About St. Peter in Chains · Hamilton, Ohio
St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish on the west side of Hamilton, Ohio, in Butler County, part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Founded in 1893 by German-speaking Catholics living in St. Clair Township, the parish has grown into the historic anchor of the St. Stephen Family of Parishes (St. Peter in Chains, St. Joseph, St. Julie Billiart, Queen of Peace, and St. Aloysius), formed under the Archdiocese's Beacons of Light initiative in the summer of 2022. The parish campus at the corner of Liberty and Ridgelawn Avenues includes the present-day church (dedicated in 1962), a school (founded 1895, now serving preschool through 8th grade), and a separate bell tower added in 2001. The parish website describes itself as a worshiping community centered on the Eucharist, with daily school Masses and a strong Catholic school ministry.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Peter in Chains
- Rector
- Fr. Richard Walling
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Peter in Chains is the historic heart of Catholic life on Hamilton's west side, with more than 130 years of parish life on the same corner of Liberty and Ridgelawn. The parish combines a long-running K-8 Catholic school (with preschool, foreign language, STEM via Project Lead the Way, and a 1:1 Chromebook program) with a vibrant sacramental life including a school-day Mass every Tuesday. As part of the new St. Stephen Family of Parishes, members have access to weekend Masses in both English and Spanish across five worship sites, a wide regional confession schedule, weekly adoration, and ministries serving Hamilton and Butler County.
Mass times at St. Peter in Chains
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 7:00–8:00 PM (St. Julie Billiart)
- Tuesday 7:30–8:00 PM (St. Aloysius)
- Wednesday 7:00–8:00 PM (Queen of Peace)
- Thursday 11:00–11:45 AM (St. Julie Billiart)
- Saturday 8:30 AM (St. Joseph, or by appointment)
- Saturday 2:30–3:30 PM (St. Julie Billiart, bilingual)
- Saturday 3:00–3:45 PM (St. Aloysius)
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00 PM (St. Julie Billiart)
- Wednesday 7:45 PM (Queen of Peace)
- Saturday 8:00 AM Mass followed by Adoration with Confessions & Benediction (St. Joseph)
About St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church
St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish on the west side of Hamilton, Ohio, in Butler County. Founded in 1893, it is one of the historic anchor parishes of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and today serves as the anchor of the St. Stephen Family of Parishes. The parish campus sits at the corner of Liberty and Ridgelawn Avenues and includes the 1962 church, the parish school, and the 2001 bell tower.
- Founded 1893; deed recorded November 9, 1894
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
- Part of the St. Stephen Family of Parishes (since 2022)
- Address: 382 Liberty Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013
- Parish phone: (513) 863-3938
Parish History
The parish traces its origin to 1893, when Catholics in St. Clair Township — on the west side of the Great Miami — petitioned, with the help of Rev. Francis Varelmann (pastor of St. Joseph), for a church of their own. Archbishop Henry Elder approved and dedicated the new parish under the patronage of St. Peter in Chains. The first pastor was Rev. Henry Proppermann, who died in 1906. A school was soon added, staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and the parish built a second church before the present modified-Romanesque church was begun with groundbreaking in January 1962 (Msgr. Basil A. Haneberg, Father Paul Ratterman, and Father William Long took part). The parish lost its original 1913 bell — a gift from Sacred Heart Parish in Cincinnati — when a 1932 tornado damaged the bell tower; the bell was later melted down. Parishioners Joe Bange and Jim Conradt built the new freestanding bell tower, dedicated in 2001, and three new bells were cast to mark the return of bell-ringing to St. Peter's.
- First pastor: Rev. Henry Proppermann (d. April 7, 1906)
- Building committee (1894): Henry Miller, Joseph Waller, William Hammerle, Joseph Ruhl, Herman Koch
- Present church groundbreaking: January 1962
- Bell tower dedicated: 2001
- Original 1913 bell: gift of Sacred Heart Parish, Cincinnati; lost in 1932 tornado
St. Stephen Family of Parishes
In the summer of 2022, St. Peter in Chains became the anchor of the St. Stephen Family of Parishes under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Beacons of Light pastoral plan. The family unites five historic Butler County parishes — St. Peter in Chains (Hamilton), St. Joseph (Hamilton), St. Julie Billiart (Hamilton), Queen of Peace (Hamilton), and St. Aloysius (Shandon) — under a single pastor. This allows the parishes to share sacramental schedules, faith-formation programming, and priestly ministry across a wider geographic area.
