About St. Bernard Church · Springfield, Ohio
St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church is a historic parish on Springfield, Ohio's east side, founded in 1860 by German-speaking Catholics who had previously attended St. Raphael Parish. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and today is part of the St. Rose Parish Family in the Emmanuel B Deanery. Located at 910 Lagonda Avenue, it offers daily and weekend Masses, a long-running Catholic school (now part of Catholic Central School), an adjoining parish cemetery with a columbarium, and a wide range of ministries serving the local community.
- Established
- 1860
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Komoroski
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Bernard offers a deeply rooted Catholic community with more than 165 years of history on Springfield's east side, daily and weekend Masses, a staffed parochial school tradition, a working cemetery with columbarium, and active sacramental life including a Saturday vigil, Sunday Mass, and weekday Masses that are also livestreamed. The parish is part of the St. Rose Parish Family, which combines shared staff and ministries (evangelization, faith formation, music, scheduling, maintenance) with the parish's own distinctive identity and ministries — making it a place where visitors can both join a tradition-rich worshipping community and plug into a broader network of Catholic outreach in Springfield.
Mass times at St. Bernard Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
- By appointment
Parish History
St. Bernard traces its origins to the late 1850s, when east-side Springfield German Catholics petitioned Archbishop John Baptist Purcell of Cincinnati for a priest who could say Mass in their native tongue. After gathering at the home of William Griblenhoffer, the families formally petitioned for a parish in 1860. The first recorded Mass was on November 1, 1860 at 266-268 East Main Street in a former clothing store. The cornerstone of the present Gothic red-brick church at Lagonda Avenue and Columbia Street was laid October 20, 1867, and Bishop Sylvester Rosecrans, the first Bishop of Columbus, dedicated the completed church on July 4, 1870.
- Founded 1860
- First Mass November 1, 1860
- Cornerstone laid October 20, 1867
- Church dedicated July 4, 1870
- 150th anniversary Mass celebrated July 11, 2010
Parish School
St. Bernard began a two-room school in 1874, the first addition of any kind to the parish. The Sisters of Charity arrived in 1880 to staff the school, with the first recorded enrollment of 115 students. A larger school was built in 1914–1915 and dedicated by Archbishop Henry Moeller of Cincinnati on September 5, 1915; the Guardian Angel statue above the school was donated by John Groeber, Sr. A commercial high school was begun in 1913, and by 1923 the school had grown to 517 pupils. In the summer and fall of 2002, parishioners donated labor and more than $100,000 to replace roofs, paint classrooms and install energy-efficient windows in both parish school buildings.
- Two-room school opened 1874
- Sisters of Charity arrived 1880
- New school dedicated September 5, 1915 by Archbishop Henry Moeller
- First organist and second-grade teacher Joseph Link came from Springfield, Illinois, in 1870
- 517 pupils enrolled by 1923
- Major 2002 renovation with donated labor and over $100,000
St. Bernard Cemetery
In 1879 the parish purchased 20 acres in the north end of Springfield for a cemetery; Archbishop Purcell and several thousand parishioners walked out to East Home Road for the blessing. The cemetery is the resting place of generations of St. Bernard families and is served today by sextons Wayne & Trusie Woodruff. It features a hand-built stone grotto (completed October 1967, dedicated November 5, 1967 by Fr. O'Connor) built of red granite from Mt. Scott, Oklahoma, southern gray granite, Pulasky stone from Michigan, and Ohio granite from Clark County fields — about 120 tons of stone and 30 yards of cement in total — and a granite columbarium blessed and dedicated on March 3, 1999 by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk for the entombment of cremated remains.
- 20-acre cemetery purchased 1879
- Grotto completed October 1967, dedicated November 5, 1967
- Columbarium blessed and dedicated March 3, 1999 by Archbishop Pilarczyk
- Priests' Mound with 1989 granite Crucifixion monument donated by Fr. Boyle
Parish Staff and Clergy
The parish is led by pastor Rev. Christopher Komoroski, parochial vicar Rev. Robert Hale, and deacon Earl Rogers, with administrative assistant support. Music Director and Pastoral Associate Ann Garrity directs music and pastoral care, while Beth Meier coordinates ministers' scheduling. As part of the St. Rose Parish Family, St. Bernard shares staff for evangelization, administration, and maintenance with sister parishes.
