175th anniversary means more work, new book for historian |
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Written by MARYLISA BOOSE, Special to the Chronicle
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Friday, 01 August 2008 01:00 |
BETHLEHEM— Bethlehem Sacred Heart of Jesus is observing its 175th anniversary this summer. The commemoration began with an outdoor Mass in June. Another celebration is planned for Aug. 17 at 10:30 a.m. when Bishop Leonard P. Blair celebrates an anniversary Mass at the church with a reception to follow.
Sacred Heart of Jesus is on state Route 61 between Shelby and Crestline at the border between Crawford and Richland counties in the area sometimes called “Shelby Settlement.”
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| Father Nicholas Cunningham celebrates an outdoor Mass at the original
site where "circuit rider priests" gathered the first parishioners of
Bethlehem Sacred Heart for worship 175 years ago. |
The outdoor Mass June 12 was held at the site where “circuit-rider priests” gathered with parishioners before the parish had a resident priest.
Steven Metzger, lifelong parishioner and history buff, recently spent about six months revising a history of the parish he originally wrote 25 years ago for the parish’s 150th anniversary. He has developed an admiration for those early priests as he delved into the history of the church.
The parish’s first resident pastor, Mr. Metzger says, came in 1852. So, for 19 years, the parish was served solely by traveling priests.
“There were two different orders of priests who served our parish — Sanguinists and Redemptorists,” he says. “Some of the first priests to serve us came from the Peru area in Huron County. Others came from the Tiffin area.”
As he looks at maps showing the large territory these circuit-rider priests covered, Mr. Metzger says he can only marvel at their dedication to God.
“I found some maps to show the different territory those orders of priests covered. This was back before there were real roads. It was by no means at all any kind of any easy task — anything but easy traveling,” Mr. Metzger says. “What struck me was the dedication that the priests had to go out and serve.”
Maps he found showed the priests headed out at least a couple of counties in each direction from their home bases and the Redemptorists even traveled as far as the New Philadelphia area.
At the outdoor Mass in June, parish members gathered where those priests celebrated Mass 175 years ago and honored those pioneer priests’ sacrifices as they spread the faith.
Twenty-five years ago the parish erected a large timber cross at the site, now a farm, for the 150th anniversary of the parish.
For the past seven years, Father Nicholas Cunningham, who also serves Shelby Most Pure Heart of Mary, has led Sacred Heart. Beginning Aug. 4, Sacred Heart will be twinned with Crestline St. Joseph and be served by Father Michael Geiger.
Mr. Metzger says his research shows the parish was not only founded with traveling priests, but also has a long history of sharing priests with other churches, beginning with Plymouth St. Joseph in 1977.
When parish members started planning for the 175th celebration, Mr. Metzger says he was the logical choice to update the church’s history since he had written the first book 25 years ago. Now, he jokes, some are warning him he’ll be expected to write another update for the 200th anniversary.
But the amateur historian, who works as a respiratory therapist at Ashland Samaritan Hospital, says he hopes to be up to the task since he enjoys the chance to learn and share about his parish.
“I’m 51 and I’ve lived here all my life,” he says. “I just like history in general and it was always one of my favorite subjects in school.”
He also discovered while working on his revision that new information can always surface.
“Probably one of the things that surprised me the most, I found out the second time around,” Mr. Metzger says.
“We have a big stone cross in our cemetery. I’ve seen that thing thousands of times. I thought it was to commemorate a grave.”
While Mr. Metzger was researching for the second book, someone sent him an 1882 newspaper report, written in German and found in the Mansfield library, that gave details of the cross’s dedication for the entire parish, not a single grave.
“It came from a local quarry — originally a five-ton piece or rock,” Mr. Metzger says. The parish shipped the stone to Canton, Ohio, to have it chiseled into a 17-foot high cross weighing four tons.
“The article described the day everyone gathered at the church,” he says. “They had quite an elaborate high Mass to dedicate the cross.”
Since the addition of the cross in 1882, several priests have been buried in that area of the ceremony, Mr. Metzger says.
Mr. Metzger’s first book ran 90 pages and the revised edition is 105 pages.
“They’re not going to win any Pulitzer prizes,” he says, “but Herald Printing in New Washington (the firm that published the second book) did an absolutely superb job. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
The book includes more than 100 pictures detailing the parish’s history.
Writing the book has also made Mr. Metzger treasure the building constructed by early members of the parish to honor God.
“How lucky we are to have the actual church structure that we have — this magnificent Gothic work of art,” says Mr. Metzger. “The cornerstone was laid in 1892 and it was finished in 1895. To this day, people drive by here and stop in just to gaze.”
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Mr. Metzger’s book — “Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 1833 to 2008” — can be purchased for $8. To order, contact Mr. Metzger at 419-347-3674 or skmetzger@hotmail.com.
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Last Updated on Friday, 07 November 2008 09:01 |
