About St. Matthias · Columbus, Ohio
St. Matthias Parish was a Roman Catholic parish in the Northland area of Columbus, Ohio, in the Diocese of Columbus. Founded by Bishop Michael Ready on June 28, 1956, it grew from a converted barn-chapel on a 21-acre former farm into a vibrant, multi-cultural parish serving English, Haitian, Nigerian (Igbo), and Portuguese-speaking communities. In Summer 2024, Bishop Earl Fernandes merged St. Matthias with St. Elizabeth and St. Mary Magdalene parishes to form the new St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, with St. Matthias Chapel at 1582 Ferris Road preserved as a worship site.
- Established
- 1956
- Patron
- St. Matthias the Apostle (apostle and martyr)
- Rector
- Fr. Anthony Davis (former pastor, last pastor before merger)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Columbus
Why belong here
St. Matthias drew families across four language communities — English, Haitian Creole, Igbo (Nigerian), and Portuguese/Brazilian — and ran a full parish school with after-school care through 2024. Its identity as a parish was rooted in long-tenure pastorates (Dermody, Lavelle, Davis) and a debt-free ethos crowned by the 1984 mortgage burning. Since 2024 the building continues to serve as St. Matthias Chapel under St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, offering the Nigerian Igbo Mass on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and remaining a neighborhood hub for Northland Columbus Catholics.
Mass times at St. Matthias
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM (some sources: First Saturday 3:45-4:45 PM)
History
St. Matthias Parish was founded in 1956 by Bishop Michael Ready on a 21-acre former farm tract in the Northland area of Columbus. The men of the parish literally rebuilt a barn into their first chapel, and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth opened the elementary school on September 15, 1958, to 344 children. After the 1979 church renovation and 1997 Parish Center, the parish grew to 1,100 families by 1999. On June 15, 2024, Bishop Earl Fernandes merged St. Matthias with St. Elizabeth and St. Mary Magdalene parishes to form St. Josephine Bakhita Parish.
- Founded June 28, 1956
- First Mass July 8, 1956 at Clinton Junior High School
- School opened September 15, 1958
- Renovated church dedicated June 1, 1979
- Parish Center dedicated October 26, 1997
- Merged into St. Josephine Bakhita Parish June 15, 2024
Founding and Early Years (1956-1964)
Bishop Michael Ready established St. Matthias on June 28, 1956, appointing Father Ralph Dermody pastor. The first Mass was celebrated at Clinton Junior High on July 8, 1956 (attendance 386); two Sunday Masses were held there and daily Mass at the parish house at 4106 Karl Road. Parishioner men remodeled a barn into a chapel. Plans for school and parish hall were approved in 1958 by Bishop Issenmann, and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth opened the school on September 15, 1958 with 344 pupils (tuition $20/year). A convent on Ferris Road was ready in August 1959. The rectory property at 4089 Karl Road was acquired in 1960. Enrollment peaked at 929 students in 1963-64 with 19 classrooms operating, including 5 in DeSales High School's second floor.
- 210 founding families
- 21-acre former farm site
- Sisters of Charity of Nazareth staff the school
- 929-student peak in 1963-64
Mid-Century Growth and School Transitions (1970s)
Vatican II and revised liturgical approaches prompted a major worship-space redesign. The Sisters of Charity withdrew from staffing the school in 1973; the Franciscan Sisters of Stella Niagara taught at St. Matthias until 1985. A north-wing expansion added classrooms and freed former multi-purpose space for worship overflow, and a renovation fund drive was launched February 19, 1978.
- Sisters of Charity withdraw, 1973
- Franciscan Sisters of Stella Niagara take over, 1973
- Fund drive launched February 19, 1978
Renovated Church and Mortgage Burning (1979-1984)
The renovated church was dedicated on June 1, 1979, with a 510-seat capacity. In December 1979, Father Dermody suffered a heart attack and, after recovery, accepted a smaller parish; Father Raymond Lavelle succeeded him and served until 1991. Together the two pastors' financial stewardship led to the mortgage being burned in 1984, the first time in parish history it was free of debt.
