About Saint Joseph · Somerset, Ohio
Saint Joseph Catholic Church, at 5757 State Route 383 just outside Somerset, Ohio, is the oldest Catholic parish in Ohio and the mother church of Catholicism in the state. Founded in 1818 by the Dominican missionary Father Edward Dominic Fenwick, OP, on land donated by German-Catholic pioneer Jacob Dittoe, it is one of the oldest Catholic congregations in the entire Northwest Territory. Today it shares a pastor with neighboring Holy Trinity Church in downtown Somerset, together forming Holy Trinity–St. Joseph Parish in the Diocese of Columbus. St. Joseph continues to serve as the historic heart of Catholic life in Perry County and as a pilgrimage site for those interested in the Dominican origins of the Church in Ohio.
- Established
- 1818
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. André-Joseph (André-Joseph) LaCasse, OP
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the spiritual birthplace of Catholicism in Ohio, and parishioners today worship in the very church — a National Register landmark — where the faith was first celebrated in the state more than 200 years ago. The parish is still shepherded by the Dominican friars (Order of Preachers), the same order that founded it in 1818, giving it a distinctive missionary and preaching character; it is also the home of Holy Trinity School, a growing K–8 Catholic school that draws students from across five counties and offers preschool through middle school. With weekly Masses in English (including an ad orientem Mass with incense at Holy Trinity), a regular confession schedule, First Communion and Confirmation preparation, and a strong Dominican heritage of formation and service, the parish offers both an active faith community and a tangible link to the earliest Catholic history of the Northwest Territory.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (Holy Trinity Church)
- By appointment (call parish office: 740-743-1317)
History of St. Joseph Parish
Saint Joseph's Catholic Church is the oldest Catholic parish in Ohio and the mother church of Catholicism in the state. Founded in 1818 by the Dominican missionary Father Edward Dominic Fenwick on land donated by German-Catholic pioneer Jacob Dittoe, the parish traces its origins to a 22-by-15-foot log cabin — the first Catholic church building in Ohio — dedicated December 6, 1818. The brick replacement of 1829 and the present Gothic/High Victorian church of 1843 stand on the same historic site, three miles outside Somerset along State Route 383. The parish has been served continuously by Dominican friars for more than 200 years.
- 1798: Jacob Dittoe settles near present-day Somerset
- 1808: Dittoe writes Bishop Carroll of Baltimore; Fr. Edward Fenwick, OP, arrives via Zane's Trace
- Dec. 6, 1818: First log church dedicated
- Dec. 24, 1818: First recorded baptism — Nicholas J. Ryan
- 1821: Fenwick leaves to become first Bishop of Cincinnati
- Jan. 11, 1829: Brick replacement church dedicated
- 1843: Present Gothic/High Victorian church completed (architect Thomas Spare)
- 1864: Fire destroys all but the walls; church is rebuilt
- 1877: Parish formally constituted as St. Joseph's Priory
- 1918: Centenary of St. Joseph's celebrated; centenary volume published by The Rosary Press
- Aug. 7, 1986: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#86002267)
- 2016: Interior renovation
- Present: Merged with Holy Trinity Parish under one pastor
Notable Clergy Associated with St. Joseph
St. Joseph's has been graced by an extraordinary roster of Dominican clergy, including two future bishops. Father Edward Dominic Fenwick, OP, the founder, went on to become the first Bishop of Cincinnati in 1822 and is venerated as the 'Apostle of Ohio.' Father Joseph Sadoc Alemany, OP, who served at Somerset in the mid-1800s, later became the first Archbishop of San Francisco (1853–1884). Father Nicholas Dominic Young, OP, Fenwick's nephew, kept the mission alive from 1818 until other friars arrived.