- Pastor: Fr. Richard Walling (installed July 2022)
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Edward Hoffmann and Fr. Jeffrey Silver
- Partner parishes: St. Joseph, St. Julie Billiart, Queen of Peace, St. Aloysius
- Family website referenced: St. Stephen Parish
St. Peter in Chains School
St. Peter in Chains School, founded in 1895 and staffed historically by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is a preschool-through-8th-grade Catholic school on the same campus as the parish church. In 2008 it consolidated with the former St. Julie Billiart School. Its mission statement says children will 'learn to live their Faith, pursue Community, and champion Excellence.' The school features advanced math in grades 6–8, K–8 foreign language (Spanish), the Project Lead the Way STEM curriculum, a 1:1 Chromebook program for grades 1–8, and a newly renovated science lab and makerspace. Two intervention specialists, a reading specialist, a speech-language pathologist, and a school counselor support students. Beginning in 2024–25, the State-of-Ohio-licensed preschool is operated directly by the school. Dr. Joel Anderson serves as principal.
- Founded 1895; consolidated with St. Julie Billiart School in 2008
- Preschool through Grade 8
- Principal: Dr. Joel Anderson
- Project Lead the Way (STEM) for K–8
- Spanish taught K–8
- 1:1 Chromebook program grades 1–8
- YMCA after-care partnership
- School phone: (513) 863-0685
Ministries & Faith Formation
Beyond the school, the parish offers sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Matrimony, and partners with the broader Family of Parishes for RCIA and adult faith formation. The parish school provides a 'Student of the Month' program focused on Christian and Catholic morality, a Buddy mentoring program, athletics, and community-service opportunities. Spanish-speaking parishioners are served through the bilingual Mass and confession schedule at St. Julie Billiart, and the parish website links to a regional 'Seasons of Prayer' page for Advent and Lenten programming.
- Religious education / Faith Formation
- RCIA via the Family of Parishes
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage)
- Music ministry / choirs
- Spanish-language ministry (Misa en Español)
- Athletics and school community-service projects
- Alumni Association (via Alumnifire)
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all seven sacraments, with Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick offered according to the regional St. Stephen Family schedule. Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, and Marriages are prepared in coordination with the parish office and the family-of-parishes team.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist (First Communion and ongoing)
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders (vocations support)
- Matrimony
Architecture & Sacred Spaces
The present St. Peter in Chains church is the parish's third house of worship. Designed in a modified Romanesque style with a combination of brick and stone, it seats 800 worshippers and was dedicated in 1962. A separate bell tower — built by parishioners Joe Bange and Jim Conradt and dedicated in 2001 — holds three bells cast to replace the original 1913 bell given by Sacred Heart Parish in Cincinnati, which had been melted down after tornado damage to the earlier tower in 1932.
- Modified Romanesque style
- Brick and stone exterior
- Seats 800
- Dedicated 1962
- Bell tower dedicated 2001 (Bange and Conradt, parishioners)
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are welcome at 382 Liberty Avenue, Hamilton, OH 45013. The parish office can be reached at (513) 863-3938 or by email at [email protected]. The school office is reached separately at (513) 863-0685 or [email protected]. The parish is on Facebook and links to regional Beacons of Light resources through the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
- Parish address: 382 Liberty Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013
- Parish phone: (513) 863-3938
- Parish email: [email protected]
- School address: 451 Ridgelawn Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013
- School phone: (513) 863-0685
- School email: [email protected]
- Website: stpeterinchains.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/StPeterInChains
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Henry Proppermann1893–1906
First pastor; died April 7, 1906.
- Father Paul Ratterman1962 (at groundbreaking)
Pastor at the time the present-day church was begun in 1962.
- Rev. Patrick McMullenParochial Administrator (as of 2016)
Listed as Pastor/Parochial Administrator on third-party directory in 2016.
- Fr. Richard WallingInstalled July 2022
Current Pastor of St. Stephen Family of Parishes under Beacons of Light.