About St. Aloysius · Shandon, Ohio
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the small Butler County hamlet of Shandon, Ohio, in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is one of five parishes that form the St. Stephen Family of Parishes (Queen of Peace, St. Aloysius, St. Joseph, St. Julie Billiart, and St. Peter in Chains), created under the Beacons of Light initiative in the summer of 2022. The parish traces its origins to 1868, when Archbishop John B. Purcell blessed a temporary chapel in what was then called New London, and today serves approximately 720 registered families with weekend Masses, weekday liturgies, faith formation for youth, and a wide range of outreach ministries including a parish-run Veterans' Memorial and a monthly meal at Serve City in Hamilton.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- Rector
- Rev. Richard Walling
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati (Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati)
Why belong here
St. Aloysius offers a warm, small-parish feel in rural Shandon while being supported by the resources of the five-parish St. Stephen Family of Parishes. Weekend and weekday Masses are paired with regular Saturday and Tuesday confessions, Communion calls to the homebound, a low-gluten host option, and assistive-listening audio loops for worshippers who use hearing aids with T-coils. Active families can plug into Children's Liturgy of the Word, youth events like the annual T-Shirt Squirt & Pizza gathering, the Helping Hands meals-and-rides ministry, Boy Scouts, Catholic Order of Foresters, the Ladies' and Men's Societies, monthly Serve City meal preparation, and the ongoing St. Aloysius Veterans' Memorial — a community that, in 2024–25, has also welcomed new parishioners and supports Catholic education at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton.
Mass times at St. Aloysius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM (before the 4:00 PM Mass)
- Tuesday 7:30–8:00 PM (after the 7:00 PM Mass)
History of St. Aloysius Parish
St. Aloysius traces its origins to June 2, 1868, when Archbishop John B. Purcell, accompanied by Fathers Egger, Steinliage, Hammer, and Rombouts, blessed a small frame as a temporary chapel in the Butler County hamlet then called New London. The first parish property — lot 32 of Section 25, Morgan Township — was purchased in February 1868 for $600 from Philip and Margaretta Ruhlman, and the present church still stands on that lot. The first pastor, Rev. Gebhard Egger, served from 1868 to 1873 while also pastoring St. John, Dry Ridge. He was followed by a brief tenure under Rev. Francis J. Voet and then by the Franciscan Fathers, beginning with Rev. Jerome Kilgenstein (1873–1875), who later became the first Provincial of the Franciscan Fathers Province of St. John the Baptist. A brick church replaced the original frame in 1878; that brick church was destroyed by fire on the night of May 2, 1900, and was rebuilt on the same foundation — the salvaged cornerstone still bears the inscriptions 'St. Aloysius Church – Erected 1878' and 'Rebuilt 1900.' The parish grew slowly from about seventeen families in its first sixty years to 25 families in 1934, 150 in 1968, and roughly 720 today.
- Founded 1868 in New London (renamed Shandon in 1893)
- First written record: Catholic Telegraph, June 10, 1868
- Original brick church built 1878; destroyed by fire May 2, 1900
- Rebuilt 1900 on the same foundation; cornerstone still in place
- First resident priest assigned 1956
- Present church dedicated January 1985
- Currently serves about 720 registered families
St. Stephen Family of Parishes
St. Aloysius is one of five parishes that together form the St. Stephen Family of Parishes under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Beacons of Light initiative, effective the summer of 2022. The other parishes in the family are Queen of Peace, St. Joseph, St. Julie Billiart, and St. Peter in Chains — all in or near Hamilton, Ohio. The five share clergy and resources while maintaining their individual parish identities, Mass schedules, and ministries. Rev. Richard Walling was installed as Pastor of the Family of Parishes in July 2022.
- Queen of Peace
- St. Aloysius (Shandon)
- St. Julie Billiart (Hamilton)
- St. Joseph (Hamilton)
- St. Peter in Chains (Hamilton)
- Pastor of the Family: Rev. Richard Walling (installed July 2022)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by clergy assigned through the St. Stephen Family of Parishes. Rev. Richard Walling is Pastor and Rev. Nam Vu serves as Parochial Vicar. Ann Shackleford handles baptisms, Kitty Bosse coordinates the Helping Hands ministry, Terrie Meyer oversees Sacristans and the Serve City meal, and Bill is the contact for the Veterans' Memorial. New Parishioner Registration is handled through the parish office.
- Rev. Richard Walling — Pastor
- Rev. Nam Vu — Parochial Vicar
- Ann Shackleford — Baptisms (513-738-1014)
- Kitty Bosse — Helping Hands (513-317-7215)
- Terrie Meyer — Sacristans & Serve City (513-484-5830)
- Bill — Veterans' Memorial (513-706-5475)
Faith Formation & Youth
Children's faith formation at the 10:00 AM Mass is offered through the Children's Liturgy of the Word (C.L.O.W.), held on the second and fourth Sundays of the month (cancellations are noted in the bulletin; the schedule may be adjusted based on attendance). Older youth in grades 5 and up — and 4th-grade servers — gather for the annual T-Shirt Squirt & Pizza event at the parish pavilion (Saturday, June 7, 2025, 5:30–8:30 PM), with pizza, drinks, t-shirts, dye, squirt guns, nine-square, kickball, and other activities. Many parish children attend St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton.
