Building Program

In 1997 we purchased 8 acres of land in West Chester, Ohio, a northern suburb of Cincinnati where our long-term goal was to construct a new parish plant.

When completed, the complex will include a large Gothic church, a school, a social hall/gym, offices, a covered cloister walk for processions, a tower, a rectory, and a convent.

Phase One: Completed

Phase One of this project began in September 2002, and included the following:

  • An Interim Church, constructed in a simple Gothic style, incorporating all the interior furnishings from our original church (altars, statues, etc.). It will become the social hall/gym once the larger permanent church is completed.
  • Classrooms for our parish school and Sunday catechism program. This wing is designed for expansion to accommodate future growth.
  • Offices.
  • Interim Social Hall. This area will be converted into more offices and a bookstore, once the larger permanent church is completed.
  • Covered Cloister Walkway, used both for liturgical processions and for socializing after Mass during good weather. Two 70-foot wings were completed in Phase One.

This work was completed in December 2003, except for the exterior finish – three-quarters of a million pounds of granite to be installed in stages.

Next: Rectory and Tower

Next, in anticipation of ordinations in the next few years, we plan to construct a rectory large enough to accommodate five priests.

We also hope to complete the remaining two wings of the cloister walkway. These will converge at a 44-foot tower, a distinctive feature of the church complex that will be visible for miles in the valley below.

We Need Angels

When completed, the magnificent Gothic church will be a “sermon in stone” on Catholicism’s perennial values, and will draw Catholics from the soulless suburban churches of the post-Vatican II religion.

With its new facility, St. Gertrude the Great Church will also truly become a national shrine. It will offer a share in the Church’s full liturgical life and its many and rich devotions and observances throughout the year not only to local Tri-State Catholics, but also to a steadily-increasing number of visitors.

The estimated cost of completing this project is $3.5 million.

Will you help us make this a reality?