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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.

The following links illustrate some of what we have done and what we hope to do:

  • Construction Progress. Photos of construction work on site, updated periodically.
    Last updated: 12/14/03
  • Tower and Completed Cloister Rendering of 44-foot tower and completed cloister walkway. Courtesy of Architechnology.

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?