About Oratory of St John Vianney at St Anthony · Cincinnati, Ohio
The Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony is a Catholic worship site in the Madisonville neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, housed in the historic 1874 St. Anthony Church building at 6104 Desmond Street. It is one of three worship sites that make up the Eastside Family of Parishes (alongside St. Cecilia in Oakley and St. Mary in Hyde Park), formed under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's 'Beacons of Light' parish reorganization. Although a 2023 Archdiocesan decree merged St. Anthony Parish into St. Cecilia Parish, the 132-year-old Madisonville church was preserved as an oratory — a place where Mass, Confession, adoration, and devotions continue to be celebrated for the surrounding community. The Oratory is pastored by Rev. Jamie Weber, who leads the entire Eastside Family of Parishes.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- St. John Vianney (Oratory); building historically dedicated to St. Anthony
- Rector
- Rev. Jamie Weber
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
The Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony offers the warmth of a small, historic neighborhood church combined with the resources of the wider Eastside Family of Parishes. Parishioners can worship in a beautiful 19th-century sanctuary in Madisonville, with daily Mass Monday through Friday at 11:45 AM, a Saturday Vigil at 3:00 PM, and a Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM, plus monthly Monday evening adoration and a daily 11:15 AM rosary before Mass. Confessions are available every Saturday before the Vigil and every Sunday before the 9:30 AM Mass, and after each daily Mass. The Oratory is part of a combined family that shares faith formation (Family of Faith for children and OCIA/RCIA for adults), a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference serving neighbors in need, an active music ministry under Director of Sacred Music Sarah Schmid, and easy access to the larger sacramental and social life at St. Cecilia (Oakley) and St. Mary (Hyde Park).
Mass times at Oratory of St John Vianney at St Anthony
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
- Monday–Friday 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM (immediately after daily Mass until done)
Adoration times
- First Monday of the month, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony
The Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony is the historic worship site of the former St. Anthony Parish in Madisonville, now preserved under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's 'Beacons of Light' reorganization as part of the Eastside Family of Parishes. Although St. Anthony was officially merged into St. Cecilia Parish in Oakley in 2023, the 6104 Desmond Street church building was retained as an oratory — a place where Mass, Confession, adoration, and other sacraments continue to be celebrated for the Madisonville community. The oratory is named for St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, patron of the former St. John Vianney Parish whose church closed in 2014.
- Physical address: 6104 Desmond Street, Cincinnati, OH 45227
- Mailing address: 3105 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209
- Phone: (513) 271-0920
- Pastor: Rev. Jamie Weber
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
History of the Oratory
The Oratory's history is the story of two parishes. St. Anthony Church was founded in 1859 by German farmers from Madisonville, originally as St. Michael's, and rebuilt in 1874 under the pastorate of Fr. Anthony Walburg. The church survived an 1891 fire and was enlarged with a bell tower and four-faced clock. A second parish, St. John Vianney, was established in 1949 on Berwick and Windward Streets to serve the post-war Catholic boom, with its Cure of Ars School opening in 1953. Declining Mass attendance led to the merger of St. John Vianney and St. Margaret of Cortona in 2008; the St. John Vianney church celebrated its last Mass on June 1, 2014. In May 2023 the Archdiocese merged St. Anthony into St. Cecilia Parish but preserved the Madisonville church as the Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony.
- 1859 — St. Michael's Church founded by German farmers at Madison and Roanoke
- 1874 — Current church built and renamed St. Anthony for Fr. Anthony Walburg
- 1891 — Devastating fire; church rebuilt in 9 months
- 1902 — Four-faced steeple clock installed
- 1949 — St. John Vianney Parish established on 14.5 acres in Madison Place
- 1953 — Cure of Ars School blessed on the Feast of St. John Vianney (Aug. 4)
- 1993 — Last major renovation: altar and choir loft reconfigured
- 2008 — St. John Vianney merged with St. Margaret of Cortona
- 2014 — Final Mass at St. John Vianney Church (June 1)
- May 8, 2023 — Archdiocesan decree merges St. Anthony into St. Cecilia; church retained as an oratory
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for the Eastside Family of Parishes — including the Oratory — is run as a combined program. Family of Faith serves Catholic families with children ages 3 through 8th grade, gathering once a month (September–April) at St. Mary in Hyde Park's Robisch Hall, with parent sessions and grade-level catechesis. OCIA (the new name for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meets on Wednesday evenings during the school year for adults and children over 7 exploring Catholicism.
