About St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception · Caldwell, Ohio
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a historic Roman Catholic parish serving the rural community of Fulda in Noble County, Ohio, within the Caldwell postal area. Founded in 1847 by German immigrant settlers and formally organized by their missionary priest Fr. J. C. Kraemer, it is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in southeastern Ohio and today is part of a four-parish collaborative of Noble County Catholic Churches in the Diocese of Steubenville. The parish worships in a striking 1874–75 brick church high on a hill at 1,171 feet elevation, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Regular worship continues with a Saturday Vigil Mass and a roster of beloved lay societies, while the four-parish cluster shares priests, faith formation, and outreach across the county.
- Established
- 1847
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of her Immaculate Conception
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception offers a rare chance to belong to a tight-knit rural Catholic community with roots stretching back to the 1840s German Catholic settlement of Noble County. As one of the four collaborative Noble County Catholic parishes under the Diocese of Steubenville, it shares its pastor and faith formation with neighboring Corpus Christi (Belle Valley), St. Michael (Carlisle), and St. Stephen (Caldwell), so parishioners can worship in a small historic church, send their children to the cluster-wide Parish School of Religion, and still draw on broader ministries like the Catholic Council of Women, the Ushers Club, RCIA/OCIA, the Giving Tree for needy children, and the 200 Club renovation fundraiser.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (at St. Mary's)
- Other times available by request
History of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
The parish was organized in 1847 by Fr. J. C. Kraemer among German Catholic immigrants who had been settling the Fulda area since the 1830s. The first church, built in 1853 on land bought from Adam Brahler for $25, was replaced in 1874–75 by the present brick church under Fr. D. J. Klueber. The parish celebrates its German Catholic heritage with traditional devotions, an annual patroness feast, and ongoing stewardship of the historic building.
- First Masses celebrated in log cabins and barns by visiting priests from Temperanceville, 1830s
- Parish formally organized by Fr. J. C. Kraemer in 1847
- First church built 1853 on one acre purchased from Adam Brahler for $25; cost $2,767.23
- Present church cornerstone laid May 31, 1874 by Fr. D. J. Klueber; dedicated August 1875; cost $19,498
- Building measured 60 × 120 feet; seating capacity 600; built west-facing on a hill at 1,171 ft elevation
- High altar statues: St. Boniface (Apostle of Germany), the Immaculate Mary, St. Alphonsus Liguori
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1980 (NRHP #80003202)
Parish Buildings & Grounds
The parish campus grew over more than 170 years from a single small log-cabin chapel to a church, rectory, school, parish hall, and convent — all the result of donated labor by parishioners themselves.
- First Rectory: built 1857 under Fr. J. W. Bruemmer; one room with a lean-to kitchen.
- Second Rectory: built 1869 at a cost of $2,500.
- Present Rectory: built 1884 using brick and stone salvaged from the first church.
- First School: a one-room log building north of the rectory, built 1863 by Fr. D. J. Klueber.
- Two-Room School: built 1884 after the parish's school became part of the State School System in 1877.
- Modern School: opened 1933 after the 1884 building burned; included elementary and second-grade high school with 130 students.
- Parish Hall: built 1936 under Fr. B. J. Mattes; 40 × 80 feet; remodeled 1973; still used for receptions, funeral dinners, dances, meetings, and parish events.
- First Rectory (re-used): converted in 1886 to a residence for the school teacher; became the Ursuline Convent in 1915; later used as the CCD Center, demolished in 2013.
Catholic Council of Women (CCW)
The women's society of St. Mary's has been the backbone of parish life since the beginning. Originally the Altar Society, it became the Catholic Women's Club in 1945 and was renamed the Catholic Council of Women (CCW) in 2000.
- Historically pieced and quilted in the parish hall, sometimes with as many as four quilts in the frames at once
- Quilts were offered as prizes in church raffles
- Still makes fruit baskets for the shut-ins at Christmas
- Sponsors the Giving Tree for needy children each Christmas
Ushers Club
The men of the parish belong to the Ushers Club, the successor to the Holy Name Society. Beyond their liturgical duties, the men also handle snow detail during the winter and co-sponsor the annual Spring Fling and sauerkraut dinners with the CCW, whose proceeds fund necessary repairs and purchases.
