By Rieley McDonnell, Head Copy Editor

Historic St. Francis Seraph Church, in Over-the-Rhine (OTR), will hold its last Mass on June 28, 2026. The church will be put up for sale, ending a 160 year connection between the parish and the Franciscans.

The friars currently staffing the parish, Pastor Fr. Alan Hirt and Bro. Timothy Sucher, will be reassigned to St. Clements Catholic Church in St. Bernard, Ohio.  The Franciscans are encouraging parishioners of St. Francis Seraph to join them at their new home. 

“As the friars move through this transition, they hope their presence of many years have nurtured parishioners to continue to be a community of brothers and sisters to each other and to all; thus, a living church that extends beyond buildings into the neighborhoods” Executive Director of Communications and Engagement for the Franciscan Friars of the Providence of Our Lady of Gudalupe, Dr. Kerting Baldwin said.

Excluding the parish office, the friary connected to the parish has remained unoccupied for two years. This is the stated reason for the parish’s closure.

The Franciscan friars  have reaffirmed their commitment to serving Cincinnati even after the closure of the “Heart of Over-the-Rhine” as St. Francis Seraph was coined. 

The church has operated for over 167 years and is connected to St. Francis Seraph school and a social ministries program. These latter two programs will remain in operation even after the church closes this summer. St. Anthony Center ministries, which operates under Saint Francis Seraph Ministries, works to provide food, clothes and other essentials to people in need. 

“It’s a vibrant and committed community, socially engaged as evident of their service to the St. Anthony Center ministries” Baldwin said. 

The land where the parish sits is deeply connected to the Catholic community within Cincinnati. It was on the land where St. Francis Seraph now sits where the first Catholic graveyard in Cincinnati was built. 

Originally, in 1819, the parish was named Christ Church. However, many of the parishioners called the parish St. Patrick’s after the patron saint of Ireland where many of the original founding parishioners hailed from. It was a simple wooden building with a connected graveyard.

Bishop Edward Fenwick, the first bishop of Cincinnati and founder of the college that became Xavier University, had the original church moved while the graveyard remained at the original location and stayed in use. The building of Christ Church fell apart during transit but was rebuilt downtown.

In 1858, the cornerstone of St. Francis Seraph was laid down. Bishop John Baptist Purcell allocated the land to Francian friars to build a school, church and friary to serve the large German-Catholic population in OTR.

Later in 1859 the parish opened and was dedicated. The bodies within the graveyard were entombed in the parish crypt which was located underneath the altar.

In 1868, a large statue of St. Francis was placed over the main doors of the parish. The statue was donated by the owner of the Jackson Brewery, George Weber. Though the church is closing, it appears its mission will live on in the new location of providing a place of worship for Cincinnati residents.