About St. Bernard · Cincinnati, Ohio
St. Bernard is a small Catholic parish of roughly 140 households in the Spring Grove Village / Winton Place neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, served from the historic 735 Derby Avenue church dedicated in 1920. It is now a campus of the Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes — a grouping of five parishes (Assumption, St. Bartholomew, St. Bernard, St. Clare, and St. Vivian) in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati — yet the Winton Place community still gathers for Sunday and weekday Mass, devotions, and a wide variety of lay-led ministries. The parish's tagline, 'A small place where God's love is made big,' captures both its modest size and its energetic commitment to hospitality, social justice, Hispanic ministry, and care for God's creation.
- Established
- 1919
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux (the parish was named for the patron saint of early benefactor Bernard Coors)
- Rector
- Fr. Henry Hoffmann (Pastor of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Bernard is a parish where almost every member of the small congregation has a hand in the ministry — from cooking the monthly parish breakfast, hosting a Posada or Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration, or visiting homebound parishioners with the Eucharist, to serving with St. Vincent de Paul or joining the parish's Laudato Si' recycling and pollinator-garden efforts. Visitors are welcomed warmly at an intimate, spirit-filled Sunday liturgy enriched with bilingual music by the parish's longstanding Hispanic families, and they quickly find small, genuine community in Scripture Sharing, the Men's Group, or the annual Lenten fish fry, parish picnic, and riverboat cruise.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM (as listed by Discover Mass / Catholic Church Directory)
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM (older schedule listing)
Parish History
St. Bernard was organized in the spring of 1919 in Winton Place, with founding pastor Father Martin Varley celebrating the first Mass on May 18, 1919 in the Town Hall (now Harmony Lodge). Less than seventeen months later, on September 19, 1920, the present Spanish Revival church at 735 Derby Avenue — designed by local architect John P. Sheblessy — was dedicated. The parish was named for the patron saint of early benefactor Bernard Coors and grew alongside its school, staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg, and organizations like the Holy Name Society, the Madonna Society, and (from the 1950s) the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- 1919 — Parish organized; first Mass in Town Hall
- 1920 — Church at 735 Derby Avenue dedicated (architect: John P. Sheblessy; Spanish Revival)
- 1946 — Mother of Christ parish established in neighboring Winton Terrace
- 1970s–80s — New Jerusalem charismatic community under Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the campus
- 1984–2012 — Pastorate of Father Jim Shappelle
- Sept. 22, 2019 — Centennial Mass with Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr
- 2023 — Joins Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes (Beacons of Light)
Architecture & Building
The church at 735 Derby Avenue is a Spanish Revival design by Cincinnati architect John P. Sheblessy, dedicated in 1920, and represents one of the more architecturally distinctive small Catholic churches in the city. Sheblessy is the same architect responsible for the Baroque Revival Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Sedamsville (1915).
- Architect: John P. Sheblessy
- Style: Spanish Revival
- Dedicated: September 19, 1920
- Located in the Winton Place / Spring Grove Village neighborhood
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Following the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's 'Beacons of Light' restructuring, St. Bernard is served by the priests of the Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes — Fr. Henry Hoffmann as pastor and Fathers Ronald Haft and George Jacquemin as parochial vicars — with continued Jesuit presence from sacramental ministers Fr. Robert Thesing, SJ and Fr. Tom Manahan, SJ. A succession of faith-filled pastors, going back to founding pastor Father Martin Varley (1919) and including the much-loved Father Jim Shappelle (1984–2012), has shaped the parish's lay-led character.
- Pastor: Fr. Henry Hoffmann
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Ronald Haft, Fr. George Jacquemin
- Sacramental Ministers: Fr. Robert Thesing, SJ; Fr. Tom Manahan, SJ
- Founding pastor Fr. Martin Varley (1919)
- Beloved longtime pastor Fr. Jim Shappelle (1984–2012)
Mass & Sacramental Schedule
St. Bernard continues to offer Mass at its Derby Avenue campus, drawing faithful from Winton Place, Spring Grove Village, and surrounding Cincinnati neighborhoods. Parish directory listings show weekday Masses on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and on Wednesday at noon, with a Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM (a Sunday 11:00 AM Mass appears in older listings) and a Saturday vigil. Confessions are scheduled Saturday afternoon before the vigil. Visitors are urged to confirm current times with the parish office, since Beacons of Light consolidation may have adjusted the weekly schedule.
