Catholic Telegraph Article

Posted on March 16, 2015 View all news

Mr. Walt Schaefer, over at the Catholic Telegraph, wrote an article about the Community in the latest edition of the Catholic Telegraph. Here is an excerpt, for more, head over to The Catholic Telegraph.

“The Catholic culture in Over-the-Rhine will soon see a boost.

The Cincinnati Oratory, a group of priests and brothers currently in formation, soon will begin renovation of the Pious House and 12th and Clay streets in Over-the-Rhine.

Cincinnati Oratorians oversee nearby Old St. Mary Church. The four-story, red brick Pious House, built in about 1850, will provide ample room to house Oratorians as the group grows in Cincinnati. Renovation plans call for a total of 12 rooms on the second, third and fourth floors to house Oratory members.

“Right now we are in formation. We are not an oratory yet,” said Father Jon-Paul Bevak, administrator at Old St. Mary’s and a chaplain at La Salle High School. “The important thing about the building is that we have to complete the renovation and be living there before we can be officially established.

“There is a period of time you have to live together and test the lifestyle of the Oratorian. We also have to have so many members and so many of them have to be priests. We have met the membership requirement of at least four members and at least two priests. We’re about to have our third priest ordained,” — Brother Adrian Hilton, currently studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, who is scheduled to be ordained in May. “The two priests we have now are me and Father Lawrence Juarez, from the Philippines, who has been in the United States for 11 to 12 years…”