Corpus Christi Parish celebrates 50 years

By Eileen Connelly, OSU

ST. MARGARET MARY DEANERY — Parish anniversaries are an opportunity for faith communities to reflect on fond memories, celebrate the present and look forward to the future. In the coming year, members of Corpus Christi Church in New Burlington will be marking their parish’s 50th anniversary with a variety of activities as they commemorate this milestone.

Photos courtesy of Corpus Christi Parish

Friends, family, parishioners and honored guests gathered at Corpus Christi Church for the kickoff of the parish’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Construction on Corpus Christi Church was started in September, 1959. The building was unique — the first Catholic church of its kind in the Cincinnati area — featuring a Greek Cross plan and a nave designed according to the new liturgical concept of having the parishioners participate in the Mass. The alter was made of a highly glazed mosaic topped with white marble, while the tabernacle was constructed of bronze with enameled doors depicting wheat for bread and grapes for wine. Hand-carved shrines to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph holding the child were located on either side of the sanctuary. Stained-glass windows on all sides of the church pictured liturgical symbols — the sacraments, the Old Testament, the apostles and the New Testament. Archbishop Alter presided at the dedication of the new church on April 30, 1961.

The building of a school at Corpus Christi was discussed in the early 1960s, but then put on hold with the students attending other area Catholic schools. At the suggestion of Archbishop Alter, the parish began using the facilities of the old Hamilton Catholic High School until a permanent structure could be built. By the late ’70s, the issue of a school again came to the forefront at the parish. After consultation with two neighboring faith communities — St. John Neumann and St. Bartholomew — it was decided that consolidation was the best solution for all three parishes and the students came together beginning with the 1980-81 school year.

Over the years, Corpus Christi flourished with the formation of a youth club and adult choir, along with an annual turkey shoot and spaghetti dinner. Vatican II brought many physical changes to the church and the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg began their 28 years of dedicated service to Corpus Christi. The parish celebrated its silver jubilee in 1983, with an outdoor Mass, followed by picnic, square dancing, movies and plenty of reminiscing. The theme for the celebration was "Without U, Christ and I, there would be no Corpus Christi."

The revelry continued into the evening outside the parish center.

Corpus Christi’s 50th anniversary has given Wintz and her fellow parishioners the opportunity to reminisce about what makes their parish so special. Carolyn Simmermeyer, who joined Corpus Christi with husband, Mike, in 1962, said, "During our early years in the parish, we established life-long friendships. These friendships sustained us as our kids grew, moved out and began families of their own. We saw our daughters married here. We even celebrated 25 years of marriage in the church undercroft with so many of the people we’ve come to know and love from the parish community. Sadly, I buried my husband here nearly eight years ago. I felt the support of my parish then as I always have during both the good times at the bad times of the past 45 years. I’m so thankful to have been a part of this parish family and cannot have imagined my life without Corpus Christi."

As with other parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Corpus Christi has, for the past several years, been involved in a planning process for future ministry at the local and deanery levels. St. Margaret Mary Deanery, of which Corpus Christi is part, has been aligned into pastoral regions. One such region includes Corpus Christi and St. John Neumann. Together with St. John the Baptist in Dry Ridge, the three parishes form a pastoral area. As the result of this relationship, the parishes are developing new ways to collaborate as they look to the future.

For now, though, much of the excitement at Corpus Christi is on the myriad of activities planned for the coming year. These include a "Taste of Corpus Christi," scheduled for Nov. 10, along with the sale of a special Jubilee Cookbook, a game night in January, the parish picnic in July and, on Sept. 14, 2008, a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk, closing the year of festivities.

"We hope that this will truly be a memorable year for us as we reflect back over the past 50 years and remember," said Father Jim Meade, pastor. "It is also a time for us to be grateful for the blessings of today and an opportunity to look forward to the next 50 years with a sense of hope. This is truly a year of favor from our Lord."