- Fr. Edward Dominic Fenwick, OP — Founder; later Bishop of Cincinnati (1822–1832)
- Fr. Nicholas Dominic Young, OP — Co-founder; first resident priest after Fenwick's departure
- Fr. Daniel O'Leary, OP — Served c.1823 to mid-1830s
- Fr. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, OP — Later Bishop of Monterey and first Archbishop of San Francisco
- Dominican priors of St. Joseph's Priory (1877–1918 and beyond): Lilly, Higgins, Spencer, McKenna, Kearney, Kennedy, Kent, McShane, Hinch
Architecture and the Historic Church Building
The present church, designed by architect Thomas Spare and completed in 1843, is a Gothic / High Victorian Revival structure whose original walls survived the 1864 fire that destroyed the rest of the building. A comprehensive interior renovation in 2016 — overseen by current pastor Father André-Joseph LaCasse, OP — included floor refinishing, pew restoration, door rebuilding, new wiring and air conditioning, restoration of the original communion rail, and the reproduction of historic 1918 sanctuary-apse murals of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Architect: Thomas Spare
- Style: Gothic / High Victorian Revival
- Built: 1843 (current walls)
- Fire: 1864 (walls survived)
- Renovated: 2016 interior restoration
- NRHP #: 86002267 (listed Aug. 7, 1986)
- Property: 7.6 acres
- Architectural consultant (2016): Bill Heyer of Columbus
Holy Trinity Church — Companion Parish
Holy Trinity Church, located at 228 South Columbus Street in the village of Somerset, is the second church site of the merged Holy Trinity–St. Joseph Parish. Built in 1852, it has long shared a pastor with St. Joseph Church and was formally merged into a single parish with St. Joseph under the Diocese of Columbus's 'Real Presence Real Future' pastoral-planning initiative. A recent extensive restoration of Holy Trinity Church — funded through the 'Beacon on the Hill' capital campaign and celebrated at a November 23 Mass with Bishop Earl Fernandes — included repainting inside and out, marble-tile resurfacing of the narthex and a dedicated baptismal-font space (Dan Boyden, Veritas Tile Works), refinishing of pews by the Martin Painting Company, LED lighting, exterior lighting upgrades, and rebuilding of the confessional.
- Address: 228 S. Columbus St., Somerset, OH 43783
- Built: 1852
- Restoration: completed 2024–2025 (celebrated Nov. 23, 2025)
- Architectural consultant: Bill Heyer (Columbus)
- Capital campaign: 'Beacon on the Hill'
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
Faith formation for parish children is centered at Holy Trinity School; for children not enrolled there, the parish runs a Parish School of Religion (PSR) and mandatory sacramental-preparation classes. Sacramental preparation is required for any 2nd grader wishing to receive First Holy Communion, and Confirmation classes follow a two-year cycle (off-years include home catechesis). Families seeking to home-educate K–8 children in the faith are invited to contact the parish office for materials.
- First Holy Communion preparation — 2nd grade
- Confirmation preparation — two-year cycle
- Parish School of Religion (PSR) — for K–8 students not at Holy Trinity School
- Home catechesis — by request through the parish office
Holy Trinity School
Holy Trinity School, at 225 South Columbus Street directly across from Holy Trinity Church, has been educating Perry County Catholics for generations. Originally founded and staffed by the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs (now the Dominican Sisters of Peace), the school continues that tradition under principal William Noll — himself a sixth-generation descendant of one of the original St. Joseph families — and with Sister Nancy Ames, OP, serving as vice principal. The school recently completed a 50-percent building expansion that added middle-school classrooms upstairs and an early-childhood center (3- and 4-year-olds and kindergarten) downstairs, funded in part by a $1.1 million fundraising effort.