- Church dedicated June 1, 1979
- Fr. Dermody heart attack December 1979
- Fr. Lavelle succeeds, 1979-1991
- Mortgage burned, 1984
1990s Expansion and Modernization (1995-1999)
A 1995 proposal for an expansion and renovation program was approved in a parish survey; a fund drive in September 1996 gathered pledges for a new Parish Center with gymnasium, kitchen, after-school-care room, restrooms, plus redesigned religious education office, nurse's station, faculty room, science/art lab, media center, and parking. Groundbreaking was April 6, 1997, and the completed center was dedicated October 26, 1997. Roofs on church and school were replaced in 1998 and new windows installed in August 1999. The convent was converted into a new rectory in 1992 and the rectory at 4089 Karl Road sold. By 1999 the parish had 1,100 families, 306 school students, and 100 Sunday Religion students.
- Fund drive September 1996
- Groundbreaking April 6, 1997
- Parish Center dedicated October 26, 1997
- New roofs, 1998; new windows, 1999
Worship and Languages
Before the merger, St. Matthias was a notably multilingual parish. In addition to the standard Sunday and weekday English schedule, it hosted weekend Masses in Haitian Creole (Sunday afternoon), Igbo / Nigerian (1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons), and Portuguese / Brazilian (Sunday evenings).
- Sunday English Masses 9 AM and 11 AM
- Haitian Creole Mass Sunday afternoon
- Nigerian/Igbo Mass 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoons
- Brazilian/Portuguese Mass Sunday 7:15 PM
- Weekday English Mass Tuesday-Friday 8:30 AM
St. Matthias School
St. Matthias School was a parish-affiliated Catholic elementary school operated by successive communities of religious sisters. After more than 40 years of operation it was absorbed into the new St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic School system following the 2024 merger.
- Opened September 15, 1958 with 344 students
- Staffed by Sisters of Charity of Nazareth 1958-1973
- Staffed by Franciscan Sisters of Stella Niagara 1973-1985
- Peak enrollment 929 in 1963-64
- 306 students in 1999
Sunday Religion / Religious Education
In addition to the day school, St. Matthias ran a Sunday Religion program with 100 students as of 1999. The 1997 renovation program included a dedicated Religious Education Office in the Parish Center.
- 100 Sunday Religion students (1999)
- Religious Education Office added 1997
Parish Center and Facilities (1997)
The Parish Center added in 1997 was a multi-use facility designed to serve both the school and parish community. It is part of why the parish could sustain an after-school-care program alongside its worship and education ministries.
- Gymnasium
- Kitchen
- After-school-care room
- Restrooms
- Religious Education Office
- Nurse's station, faculty room, science/art lab, Media Center
- New parking areas
Merger into St. Josephine Bakhita Parish (2024)
On June 15, 2024, Bishop Earl Fernandes merged St. Matthias, St. Elizabeth, and St. Mary Magdalene parishes into the new St. Josephine Bakhita Parish. The former St. Elizabeth building (6077 Sharon Woods Blvd) became the parish church; the former St. Matthias school building at 1566 Ferris Road became the new parish school (St. Josephine Bakhita Catholic School); and St. Matthias Chapel at 1566/1582 Ferris Road continues as a worship site, currently hosting the Nigerian Igbo Mass (1st and 3rd Sundays) and other cultural Masses.
- Merger effective June 15, 2024
- St. Elizabeth is the parish church site
- St. Matthias building is now the parish school
- St. Matthias Chapel remains a worship site
- Houses Nigerian (Igbo) and other ethnic Masses
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ralph Dermody1956-1979
Founding pastor appointed by Bishop Michael Ready; built the school, converted the barn, led the parish until a heart attack in December 1979.
- Fr. Raymond Lavelle1979-1991
Succeeded Fr. Dermody; oversaw completion of the renovated church and burning of the mortgage in 1984.
- Fr. Anthony Davis1991-2024
Led the parish through the 1997 Parish Center expansion and into the 2024 merger that created St. Josephine Bakhita Parish.