About Our Lady of Lourdes · Ada, Ohio
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in Ada, Ohio (Hardin County), serving the local Catholic community within the Diocese of Columbus. It is clustered with Immaculate Conception Church in nearby Kenton as part of the single parish of Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, sharing a pastor in Fr. Ryan Schmit. The parish offers Sunday Mass in English, weekday Mass celebrated ad orientem, Friday Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions, and parish programs including the Mercy Meals funeral luncheon ministry. Its simple, prayerful character and the way it welcomes students and families from nearby Ohio Northern University make it a small but lively faith community in rural northwest-central Ohio.
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Rev. Ryan M. Schmit
- Diocese
- Diocese of Columbus
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes offers a small, welcoming Catholic community in Ada where Mass is celebrated reverently — including daily Mass ad orientem on Thursday and Friday mornings and a single Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM. The parish is a member of the clustered Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception parish and shares the personal pastoral care of Fr. Ryan Schmit with sister church Immaculate Conception in Kenton. Parishioners can grow through Eucharistic Adoration and Confession each Friday morning, serve neighbors through ministries like Mercy Meals (a funeral luncheon program that walks with grieving families), and gather in a church that is open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM for prayer — an unusually accessible invitation for a parish of its size.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
- By appointment with Fr. Schmit (email [email protected])
Adoration times
- Friday 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
About Our Lady of Lourdes, Ada
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in the small village of Ada, Ohio (Hardin County), within the Diocese of Columbus. It is part of the clustered parish Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, paired with Immaculate Conception Church in Kenton. The parish shares one pastor across both worship sites and a common parish office identity (oliccatholic.org). It serves Ada residents, local families, and the student body of nearby Ohio Northern University.
- Diocese of Columbus
- Clustered with Immaculate Conception, Kenton
- Single Sunday Mass in English
- Daily Mass celebrated ad orientem on Thursdays and Fridays
Parish History
Our Lady of Lourdes in Ada was formally organized in the 20th century and was granted federal tax-exempt church status in March 1946 (EIN 34-1226581). For generations, Catholic families in Ada have been linked to the older missionary parish of Immaculate Conception in Kenton, which was dedicated in 1866 and moved from the Diocese of Cincinnati into the new Diocese of Columbus in 1944. In the modern era, Our Lady of Lourdes has been cared for by a sequence of diocesan pastors who also serve Immaculate Conception, Kenton.
- Granted IRS tax-exempt church status March 1946
- Sister parish Immaculate Conception, Kenton, dedicated 1866
- Pastors shared between Ada and Kenton
Clergy and Staff
The current pastor is Rev. Ryan M. Schmit, who was appointed effective July 11, 2023. He was ordained May 28, 2011 and previously served as pastor of St. Ann, Dresden and St. Mary, Mattingly Settlement. The previous pastor of the Ada–Kenton cluster was Rev. Edward T. Shikina, who was reassigned July 11, 2023 to St. Mary, Marion and Sacred Hearts, Cardington. The parish publishes Father Schmit's direct email ([email protected]) for appointments and pastoral contact.
- Pastor: Rev. Ryan M. Schmit (since July 11, 2023)
- Previous pastor: Rev. Edward T. Shikina (through July 11, 2023)
- Direct priest email: [email protected]
Parish Ministries
The parish website features a small but distinctive ministry called Mercy Meals, a parish-run luncheon provided to mourners following a funeral. Volunteers create a warm, hospitable setting in which family and friends can share company and celebrate the life of their loved one, by preparing food, decorating tables, greeting mourners, serving the meal, and washing dishes and resetting the hall afterward. Anyone interested in helping with this ministry is encouraged to contact the parish office.
- Mercy Meals — funeral luncheon ministry
- Volunteer roles: cooking, table decorating, greeting, serving, cleanup
- Contact: parish office, (419) 675-1162
Visit of the Relics of St. Bernadette
Our Lady of Lourdes was honored to host the relics of St. Bernadette Soubirous for a three-day visit, June 2–4, just after Bishop Earl Fernandes was ordained and installed as Bishop of Columbus on May 31. Bishop Fernandes celebrated Mass at the parish on Friday, June 3, and the church was filled to standing-room-only. Families gathered around the baptismal font to wash with and drink water from Lourdes, and rosary processions were held on the first and second nights. Parish coordinator Steve Johnson recalled, 'If we can have just an ounce of St. Bernadette's faith, the world would be a very different place. It was just blessing after blessing after blessing.'
- Relics visit: June 2–4 (coinciding with Bishop Fernandes's installation, May 31)
- Bishop Earl Fernandes celebrated Mass at the parish during the visit
- Rosary processions held each evening
- Parishioner Steve Johnson served as Relics Visit Coordinator
Getting Involved and Contact
The parish welcomes newcomers and offers several ways to get involved, especially through its Mercy Meals funeral ministry and by volunteering at scheduled events. The parish office can be reached by phone at (419) 675-1162; the office email routes through the shared parish domain oliccatholic.org. Father Schmit is also reachable directly at [email protected]. The church building itself is open daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM for prayer, with cleaning on Monday mornings.
- Parish phone: (419) 675-1162
- Parish office email: [email protected]
- Pastor's direct email: [email protected]
- Address: 300 E. Highland Ave., Ada, OH 45810
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Edward T. Shikinathrough July 11, 2023
Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Ada and Immaculate Conception, Kenton; reassigned to St. Mary, Marion and Sacred Hearts, Cardington effective July 11, 2023.
- Rev. Ryan M. Schmiteffective July 11, 2023
Ordained May 28, 2011; previously pastor of St. Ann, Dresden and St. Mary, Mattingly Settlement; named pastor of the clustered Our Lady of Lourdes / Immaculate Conception parish.