- C.L.O.W. — Children's Liturgy of the Word, 10:00 AM Mass, 2nd & 4th Sundays
- T-Shirt Squirt & Pizza youth event — June 7, 2025, 5:30–8:30 PM
- St. Joseph Consolidated School (Hamilton) — parish grade school
- Youth Prep contact: [email protected] or 513-738-1014, ext. 2103
Parish Ministries & Fellowship
St. Aloysius has a deep bench of lay-led ministries and fellowship groups. Liturgical roles include Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Sacristans. Outreach is led by the Helping Hands Ministry (temporary meals and transportation for those recovering from surgery, new parents, or those needing rides to medical appointments) and the monthly Serve City meal (Fourth Thursday of every month since January 2017). Fellowship and service groups include Boy Scouts, the Catholic Order of Foresters (Adult and Youth), the Ladies' and Men's Societies, the Romeos and Juliet Lunch Groups, the Loomers, and parish Festivals.
- Helping Hands Ministry — Kitty Bosse (513-317-7215)
- Sacristan Ministry — Terrie Meyer (513-484-5830)
- Serve City meal — Fourth Thursday monthly
- Boy Scouts
- Catholic Order of Foresters — Adult & Youth
- St. Aloysius Ladies' Society
- St. Aloysius Men's Society
- Romeos Lunch Group / Juliet Lunch Group
- Loomers / Parish Festivals
Outreach & Community Service
Two flagship outreach efforts anchor the parish's service to the wider Butler County community. The Helping Hands Ministry organizes temporary meals and rides for parishioners facing surgery, illness, new babies, or medical appointments they cannot otherwise reach. Since January 2017, St. Aloysius has also prepared a meal on the Fourth Thursday of every month for Serve City — an outreach center at 622 East Ave., Hamilton, dedicated to serving the needs of Butler County's low-income and homeless individuals and families. The parish collects both volunteer help and monetary donations (marked 'Serve City' in the collection basket) for these efforts.
- Helping Hands — meals and rides for parishioners in need
- Serve City monthly meal — Fourth Thursday, since January 2017
- Volunteer coordinator: Terrie Meyer (513-484-5830)
- Serve City location: 622 East Ave., Hamilton, Ohio
Veterans' Memorial
The St. Aloysius Veterans' Memorial is a continuing parish project that allows parishioners and friends to honor veterans with personalized engraved bricks. Two remaining areas in the memorial are dedicated to POW/MIA veterans and to the sixth military branch, the U.S. Space Force. Order forms are available in the rack outside the parish office.
- Engraved-brick fundraiser honoring veterans
- Dedicated areas for POW/MIA and U.S. Space Force
- Order forms in the rack outside the parish office
- Contact: Bill, 513-706-5475
Visiting & Parish Information
St. Aloysius welcomes visitors, relocating families, and new parishioners. A Parish Registration Form is available on the parish website, and recent new parishioners are publicly welcomed in the weekly bulletin. The parish office is located at 3350 Chapel Rd., Shandon, Ohio 45063-0095, and is open Monday through Friday 8:30 AM–3:00 PM (September–May) and 8:30 AM–2:00 PM (June–August). Emergency pastoral care is available by calling 513-863-1040, ext. 6. Note: Fr. Walling will never email or text parishioners asking for money or gift cards — any such messages are scams.
- Address: 3350 Chapel Rd., Shandon, OH 45063-0095
- Office Phone: 513-738-1014
- Office Hours: Sept.–May Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–3:00 PM; June–Aug Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–2:00 PM
- Emergency Pastoral Care: 513-863-1040, ext. 6
- New Parishioner Registration Form available on the website
- Scam alert: Fr. Walling does not solicit money or gift cards by email or text
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Gebhard Egger1868–1873
First pastor; also served St. John, Dry Ridge; baptized 19 people including two sets of twins.
- Rev. Francis J. Voet1873 (briefly)
Served the mission for a short time before the Franciscans arrived.
- Rev. Jerome Kilgenstein, O.F.M.1873–1875
First Franciscan pastor; later became first Provincial of the Franciscan Fathers Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati.
- Franciscan Fathers (various)1873–c. 1920
Long years of Franciscan service from St. Stephen Hamilton, Cincinnati headquarters, and (after 1903) via the C. & O. Railroad. Monthly, then twice-monthly, then weekly Sunday Masses.
- Priests of St. Francis Seminary, Mt. Healthyc. 1920 onward
Diocesan priests resumed care of the mission; first resident priest assigned in 1956.
- Rev. Richard WallingInstalled July 2022
Installed as Pastor of St. Stephen Parish (Family of Parishes) under the Beacons of Light initiative; serves as Pastor of St. Aloysius among the five parishes.