History
History of Stella Maris
Beacons of Light
The Stella Maris Family of Parishes formed in 2022 as part of the Beacons of Light pastoral planning process in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Stella Maris consists of the following parishes: St. Bernadette, St. Mary, St. Peter, and St. Thomas More.
Beacons of Light is a process of pastoral planning to best arrange all the resources of the archdiocese to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in this particular time and place. As a Family of Parishes, we engage in the Beacons process as one under the leadership of our pastor, Fr. Tim Ralston. As the vision for Beacons states, “The expectation is that, over time, a Family of Parishes will become one canonical parish. With that expectation in mind, it is important to remember that a parish can be made up of a single church or multiple churches.”
We are grateful for the rich Catholic history of the four parishes that make up Stella Maris, and we look forward to new opportunities for spreading the Gospel across southern Clermont County.
A Brief History of Our Parishes
Fr. Bill wagner, Senior Parochial vicar
Amelia, ohio
St. Bernadette Parish
St. Bernadette celebrated its first mass on June 6, 1944, which just so happened to be D-DAY. That day marked the beginning of the end of a malicious evil in the world and the beginning of a humble goodness in Amelia. But the irony continued. One of the residences bought by the parish had been used as a speak-easy during prohibition, later as a saloon and eventually as the parish convent. The parish had always found a way to make the best of everything. A school soon followed, then a cafeteria and eventually a multi-purpose gym. Finally, the new church was dedicated by Archbishop Pilarczyk on November 22, 2009. Parishioners are involved in many ministries. The parish has always interacted with the community and carved out room for Christ and His Kingdom.
Bethel, ohio
St. Mary Parish
St. Mary was established as a parish by Archbishop McNicholas in 1941. The original church was built with stones from nearby Clover Creek. The parish center was dedicated by Archbishop Alter in 1961. The rectory/office was added in 1988. In the early 2000s mass was relocated to the Bethel-Tate Middle School as the new addition to the old church was completed. The original church now serves as a gathering space and entry to the new church. Throughout most of its history, the parish has shared its pastor with Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Felicity which closed in 1997. The parish has a family-like atmosphere about it and is very welcoming to newcomers.
New Richmond, ohio
St. Peter Parish
St. Peter is by far the oldest in our Family of Parishes having been established in 1850 by Archbishop Purcell. The parish is a living testimony to our Family name “Stella Maris” (Star of the Sea) if by that we mean being victorious over the challenges of this world represented by the turbulent waters of mother nature. The parish endured at least nine significant Ohio River floods which eventually made the original location economically unfeasible. Archbishop Leibold dedicated the new (present) church on October 31, 1971 wisely located on much higher ground. Fr. Bill Kennedy added the present rectory while at the same time he established the ecumenical food pantry still in service today. The year 2000 brought the 150th anniversary of the parish marked by a mass with Archbishop Pilarczyk. The shelter was built just for the occasion. St. Peter Parish continues to be an active Catholic presence in New Richmond contributing to the welfare of the community.
Withamsville, ohio
St. Thomas More Parish
St. Thomas More was established in 1940 by Archbishop McNicholas to serve the Catholics in Withamsville, Mt. Carmel, Forestville, and Amelia. The former GlenEste Withamsville School (now Martyr Hall) was purchased and used as the first church. A few years later the former Methodist Episcopal Church was purchased from Union Township and became the second church. In 1945 the rectory was purchased and moved to its present location. Heider Hall was built in 1948 and is still in use as a school building. The parish seems to have always needed more space throughout its entire history. Archbishop Alter dedicated the present church in 1961 and it was immediately dubbed the “Cathedral in the Cornfield” due to its large size disproportionate to the size of the community at the time. In 1976 the parish added the multi-purpose gym, library, cafeteria, meeting rooms and more classrooms. The parish owned and operated its own homeless family shelter by generously supporting its very active St. Vincent de Paul Society.
