History
Catholic families first arrived in Loveland in the early 1850’s. They were mainly Irish families who came to help build the railroads in the area. They attended Mass in Milford where it was celebrated by visiting priests.
The earliest known location of a celebaration of Mass in the Loveland area was in the home of the Norton family. The presider was Fr. John Baptist O’Donoghue of St. Andrew Parish in Milford. St. Columban shared pastors with St. Andrew until 1906.
St. Columban was founded in 1859 when Fr. O’Donoghue and ten families raised enough money to purchase an old one room schoolhouse from the Village of Loveland. It stood on Broadway Avenue, in the location of the current Valley View Apartments. This building served as the church of St. Columban until 1891.
In the late 1880’s, the size of the church was inadequate for the growing population. When Fr. Michael Mulvihill began as pastor in 1892, the church account stood at $400. Just four years later, the parishioners had built a new church on Broadway Avenue and retired the entire debt of $6,000. In 1906, Fr. Thomas Bailey became the parish’s first resident pastor.
The continued growth of the parish and the increased interest of Catholic parents in the religious education of their children led to the decision to build a school in 1925. The building was started in February and completed in September, 1926. Two days after completion of the school, three members of the Sisters of Notre Dame of Covington, Kentucky arrived. The Sisters opened the school on September 21 with 70 students in grades 1-8.
In 1944, the Parish of St. Columban served 95 families. By 1954, the number had grown to 250 families with 232 students in the school. Just four years later, the number of families had grown to 600, with 530 students in the school. Once again, the parishioners of St. Columban stepped up to the challenge. In March, 1956, the Parish purchased 28 acres at the present location on Oakland Road.
With volunteer help, the parishioners converted a house on the property into a rectory and an old barn into a social and meeting hall. They also completed construction of the present school in September, 1958. Overflow Masses were celebrated in the school gym.
By 1961, all grades had been moved to the school on Oakland Road. School population was up to 620 students. St. Columban parishioners built a convent on the property for the Sisters of Notre Dame. An addition to the school (to be used as a temporary church) was also completed at that time. That October, the last Mass was celebrated at the old church on Broadway.
For 22 years, the “temporary” church served the St. Columban community. In 1981, a capital campaign was launched to raise $850,000 to build a new church and renovate the school. The church, designed by parishioner Bill Schickel, was dedicated in 1983 by Archbishop Pilarzyk.
The growth in the Parish of St. Columban continues. In 2002, the present worship space was dedicated in by Archbishop Pilarzyk with more than a thousand of friends and parishioners of St. Columban in attendance. This construction phase also included the destruction of the old rectory/parish office and installation of a modular office unit. The following summer, the “old, new, temporary” church space was renovated to house a separate junior high wing to the St. Columban School.
Ten Catholic families in the sleepy, little farm town of Loveland paved the way for what is today a dynamic, faith-filled community that is poised and ready to take on the challenges of our mission statement … “to strengthen the broader community, through spiritual renewal and fellowship, education and outreach.”