Our Old Bookcase: Looking at church dedication
Mrs. Delma Rammel donated this book, “Souvenir, Golden Jubilee, Dedication of the New St. Bernard Church, Sunday Aug. 3, 1924, Burkettsville, Ohio, 1874-1924.”
This souvenir book began with a photograph of St. Bernard Church, dedicated Aug. 3, 1924.
The St. Bernard Church was celebrating their 50th anniversary of the founding of the parish in 1874. The new church was dedicated on Aug. 3, 1924. The 1874 pioneers were Theodore Hemmelgarn, John Borgerding, Sebastian Fink, Joseph Nordenbrock, Frank Beckman and Henry Borgerding.
The parish included the southern part of Granville Township, Mercer County, and the northern part of Allen Township, Darke County, Ohio. The parish was formerly a part of St. Henry’s and St. Wendelin’s congregations.
This souvenir book included photographs of the new church building, members of the former C.PP.S. Pastors, the architect J.F. Sheblessy, the building committee, the church wardens, the church choir, the altar boys, the three sons and the thirteen daughters who entered the C.PP.S., the entire class and three teachers of the school, and the Church Societies.
This souvenir book also included a history of the St. Bernard Parish. In conclusion, this book also included a history of the St. Mary’s Preparatory Seminary, with photographs of the seminary buildings and grounds, the faculty and students of the seminary, and concluded with a photograph of the band, and St. Mary’s Preparatory Seminary.
This souvenir history will be a part of the archival collection of Mercer County’s history, with the Mercer County Historical Society, Inc.
As president of the Mercer County Historical Society, Inc., since 1973, I thank Mercer County citizens and their friends and relatives across Ohio and the United States and Europe who have contributed to the preservation of Mercer County’s remarkable heritage.