- Family of Faith — combined PreK–8th grade program, monthly Sundays at St. Mary Hyde Park
- OCIA / RCIA — Wednesdays 7:00–8:30 PM at St. Mary Robisch Hall
- First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation preparation through Family of Faith
- Director of Catechesis and Evangelization: Haley Metzger
- Contact: [email protected] / 513-321-1207 ext. 413
Music & Liturgy
Sacred music at the Oratory is led by Sarah Schmid, Director of Sacred Music (Oratory of St. John Vianney), as part of the broader music ministry of the Eastside Family of Parishes. The Oratory also shares in the Worship Commission and a team of lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers, and ushers who serve the liturgies celebrated in the 1874 sanctuary.
- Director of Sacred Music (Oratory): Sarah Schmid
- Choir/Music Ministry opportunities
- Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Ushers, Greeters
- Worship Commission (parish-wide)
Outreach & Service
The Oratory is served by a dedicated conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which makes home visits to neighbors in need and offers spiritual, emotional, and material assistance. The Eastside Family of Parishes as a whole also supports a Pro-Life Ministry, Bible studies, a Young Adult Ministry, a Women's Fellowship, a Men's Guild, and a Thanksgiving Dinner program — all listed among the ways new parishioners can get involved.
- St. Vincent de Paul (Oratory conference) — phone (513) 271-0856, ext. 1
- Pro-Life Ministry
- Bible Studies
- Young Adult Ministry
- Women's Fellowship & Men's Guild
- Thanksgiving Dinner (parish-wide)
- Bereavement Ministry
The Eastside Family of Parishes
The Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony is one of three worship sites in the Eastside Family of Parishes, formed under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's 'Beacons of Light' initiative. The family is led by a single pastor, Rev. Jamie Weber, and shares clergy, faith-formation programs, and ministries across its sites.
- St. Cecilia (Oakley) — 3105 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45209 — (513) 871-5757
- St. Mary (Hyde Park) — 2853 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208 — (513) 321-1207
- Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony (Madisonville) — 6104 Desmond St., Cincinnati, OH 45227 — (513) 271-0920
- Pastor: Rev. Jamie Weber
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Alex Dugas, Fr. Stephen Jones
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the Eastside Family of Parishes through the main office at 3105 Madison Rd. (Oakley), or visit the Oratory directly at 6104 Desmond St. in Madisonville. Weekend Mass is celebrated Saturday at 3:00 PM and Sunday at 9:30 AM, with Confession one half-hour before each and immediately after every daily Mass.
- Eastside Family of Parishes main office: (513) 871-5757
- Oratory phone: (513) 271-0920
- Pastor email: [email protected]
- Website: https://eastsidefaith.org/oratory-of-st-john-vianney
- New Parishioner Registration: eastsidefaith.org/new-parishioner-cecilia
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Sullivan1859–1860
First pastor of St. Anthony Parish
- Rev. Casper Henry Borgess1860–1861
- Rev. George Brummer1861
- Rev. H. Ferneding1861
- Rev. William Wilkins1861–1863
- Rev. R. A. Gangloff1863–1864
- Rev. William T. Higgins1864
- Rev. Anthony Walburg1864–1874
First Cincinnati-born German seminarian; the 1874 church was named St. Anthony in his honor
- Rev. Frank Kessing1875–1878
- Rev. Joseph Stopplemann1879–1881
- Rev. J. H. Kuhlman1881–1889
- Rev. Charles H. Hahne1889–1899
- Rev. J. Geo. Franz1899–1907
- Rev. Joseph A. Meyer1907–1921
- Rev. Martin T. Molloy1921–1939
- Rev. Henry A. Westerman1939–1960
- Rev. James O. Byrne1960–1962
- Rev. John F. Campbell1962–1978
- Rev. John Civille1978–1984
- Rev. George Jacquemin1984–1997
- Rev. Len Wenke1997–2010
- Rev. David Lemkuhl2010–2016
Final pastor before the St. Margaret–St. John era; last pastor of St. John Vianney (2004–2014)
- Rev. Jamie Weber2016–present
Pastor of St. Anthony from 2016; pastor of St. Margaret-St. John 2016–2022; pastor of the Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony from 2022 to the present, and pastor of the Eastside Family of Parishes