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM
- Wednesday: 12:00 PM (Noon)
- Thursday: 8:00 AM
- Saturday vigil: 5:00 PM (per Discover Mass) / 4:00 PM (older listings)
- Sunday: 9:30 AM (per Discover Mass) / 11:00 AM (older listings)
- Confessions: Saturday 4:00–5:00 PM
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Children's faith formation in the Family of Parishes runs through 'Providence Kids' for grades K–5 and 'Providence Youth' for grades 6–12, with the consolidated John Paul II Catholic School (on the St. Bartholomew grounds, 9375 Winton Rd) and St. Vivian Catholic School serving parish families. Adult faith formation at St. Bernard centers on the long-running Tuesday-morning Scripture-Sharing group begun by Father Jim Shappelle — which reads and discusses the upcoming Sunday's readings with the aid of a scriptural commentary — and on parish retreat days.
- Providence Kids (Grades K–5)
- Providence Youth (Grades 6–12)
- John Paul II Catholic School (consolidated school)
- St. Vivian Catholic School
- Tuesday Scripture-Sharing / Bible Study (founded by Fr. Jim Shappelle)
Hispanic Ministry & Bilingual Liturgy
St. Bernard has long been known as a welcoming community enriched by the Hispanic families who have joined it, and the parish 'includes bi-lingual songs' in Sunday liturgy. The community also hosts traditional celebrations such as Las Posadas and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, allowing both longtime Anglo and newer Hispanic members to share their faith and culture.
- Bilingual music in Sunday liturgy
- Las Posadas celebration
- Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration
Parish Life & Fellowship
Faith and fun are intertwined at St. Bernard, where 'parishioners and others' come together for a remarkable range of recurring events. The parish has 'a long tradition' of fundraising and fellowship — monthly breakfast, monthly movie night, monthly card night, concerts, rummage sales, the annual Lenten fish fries, a chili cookoff, parish picnic, a riverboat cruise, and a train ride. Theologian of this small, lively community would surely recognize what the parish itself says: God's love is made big, in a small place.
- Monthly breakfast gathering
- Monthly movie night & card night
- Annual Lenten fish fries
- Annual chili cookoff
- Parish picnic, riverboat cruise, train ride
- Concerts and rummage sales
Outreach, Social Justice & Charity
Service to neighbors is woven into parish identity. The St. Vincent de Paul Society has operated at St. Bernard since the 1950s, and the parish's Social Justice Committee works on local, national, and global issues through prayer, education, and action rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. Members also support KAIROS retreats at local correctional institutions, while the parish's Ministry to the Shut-ins brings monthly Communion to homebound parishioners in nursing homes and private residences.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (since the 1950s)
- Social Justice Committee
- KAIROS prison-retreat support
- Ministry to the Shut-ins (monthly home Communion visits)
- Winton Place Youth Center (after-school care & tutoring, founded by parishioners)
Care for Creation — Laudato Si'
St. Bernard has been recognized by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as a 'Laudato Si' community' for its Care for Creation efforts, especially its parish recycling program and a 'pollinators garden' on the campus grounds — a small but visible witness to the Church's environmental teaching.
- Recognized by the Archdiocese as a Laudato Si' community
- Parish recycling program
- Pollinators garden
Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes
St. Bernard is one of five parishes — along with Assumption (Mount Healthy), St. Bartholomew, St. Clare, and St. Vivian — that together form the Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes, an outcome of the Archdiocese's Beacons of Light pastoral restructuring. The Family shares pastoral leadership (Pastor Fr. Henry Hoffmann; Parochial Vicars Fr. Ronald Haft and Fr. George Jacquemin), a centralized Family Office (originally at 7600 Winton Rd, consolidated in September 2025), and joint faith-formation programs (Providence Kids and Providence Youth), while each campus keeps its own Mass schedule, ministries, and parish identity.
- Assumption — 7711 Joseph St, Mount Healthy, OH 45231
- St. Bartholomew — 9375 Winton Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45231
- St. Bernard — 735 Derby Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45232
- St. Clare — 1443 Cedar Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45224
- St. Vivian — 7600 Winton Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45224
- Family Office: 7600 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45224 — 513-728-4331 — [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Martin Varley1919–
Founding pastor; celebrated the first Mass on May 18, 1919 in the Town Hall and set the welcoming tone of the parish.
- Father Jim Shappelle1984–2012
Long-tenured pastor; known for his love of Scripture (founder of the Tuesday Bible-study group) and his Winton Place 'bike ministry.'
- Father Joseph Robinson
Canonical pastor who concelebrated the parish's 2019 centennial Mass.
- Father Robert Thesing, SJuntil 2018
Transitioned from pastor to sacramental minister as the parish entered a pastoral region; still listed as a Jesuit sacramental minister at the St. Bernard campus.
- Sister Margie Niemer, OSF (Franciscan)from 2018
Pastoral administrator appointed in 2018 in keeping with the parish's tradition of lay and religious leadership.