About St. Bernadette · Amelia, Ohio
St. Bernadette Catholic Church is a parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati located at 1479 Locust Lake Road in Amelia, Ohio (Clermont County), and a member of the Stella Maris Family of Parishes. Founded in 1944 as a summer mission church for Cincinnati families who retreated at Locust Lake, it has grown into a community of more than 800 families served by a parish school (preschool through grade 8), a flourishing music ministry, faith formation programs, and a church dedicated in 2009 by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk. Sunday Mass is offered at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., with the earlier Mass live-streamed on the parish Facebook page, and the parish remains known for its welcoming character.
- Established
- 1944
- Patron
- St. Bernadette of Lourdes
- Rector
- Fr. Timothy W. (Tim) Ralston
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Bernadette offers the rare combination of a small-parish feel with large-parish resources — a dedicated 2009 church, a preschool-through-grade-8 Catholic school, a flourishing music ministry, daily Mass Monday through Saturday, Eucharistic Adoration with a daily-open chapel, and a parish-run Lourdes Grotto that ties the community to its 1944 missionary roots. As part of the new Stella Maris Family of Parishes under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, it pairs traditional devotions (First Friday Adoration, weekly Confession, the prayer to St. Bernadette) with active youth athletics, faith-formation programs (RCIA, Confirmation, Reconciliation prep), and outreach such as the ECHO Yard Sale — all in a community of more than 800 welcoming families.
Mass times at St. Bernadette
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 5:30–6:30 PM
- Saturday 9:00–10:00 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Chapel open daily 7:00 AM to 8:30 PM (except during Mass times)
- First Friday of the month: Eucharistic Adoration 7:00–8:00 PM
Parish History
St. Bernadette traces its origins to June 6, 1944, when about twenty families from Price Hill (Cincinnati) gathered for the first Mass at the 'Little House in the Woods' on Locust Lake. Under founding pastor Fr. Claude Nevins the rural mission grew to more than 65 acres, added a Lourdes Grotto, and opened a school staffed by three Sisters of Charity. Key milestones include the transition from mission to parish (under Fr. Bernard Piening, 1950), the construction of Stievenard Hall (1944) and a convent/rectory (1957–63, under Fr. Buddlemeier), Vatican-II renovations (under Fr. Fay, 1985), Ventura Hall (1996, under Fr. Hans Gruenbauer), and the dedication of the new church by Archbishop Pilarczyk on November 22, 2009 — enabled in part by a major 2009 bequest from Georgette Stievenard and years of parish fundraising led by Fr. Bill Stockelman. Fr. Timothy W. Ralston has served as pastor since July 2017.
- 1944 — First Mass, June 6, 'Little House in the Woods'
- 1948 — Lourdes Grotto completed
- 1950 — Becomes a Church rather than a mission (under Fr. Piening)
- 1957 — Convent built; sisters teach grades 1–8
- 1963 — New rectory added (now parish center)
- 1985 — Fr. Fay arrives; computerizes records, remodels for Vatican II
- 1996 — Ventura Hall multipurpose building constructed
- 2009 — New church dedicated by Archbishop Pilarczyk, Nov. 22
- 2017 — Fr. Timothy Ralston appointed pastor (July)
Worship & Service Times
St. Bernadette offers daily Mass Monday through Saturday plus two Sunday Masses. Confessions are heard weekly and by appointment, and the Eucharistic Chapel is open most of the day. The Sunday 9:00 AM Mass is live-streamed on the parish Facebook page.
Parish Clergy & Staff
St. Bernadette is staffed by a pastor, two parochial vicars, a weekend celebrant, a parish secretary, a business manager, and an assistant business manager. Contact information for each is published on the parish website.