- Rev. Christopher Komoroski — Pastor
- Rev. Robert Hale — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Earl Rogers
- Ann Garrity — Music Director, Pastoral Associate
- Beth Meier — Ministers Scheduling (937-346-7178)
- John Herzog — Maintenance
- Chelsea Martinez — St. Rose Parish Family Director of Administration
- Nic Kovatch & Jenn Lewis — St. Rose Parish Family Directors of Evangelization
- Jeff Miller — St. Rose Parish Family Director of Maintenance and Cemetery
Ministries and Faith Formation
St. Bernard supports the liturgical, formation and outreach life of the parish through active music, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, altar servers and CCD programs, supported by a Pastoral Associate. Many of these ministries and commissions were formalized in the 1980s under Fr. Donald C. Huebner and Sr. Della Mae Meyer, C.PP.S., and they continue today with shared staff from the St. Rose Parish Family.
- Parish Choir and Music Ministry
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) — religious education
- Pastoral Care / Pastoral Associate
- Ministers Scheduling
St. Rose Parish Family
St. Bernard is a member parish of the St. Rose Parish Family in the Emmanuel B Deanery of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, sharing evangelization, administrative, maintenance, and cemetery staff across parishes in the Springfield area.
- Director of Evangelization: Nic Kovatch and Jenn Lewis
- Director of Administration: Chelsea Martinez
- Director of Maintenance and Cemetery: Jeff Miller
- St. Bernard Cemetery Sextons: Wayne & Trusie Woodruff
Visiting and Accessibility
The parish welcomes visitors at any of its scheduled Masses and also keeps the church open for private prayer throughout most weekdays. A handicap-access ramp installed in 1988 makes the parish buildings fully accessible to those with physical challenges.
- Business office hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (closed Sat–Sun)
- Church open for private prayer: Mon–Wed, Fri 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; Thu 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
- Handicap-access ramp installed 1988
- Located at 910 Lagonda Avenue, Springfield, OH 45503
- Phone (937) 322-5243; Fax (937) 322-3788
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Francis X. Mauclerc, S.M.1860–1863
First assigned pastor, came from the University of Dayton. Signed the first extant baptismal record on November 28, 1860. Also pastor of St. Mary, Greenville (1856–1862) and founder of Our Lady of Good Hope, Miamisburg (1861) and Mary, Help of Christians, Fairborn (1862). Said Mass a couple of times a month at St. Bernard.
- Rev. Fr. William Deiters1863–
First resident pastor of St. Bernard Parish.
- Rev. Fr. Bernard M. Engbers1869
Served only a few months.
- Rev. Fr. John M. Schuchart1869–
Born in Düsseldorf; arrived in the fall of 1869.
- Rev. Fr. Cletus Riegeraround 1953–1957
Ordained by Bishop Hadley in 1925 after studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum. Served St. Joseph La Rue, St. Sebastian Sebastian OH, St. Mary Hillsboro, then St. Bernard; later pastor of St. Stephen's Cincinnati until retirement in 1967. Died in Louisville, KY in 1988.
- Rev. Fr. John P. O'Connor1957–1971
Springfield native, ordained May 29, 1926 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral. Served Bellefontaine, Cincinnati, Dayton parishes before returning to Springfield. Pastor of St. Bernard 1957 until retirement June 1971. Favorite of school children; eighth-graders helped print the bulletin on the rectory hand-press. Died Jan 16, 1983 while serving as chaplain at the Ursuline Convent in Brown County, OH.
- Rev. Fr. John P. Boyle1971–1983
St. Bernard alumnus (eighth grade 1934), ordained May 20, 1944. Long-time spiritual director at St. Gregory Seminary. Introduced school uniforms. Reassigned July 1983 to St. Mary, Urbana; retired 1984 for health reasons. Died in Springfield Sept 12, 1993; buried in the Priests' Mound at St. Bernard Cemetery. Donated a granite Crucifixion monument to the Priests' Mound in 1989.
- Rev. Fr. Donald C. Huebner1983–2001
Born Springfield July 4, 1928; ordained by Archbishop Karl J. Alter May 1954. First pastor since 1908 to serve without an associate pastor. Brought Sr. Della Mae Meyer, C.PP.S. as Pastoral Associate and established many parish ministries and commissions. Retired July 1, 2001; resided in Ludlow Falls, OH; died Oct 23, 2008. Buried in St. Bernard Cemetery.
- Rev. Fr. Paul F. Hurst2001–
Seventeenth pastor; born Cincinnati July 25, 1945; ordained 1977 by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Bernardin. Served St. Anthony Dayton, St. Mary Springfield (also Catholic Chaplain at Community Hospital), Kettering Medical Center / St. Albert Kettering, Our Lady of Good Hope Miamisburg, and St. Augustine Germantown before becoming St. Bernard's 17th pastor July 2, 2001. Known for traveling to historic places and for the 'Little Mouse Christmas Story' with a mouse added to the parish Christmas crib.
- Rev. Christopher Komoroskicurrent
Current pastor; also leads the parish as part of the St. Rose Parish Family.