- Address: 225 S. Columbus St., Somerset, OH 43783
- Phone: 740-843-1324
- Grades: Preschool through 8
- Latchkey: 6:15 AM – 5:30 PM
- Total enrollment: ~191 students
- Draws from five counties and 12 school districts
- Sister Nancy Ames, OP — vice principal (Dominican Sisters of Peace)
- Principal William Noll — sixth-generation descendant of original parish family
- Perry County Consortium partner parishes: St. Rose of Lima (New Lexington), St. Patrick (Junction City), Holy Trinity–St. Joseph
Outreach, Devotions, and Parish Life
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, the parish sustains a varied devotional and outreach life rooted in its Dominican heritage. Online giving is available for the weekly offertory and for pledges to the 'Beacon on the Hill' building campaign. Daily Mass for the homebound is available through the Diocese of Columbus YouTube channel. The parish's historic devotion to the Rosary is so central that the centenary volume was printed by 'The Rosary Press' — a press the parish itself supported.
- Online giving — weekly offertory and 'Beacon on the Hill' campaign
- Daily online Mass — Diocese of Columbus YouTube
- Rosary devotion — historic parish devotion
- Parish office contact: Kathy Mertens, 740-743-1317
Visiting and Pilgrim Information
St. Joseph's is both an active parish church and a pilgrimage site for visitors interested in the origins of Catholicism in Ohio. The parish grounds include a small museum displaying a scale model of the original 1818 log church and artifacts from the parish's first century. Group tours may be arranged by calling the parish office at 740-743-1317.
- Pilgrimage landmark — first Catholic church in Ohio
- On-site museum with 1818 log-church model
- Group tours by appointment (740-743-1317)
- Sunday 8:00 AM Mass open to visitors
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Edward Dominic Fenwick, OP1818–1821
Founder of St. Joseph Parish and the first Catholic church in Ohio; later first Bishop of Cincinnati (1822–1832); known as the 'Apostle of Ohio'.
- Rev. Nicholas Dominic Young, OP1818–c.1823
Nephew of Fr. Fenwick and his co-laborer; alone at St. Joseph after Fenwick became bishop until O'Leary arrived.
- Rev. Daniel O'Leary, OPc.1823–mid-1830s
Joined Fr. Young at St. Joseph; oversaw the transition from the log church to the 1829 brick church.
- Very Rev. Hugh Francis Lilly, OP, P.G.1877– (first prior listed in Centenary volume)
First prior of the formally constituted St. Joseph's Priory; served 1877 onward.
- Very Rev. Arthur V. Higgins, OP, S.T.M.Prior of St. Joseph's (late 19th c.)
Listed as second prior in the 1918 Centenary record.
- Very Rev. Francis Aloysius Spencer, OPPrior of St. Joseph's (late 19th c.)
Listed among Dominican priors in 1918 Centenary volume.
- Very Rev. Charles Hyacinth McKenna, OP, P.G.Prior of St. Joseph's (turn of 20th c.)
Listed in 1918 Centenary volume.
- Very Rev. Lawrence Francis Kearney, OP, S.T.M.Prior of St. Joseph's (early 20th c.)
Preached at the 1918 Centenary celebration.
- Very Rev. D. J. Kennedy, OP, S.T.M.Prior of St. Joseph's (early 20th c.)
Preached the sermon 'One Hundred Years of Dominican Life' at the centenary.
- Very Rev. John C. Kent, OPPrior of St. Joseph's (early 20th c.)
Listed in 1918 Centenary.
- Rev. Francis Dominic McShane, OP, S.T.Lr.Early 20th century
Listed in 1918 Centenary.
- Very Rev. John Aloysius Hinch, OP, P.G.Prior at time of 1918 Centenary
Listed as the last prior in the 1918 Centenary succession.
- Rev. Joseph Sadoc Alemany, OPServed at St. Joseph's in mid-1800s
Later Bishop of Monterey (1850–53) and first Archbishop of San Francisco (1853–84); a notable alumnus of the parish clergy.
- Rev. André-Joseph LaCasse, OPPresent
Current pastor of the merged Holy Trinity–St. Joseph Parish; previously pastor of Columbus St. Patrick and Cincinnati St. Gertrude.
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