- Fr. Timothy W. Ralston — Pastor (ext. 102, [email protected])
- Fr. William C. Wagner — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. David J. Endres — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Thomas E. Dorn — Weekend Celebrant
- Liz Hart — Parish Secretary (ext. 101, [email protected])
- Mark Armstrong — Business Manager (ext. 103, [email protected])
- Jennifer Harris — Assistant Business Manager (ext. 104, [email protected])
St. Bernadette School
St. Bernadette School (stbameliaschool.org) offers Catholic education for preschool through eighth grade, supported by an Archdiocese-of-Cincinnati-aligned faith and academic program. The preschool capacity was expanded from 30 to 60 in 2010, and the school participates in CYO athletics (Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Track & Field, Boys Volleyball) through the parish Athletic Boosters. Registration for the 2026–27 academic year opened January 25, 2026.
- Preschool–Grade 8 Catholic education
- CYO sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Track, Boys Volleyball
- Athletic Boosters: Walk-a-thon, Fish Fry, Mulch Sale
- Contact: Preschool — Jennifer Sharp, (513) 753-4744 ext 107
- Contact: K–8 Registration — Kristine Seitz, (513) 753-4744 ext 116
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Faith formation at St. Bernadette runs from cradle to adult. The Parish Religious Program (PRP) prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Adults preparing for Baptism enter through RCIA, and children 7 and older enter through RCIC. Infant Baptism requires a parent preparation class at least one month before the ceremony. The homebound ministry founded by Sister Assum (Dominican Sister of the Sick) remains active.
Stella Maris Family of Parishes
St. Bernadette is part of the Stella Maris Family of Parishes, a grouping of parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati designed to share clergy, resources, and ministry across Clermont County-area communities. Sister parishes include St. Thomas More (Withamsville), St. Peter (New Richmond), St. Mary (Bethel), and others.
- St. Bernadette — Amelia (this parish)
- St. Thomas More — Withamsville
- St. Peter — New Richmond
- St. Mary — Bethel
Outreach & Community Life
Outreach flows through St. Bernadette's athletic, school, and parish channels — the Athletic Boosters build picnic shelters and host a Walk-a-thon, Fish Fry, and Mulch Sale; the school yearbook and CYO teams knit the school and parish together; and the parish supports Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO) with its giant annual yard sale in the school gym.
- Athletic Boosters (Walk-a-thon, Fish Fry, Mulch Sale)
- ECHO Yard Sale (school gym)
- Lourdes Grotto devotion
- Homebound Ministry (continues Sister Assum's work)
- Live-streamed Sunday Mass on Facebook
Visiting & Contact
St. Bernadette is at 1479 Locust Lake Road, Amelia, OH 45102, with parish office hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The parish office can be reached at (513) 753-5566; the priest emergency line is 513-549-2198.
- Address: 1479 Locust Lake Road, Amelia, OH 45102
- Parish Office: (513) 753-5566
- Emergency line: 513-549-2198
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Claude Nevins1944–c.1950
First pastor; founded Mater Ecclesia music society; pilgrimaged to Lourdes and built the parish's Lourdes Grotto replica in 1948.
- Fr. Bernard Piening1950 (approx.)
Under his pastorate, the mission became a full church; added altar, tile floor, padded-kneel pews, plumbing, cafeteria/gym, and six classrooms for 1956–57.
- Fr. Buddlemeier1957–c.1963+
Built the convent (now preschool) in 1957 and the rectory (now parish center) in 1963.
- Fr. FayJuly 1985–c.1991
Computerized parish records, developed parish software, remodeled the church to Vatican II guidelines.
- Fr. Hans Gruenbauer1991–c.2005
Led fundraising and construction of Ventura Hall multipurpose building/gym (begun 1996, completed with help of John Ventura bequest).
- Fr. Bill (William) Stockelman2005–2017
Renewed the drive for a new church; wrote the parish's prayer to St. Bernadette; led Lourdes pilgrimage; oversaw 2009 dedication of the new church.
- Fr. Timothy W. RalstonJuly 2017–present
Current pastor; leads the parish within the Stella Maris Family of Parishes.