About Our Lady of Lourdes · Wintersville, Ohio
Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic parish in Wintersville, Ohio, in the Diocese of Steubenville. It was established as a parish in 1957, with its church on Bantam Ridge Road built in 1963. The parish shares clergy and a single parish office with neighboring Blessed Sacrament Church in Wintersville, and the two parishes are presented together on the Wintersville Catholic Parishes website. A distinctive feature unveiled in 2024 is a portrait of St. Bernadette Soubirous gazing up at Our Lady of Lourdes, painted by local artist Amber Knorr to honor the parish's patroness.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Fr. Michael Gossett
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes offers a tight-knit Catholic community in Wintersville with a robust schedule of faith formation and fellowship, including OCIA (RCIA) on Thursday evenings, Parish School of Religion for children, a Wednesday Bible Study, and the Men of St. Joseph group that meets Tuesday mornings. The parish supports neighbors in need through its St. Vincent de Paul Ministry serving Wintersville and Bloomingdale, while the Women's Club and Men's Club provide ongoing fundraising, service, and community life. Worship is enriched by the parish's tradition of celebrating Mass ad orientem, recently explained by Fr. Michael Gossett as a way of deepening prayerful participation in the Eucharist.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 7:00 AM
- Saturday 3:30 PM
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Wednesday 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM (at Blessed Sacrament)
Welcome to Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is one of two Wintersville Catholic parishes served from a single parish office (the other being Blessed Sacrament Church). The Wintersville Catholic Parishes website welcomes visitors and posts Mass & Confession times, with a prompt to follow the parishes on Instagram for updates.
- Parish website: wintersvilleparishes.org
- Parishes: Blessed Sacrament & Our Lady of Lourdes
- Shared clergy and parish office
About Our Parishes
According to the parish's About Us page, Blessed Sacrament was founded as a parish in 1948 (with the original church destroyed by fire in 1974 and the current church built in 1976), while Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in 1957 with its church built in 1963. The two parishes are presented together as a single pastoral community with a shared clergy and parish office.
- Blessed Sacrament parish founded 1948
- Our Lady of Lourdes parish founded 1957
- Our Lady of Lourdes church built 1963
- Blessed Sacrament church rebuilt 1976 after 1974 fire
St. Carlo Acutis & St. Bernadette Portraits
In 2024, the parishes commissioned local artist Amber Knorr to paint companion portraits of two young saints — one representing each parish. The portrait of St. Carlo Acutis (representing Blessed Sacrament) shows him with a laptop, Bible, rosary, soccer ball, and PlayStation controller, with the Eucharist in the monstrance above him. The portrait of St. Bernadette Soubirous (representing Our Lady of Lourdes) shows her kneeling, looking up at Our Lady as she appeared at Lourdes in 1858, surrounded by roses native to the region. The project was made possible by donations from parishioners.
- Artist: Amber Knorr
- Unveiled: 2024
- St. Carlo Acutis portrait (Blessed Sacrament)
- St. Bernadette Soubirous portrait (Our Lady of Lourdes)
Why Ad Orientem?
In a December 2024 bulletin article reposted on the parish website, Fr. Michael Gossett explains why he decided to continue celebrating Mass ad orientem — with priest and people facing the same direction (east) at the altar — past the end of Advent. He frames the decision as a pastoral way of helping the community enter more fully into the prayerful offering of the Mass, and invites parishioners with questions to contact him at [email protected].
- Author: Fr. Michael Gossett
- Posted: December 2024
- Contact: [email protected]
- Practice: Mass ad orientem (priest and people facing east)
Parish Ministries
Our Lady of Lourdes and Blessed Sacrament share a robust slate of ministries for formation, fellowship, and outreach. Faith formation is offered through OCIA (RCIA) for adults on Thursdays at 7:00 PM in Lower Sargus Hall, and through the Parish School of Religion for children. Scripture and prayer groups include the Men of St. Joseph (Tuesdays at 7:00 AM, Upper Sargus Hall) and Wednesday Bible Study (9:00 AM in the Parish Rectory). Outreach is carried out through the St. Vincent de Paul Ministry, serving those in need in Wintersville and Bloomingdale. Parish life is sustained by the Women's Club, the Men's Club (which maintains properties and a life-size outdoor Nativity scene), and GriefShare for those grieving the loss of a loved one.
- OCIA (RCIA) - Thursdays 7:00 PM, Lower Sargus Hall
- Parish School of Religion
- Men of St. Joseph - Tuesdays 7:00 AM, Upper Sargus Hall
- Wednesday Bible Study - Wednesdays 9:00 AM, Parish Rectory
- St. Vincent de Paul Ministry - Wintersville & Bloomingdale
- Women's Club & Men's Club
- GriefShare
Sacraments
The parish website includes a Sacraments page covering the central rites of initiation and life in the Church, including Baptism, Confirmation, and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA / OCIA) for newcomers and those preparing to enter full communion with the Catholic Church. Those inquiring about OCIA are directed to Cindy Gregor at the parish office (740-264-0868).
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist
- OCIA / RCIA (contact: Cindy Gregor, 740-264-0868)
Clergy & Staff
The Wintersville Catholic Parishes are served by a shared clergy team. Msgr. Kurt H. Kemo, V.G., serves as pastor of both Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Lourdes. Parochial vicars include Rev. Michael Gossett (installed as pastor in June 2020 by Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton, now serving as parochial vicar) and Father Joshua D. Erickson. Deacon Mark Erste assists in the parishes' pastoral ministry. The shared parish office is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
- Pastor: Msgr. Kurt H. Kemo, V.G.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Michael Gossett
- Parochial Vicar: Father Joshua D. Erickson
- Deacon: Deacon Mark Erste
- Office hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Contact & Visit
Our Lady of Lourdes Church is located at 1521 Bantam Ridge Road in Wintersville (mailing address Steubenville, OH 43953). The shared parish office — which serves both Our Lady of Lourdes and Blessed Sacrament — is at 852 Main Street, Wintersville, OH 43953. The main parish phone number is (740) 264-0868, and the office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The parish invites visitors to follow its Instagram for the latest updates.
- Our Lady of Lourdes: 1521 Bantam Ridge Rd, Steubenville, OH 43953
- Parish office: 852 Main Street, Wintersville, OH 43953
- Phone: (740) 264-0868
- Office hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
- Website: wintersvilleparishes.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Gossett2020-
Installed as pastor of Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Lourdes Parishes by Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton in June 2020; previously served at St. Mary's in St. Clairsville and as chaplain of Catholic Central High School; a 2001 graduate of Catholic Central High School and ordained in 2011. Currently listed as Parochial Vicar.