

St. Joseph Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located in Columbus, Ohio, United States which serves as the seat of the Diocese of Columbus. The church building, completed in 1878, is located on Broad Street in Downtown Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church</span> Historic church in Ohio, United States

Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church is the third oldest Catholic church building in Columbus, Ohio and is home to an active parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. With the rest of German Village, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Patrick Church (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Church in Ohio, United States

Saint Patrick Church is a historic building and the second-oldest Catholic church building in Columbus, Ohio. Located in the Discovery District neighborhood, the structure served as the pro-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus until the consecration of Saint Joseph Cathedral. It has been served by priests of the Dominican Order since 1885 and is currently home to an active parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl K. Fernandes</span> American Catholic bishop

Earl Kenneth Fernandes is a Catholic prelate who has served as the 13th Bishop of Columbus in Ohio since 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Leo Oratory (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Church in Columbus, Ohio

Saint Leo Oratory is a historic Catholic church and active oratory operated by the Institute of Christ the King in the Diocese of Columbus, located in the Merion Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The historic parish was founded in 1903, the current Romanesque Revival church building was finished in 1917, the parish was suppressed in 1999, and the current ICKSP oratory was founded in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Church (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Catholic parish church

Sacred Heart Church is a parish church of the Diocese of Columbus in the Italian Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The parish was founded in 1875, making it the third-oldest parish in the diocese. The current Tudor Gothic church was completed in 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Family Church (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Church in Columbus, Ohio

Holy Family Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The congregation was founded in 1877 and the current church was completed in 1889. The Mercerdarians took over pastoral care of the church in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption (Lancaster, Ohio)</span> Church in Ohio, United States

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption is a Minor Basilica of the Catholic Church located in Lancaster, Ohio, United States, and a parish church of the Diocese of Columbus. The parish was founded in 1818 and the current church building was completed in 1864. When the Holy See declared the church a minor basilica in 2022, it became the 91st in the United States, the seventh in Ohio, and the first in the Diocese of Columbus.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Bowman, Sis. "St. Thomas Aquinas Church has long, interesting history". Zanesville Times Recorder. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. ↑ Clarke, D.A. (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Columbus: Diocese of Columbus. pp. 262–263.
  4. 1 2 3 O'Daniel, V.F. (September 1914). "The First Three Catholic Churches in Zanesville, Ohio". Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. 25 (3): 193–216. JSTOR   44208291 – via JSTOR.
  5. ↑ Schneider, Norris (24 December 1967). "Catholic Churches to Celebrate Anniversary of Major Events". Zanesville Times-Recorder. p. 9. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  6. 1 2 "St. Thomas Aquinas has long history".
  7. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Collection".
  8. ↑ Kull, Hayden. "Dominican Friars to leave St. Thomas". Zanesville Times Recorder. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  9. ↑ "St. Thomas deemed unsafe, condemned".
  10. ↑ "Roof Repair Project Update".
  11. ↑ "Parish News | Saint Thomas Aquinas Zanesville" . Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  12. ↑ "Zanesville community backs St. Thomas, but parish's future is still uncertain". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  13. ↑ "History of Rosecrans High School". 2007-10-15. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  14. ↑ "Schools". St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.