- Liturgical duties at Mass
- Snow removal at the church in winter
- Co-sponsor of the annual Spring Fling
- Co-sponsor of the annual sauerkraut dinner fundraiser
200 Club Renovation Fundraiser
The 200 Club was inaugurated in the summer of 2019 as a parish fundraiser dedicated to collecting additional money for hall and church structural renovations. It complements the parish's other annual dinners and raffles as a means of caring for the historic buildings that define St. Mary's campus.
- Launched summer 2019
- Supports hall and church structural renovations
- One of several annual fundraisers alongside the Spring Fling and sauerkraut dinners
Priestly Vocations
St. Mary's proudly counts among its sons several priests and religious whose names are preserved on the parish history page as 'Sons of the Parish Who Entered the Priesthood.' The parish's long tradition of fostering vocations is part of its identity as a deep-rooted German Catholic community.
- Jacob Schott
- Rev. Albert Kress
- Rev. Andrew H. Hohman
- Rev. Herman Crock
- Rev. Kasper Ger… (additional names listed on the parish page)
Religious Education & OCIA
Faith formation across the four-parish cluster is coordinated through the Parish School of Religion (PSR) and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA). The 2025–2026 PSR calendar and registration form are posted on the cluster website.
- Parish School of Religion (PSR) for children — 2025–2026 calendar and registration available online
- Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) — 2025–2026 calendar posted on the cluster website
- PSR and OCIA serve all four Noble County Catholic parishes together
Noble County Catholic Collaborative
St. Mary's is one of four Catholic parishes serving Noble County, Ohio, all in the Diocese of Steubenville under Bishop Edward M. Lohse as Apostolic Administrator. The cluster shares priests, religious education, and many parish events, and members often worship together at different sites.
- St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Fulda) — Caldwell, OH — Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM
- St. Stephen — 1036 Belford St., Caldwell — Sunday 8:30 AM & 5:00 PM
- St. Michael (Carlisle) — 44935 Carlisle Rd., Caldwell — Sunday 10:30 AM
- Corpus Christi — 221 Main St., Belle Valley — Saturday 6:00 PM
- Joint cluster activities: Fireman Parade, Parish Bingo Socials, fun trips, ladies' night out, Vacation Bible School, OCIA, PSR, and pastoral care at Summit Acres Nursing Home and Noble Correctional Institution (NCI)
Visiting & Contact
St. Mary's welcomes visitors and those interested in joining the parish. The mailing address uses Caldwell, Ohio, though the church itself sits in the small community of Fulda off State Route 564 in rural Noble County.
- Address: 43700 Fulda Road, Caldwell, OH 43724
- Parish phone: 740-732-4129 (also listed as 740-732-4576 on some directories)
- Cluster website: http://www.nccchurches.org/
- Diocese: Diocese of Steubenville
- Sacramental emergencies and additional confession times available by request
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J. C. Kraemer1847–1856
Organized the parish in 1847; based in Miltonsburg.
- Rev. Dr. Lorg1856–1857
- Rev. J. W. Bruemmer1857–1860
Built the first rectory in 1857.
- Rev. D. J. Klueber1860–1883
Laid the cornerstone of the present church in 1874; credited with the parish's growth and stability.
- Rev. I. G. Luettig1883–1884
- Rev. Edward L. Fladung1884–1889
- Rev. B. H. Hansen1889–1899
- Rev. Joseph Engles1899–1900
- Rev. Joseph Pollman1900–1904
- Rev. J. Bernard Oeink1904–1929
- Rev. O. Trogus1929–1930
- Rev. C. L. Heilman1929–1930
- Very Rev. B. J. Mattes1930–1956
Built the parish hall in 1936.
- Rev. J. J. Donaldson1956–1971
- Rev. Walter E. Heinz1971–1985
- Msgr. Francis J. Baudo1985–1992
- Rev. Samuel R. Saorano1992–2007
- Rev. Thomas Hamm, Jr.2007–2010
- Rev. Wayne Morris2010–2022
Pastor of Immaculate Conception together with St. Michael, Corpus Christi, and St. Stephen; also Chaplain of Knights of Columbus Council 2565 in Caldwell and State Chaplain of Ohio.
- Rev. Chester (Chet) Pabin, Jr.2010–2021
Associate Pastor / Parochial Vicar assisting across the four Noble County parishes.