, OH
St. Mary of the Assumption parish — Ohio’s second and Fairfield County’s first — was founded circa 1817-1820 by Father Edward Dominic Fenwick. Dominican priests from Somerset began ministering regularly to Lancaster faithful and a small church was dedicated during Easter 1819. Construction on the parish’s third church building, The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, began in February 1854 under the pastorate of Rev. Henry Lange. On August 15, 1859, the Very Rev. John Purcell, Bishop of Cincinnati, laid the cornerstone and it was blessed by former pastor Rev. Josue M. Young, Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania. Construction proved slow as the Civil War depleted both parish funds and available workers. Father Lange rallied his parishioners, enlisted local contracters Guy and George Blair, and continued the work until his death in February 1864. (Continued on other side)
, OH
The Cathedral of St. Peter In Chains has ministered to Catholics in Ohio for more than 175 years. In 1840, Bishop John Baptist Purcell recognized the need for a cathedral to serve his growing catholic immigrant community and asked architect Henry Walter to draw up designs in neo-classic Greek style. The cornerstone was laid in 1841 and the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains was dedicated November 2, 1845. It was promptly nicknamed the “White Angel” for its white marble façade. Abandoned in 1938 due to deteriorating conditions, it was renovated during the 1950s, and rededicated as the cathedral on November 3, 1957. The Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Pope designated it a Minor Basilica in 2020.