About Precious Blood · Chickasaw, Ohio
Precious Blood Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Chickasaw, Mercer County, Ohio. Erected in 1903 by German-American farming families who split from nearby St. Sebastian's, it is one of the younger parishes in the historic 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches' of western Ohio. Today it is part of the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes (also called the Marion Catholic Community), clustered with St. John the Baptist in Maria Stein, Nativity BVM in Cassella, St. Rose, and St. Sebastian, and is served by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.). The parish's 1904 Italianate brick school and rectory were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- The Precious Blood of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Kenneth Schnipke, C.PP.S.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati (St. Marys Deanery)
Why belong here
Precious Blood is a small, rooted parish in one of Ohio's most distinctive Catholic landscapes — the 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches' — and members share a worship life shaped by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, the same religious congregation that founded so many of these historic congregations. Visitors can attend Mass in a 1967 cross-shaped sanctuary that seats more than four hundred, lean on a full cluster of priests and deacons serving the Marion Catholic Community, join Religious Education classes for the parish's children, and become part of a community whose 1904 rectory and Italianate school are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mass times at Precious Blood
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Wednesday 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Parish History
Precious Blood traces its origins to a 1897 chapel of ease built by Chickasaw-area Catholics who struggled to travel to St. Sebastian's without horses. The split was formalized in January 1903, when fifty-eight families left St. Sebastian's and re-established the Chickasaw chapel as an independent parish — shortly before a suspicious fire destroyed St. Sebastian's. The parish grew quickly, built a rectory in 1904 and a DeCurtins-designed Italianate school in 1908, replaced its aging chapel with the present-day cross-shaped brick church in 1967, and saw its 1904–1908 historic buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
- Founded 1903 with 58 charter families
- 1897 chapel of ease was the parish's first building
- Rectory built 1904 (~$4,000) and Italianate school built 1908
- Current cross-shaped church dedicated February 23, 1967
- Rectory and former school on NRHP since July 26, 1979
Christ Our Light Family of Parishes (Marion Catholic Community)
Precious Blood is one of five parishes in the Marion Catholic Community, now organized as the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes. The cluster is served by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.) and includes St. John the Baptist in Maria Stein, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cassella, St. Rose, St. Sebastian in Sebastian, and Precious Blood itself. The cluster offices are located at 7428 State Route 119, Maria Stein, OH 45860, with shared business management, faith formation, and music ministry staff.
- Cluster offices: 7428 State Route 119, Maria Stein, OH 45860
- Cluster phone: (419) 925-4775
- Cluster residence line: (419) 925-2030
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed Friday)
- Member parishes: Precious Blood, St. John the Baptist, Nativity BVM, St. Rose, St. Sebastian
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
The Christ Our Light Family of Parishes is led by a pastor and several parochial vicars, all members of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood (C.PP.S.). Five deacons assist across the cluster, and Most Rev. Robert G. Casey serves as Archbishop of Cincinnati. Fr. Matthew Jozefiak's role has been transitioned from parochial vicar to Sacramental Minister, and the cluster welcomed Fr. James Smith, C.PP.S. to begin as parochial vicar in mid-2026.
- Pastor: Rev. Kenneth Schnipke, C.PP.S.
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Matthew Jozefiak, C.PP.S.; Fr. Mark Hoying, C.PP.S.; Fr. Vara Kumar Chowtapalli, C.PP.S.
- Sacramental Minister: Rev. Kenneth Alt, C.PP.S.
- Deacons: Greg Bornhorst, Steve Broering, Brad Feltz, Roger Klosterman, Ken Wuebker
- Parish-level (Precious Blood) Business Manager: Sue Roeckner
- Precious Blood Coordinator of Religious Education: Missy Moeller
- Cluster Director of Liturgy & Worship: Nick Wilker
Sacraments and Devotions
The parish offers the full normal range of sacraments through the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes, with weekday and weekend Mass on site, a regular weekly confession schedule, and sacramental preparation coordinated through the cluster's religious education staff.
- Weekend and weekday Mass
- Reconciliation (Confession): Wed 8–9 a.m. and Sat 3–4 p.m.
- Religious Education / sacramental prep: contact Missy Moeller
- Pastoral care and anointing requests handled through the cluster office
Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation
Faith formation for children is coordinated at Precious Blood by Missy Moeller, working with the cluster's broader Religious Education program. Adult Faith Formation for the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes is coordinated by Carolyn Stucke, and additional youth, junior-high, and high-school CCD opportunities are organized cluster-wide.
- Precious Blood Coordinator of Religious Education: Missy Moeller
- Cluster Adult Faith Formation: Carolyn Stucke
- Cluster youth/JH/HS CCD: coordinated through the Marion Catholic Community office
Liturgy, Music, and Parish Life
Liturgy and music for the cluster are directed by Nick Wilker, with Precious Blood drawing on the shared music leadership in the Marion Catholic Community. The parish council (president Trevor Wynk), maintenance volunteers, groundskeeper Rick 'Buck' Bruns, and basement-rental coordinator Joann Liette support parish life and facilities at the Chickasaw site.
- Cluster Director of Liturgy & Worship: Nick Wilker
- Precious Blood Parish Council President: Trevor Wynk
- Groundskeeper: Rick 'Buck' Bruns
- Basement rental contact: Joann Liette, (567) 644-2354
Historic Buildings and the 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches'
Precious Blood's 1904 rectory and 1908 Italianate school were added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of a multiple-property submission covering more than thirty Society of the Precious Blood-related buildings in far western Ohio. The school, designed by the DeCurtins brothers, is a two-story brick building with an ashlar foundation, a central square bell tower, and an entrance topped by an elliptical fanlight; it was sold after the parish school closed in the late 1950s and is now owned by a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post. The current worship space, dedicated February 23, 1967, is a brick cross-shaped structure with a basement and a sanctuary of more than four hundred seats.
- NRHP reference number 79002848, listed July 26, 1979
- Architects: DeCurtins brothers of St. Henry
- Style: Italianate (1904 rectory / 1908 school)
- Cross-shaped brick church dedicated Feb 23, 1967
- Region: 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches,' far western Ohio
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Cluster pastors as listed by Wikipedia (older reference)
Wikipedia's article names 'Eugene Schnipke and Tom Brenberger' as the two priests serving the cluster at the time of writing; current parish materials list Rev. Kenneth Schnipke, C.PP.S. as the family-of-parishes pastor.