About St. Louis · North Star, Ohio
St. Louis Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the small village of North Star, in far western Ohio's Darke County. Established in 1892 and now housed in a 1914 building, the parish is one of the newest of the so-called "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches" yet stands out for its distinctive French Renaissance-influenced architecture, a National Register of Historic Places listing it has held since 1979. Today St. Louis is an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, grouped since July 2022 into the Northwest 5 (NW-5) Family of Parishes alongside St. Denis (Versailles), Holy Family (Frenchtown), St. Mary (Greenville), St. Nicholas (Osgood), St. Remy (Russia) and Immaculate Conception (Bradford). It is served by Pastor Father Ned J. Brown and three parochial vicars, and remains a small but living worship community with a historic parish cemetery at its original 1893 site.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- St. Louis (King Louis IX of France)
- Rector
- Father Ned J. Brown
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Louis is a small, historic Catholic parish where parishioners can take part in weekday and Sunday Mass, monthly Confession and First Friday adoration, while belonging to a wider NW-5 Family that shares clergy, faith formation and outreach across Darke and surrounding counties. Members steward a 1914 church that is on the National Register of Historic Places, maintain the original 1893 parish cemetery, and gather in a tight-knit rural community that has kept Catholic life in this part of western Ohio alive for more than 130 years.
Mass times at St. Louis
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm on the First of the Month
Adoration times
- Adoration listed on the NW-5 Family schedule; consult the parish office for current St. Louis hours
St. Louis Parish at a Glance
St. Louis is a small Roman Catholic parish in North Star, Darke County, Ohio, founded in 1892 and now worshipping in its 1914 building. It belongs to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and, since 2022, to the NW-5 Family of Parishes. The parish is served by Pastor Father Ned J. Brown and three parochial vicars.
- Founded: 1892
- Current church built: 1914; rededicated after major renovation in 2000
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Cincinnati (NW-5 Family)
- Pastor: Father Ned J. Brown
- Patron: St. Louis IX, King of France (feast day August 25)
Parish History
St. Louis traces its origins to 1892, when the first church was built two miles east of North Star in what was then called Delvin. After administrative ties first to St. Denis in Versailles and then to St. Nicholas in Osgood, the parish moved into the village in 1914, where its present church and brick rectory were completed. In 1979 the church and rectory were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio multiple property submission.
- 1892 – parish established
- 1893 – first church completed in countryside east of North Star (Delvin site)
- 1906 – pastoral attachment transferred to St. Nicholas, Osgood
- 1914 – present church and rectory completed in the village of North Star
- 1977 – Ohio Historic Inventory records the buildings as in good condition
- 1979 – listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #79002835)
- 2000 – church rededicated after major expansion and renovation
- July 1, 2022 – joins the NW-5 Family of Parishes
Architecture and Historic Significance
St. Louis is a single-story rectangular building with white-painted stucco walls, multiple gables and an off-center square bell tower. A rose window above the entrance and wide stained-glass windows with rounded arches light the interior. Its cornices and other details show French Renaissance influence, setting it apart from the tall Gothic Revival cross-tipped spires of neighboring parishes.
- Style: French Renaissance-influenced, unusual for the region
- Materials: white-painted stucco on concrete foundation, asphalt roof
- NRHP #79002835, listed July 26, 1979
- Part of the "Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio" multiple property submission
NW-5 Family of Parishes
Since the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Beacons of Light realignment took effect on July 1, 2022, St. Louis has been grouped into the Northwest 5 Family of Parishes. The family is led by a single pastor with three parochial vicars who serve all member parishes.
- St. Louis, North Star
- St. Denis, Versailles
- Holy Family, Frenchtown
- St. Mary, Greenville
- St. Nicholas, Osgood
- St. Remy, Russia
- Immaculate Conception, Bradford
- Pastor: Father Ned J. Brown
- Parochial Vicars: Father James G. Reutter, Father Matthew S. Feist, Father Stephen P. Jones
Clergy and Staff
St. Louis is served by the NW-5 Family's pastoral team. Pastor Father Ned Brown leads the family, supported by three parochial vicars.
- Pastor: Father Ned J. Brown
- Parochial Vicar: Father James G. Reutter
- Parochial Vicar: Father Matthew S. Feist
- Parochial Vicar: Father Stephen P. Jones
St. Louis Cemetery
The original 1893 parish church site, two miles east of North Star at the corner of Mangen Road and North Star–Fort Loramie Road, remains in use as the parish cemetery. Inquiries about purchasing a cemetery plot should be directed to Mark Barga at 419-336-5004.
- Location: southwest corner of North Star–Fort Loramie Road and Mangen Road
- Site of the parish's 1893 original church
- Contact for plot purchases: Mark Barga, 419-336-5004
Visiting and Contact
The parish office is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. A priest emergency line is available for after-hours pastoral needs. The church itself is east of the intersection of North Star Road and U.S. Route 127 in the village of North Star.
- Address: 15 E. Star Rd., North Star, OH 45350
- Parish office phone: (419) 582-2531
- Priest emergency line: 937-709-4147
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm