St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena Parish, the second parish to be established in the city of Fort Thomas, was erected in 1930. On the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1930, Bishop Howard canonically erected the new parish, which was formed from parts of the territory belonging to St. Thomas Parish, Ft. Thomas; St. Francis de Sales Parish, Cote Brilliante; St. Anthony Parish, Bellevue, Sacred Heart Parish, Bellevue; and St. Bernard Parish, Dayton. At that time, Reverend John J. McCrystal, formerly pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Warsaw, was appointed pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish. In 1930, a neat frame church was erected, fronting on North Ft. Thomas Avenue.  Father McCrystal, the organizer and first pastor of the parish, has served the parish during the past twenty-three years.

For many years the pastor, as well as the parishioners, felt the need of a parish school, for the proper development of the parish. This long cherished desire of the parish was realized in 1948. The northwest corner of Rossford Street and North Ft. Thomas Avenue was chosen as the site for the parish school. The new building, constructed of brick and stone, contains four standard classrooms, and a basement hall to serve the social life of the parish. The school was so constructed that four classrooms might be added according to the future needs of the parish, either on the ground floor, or as a second story. By May, 1948, excavation for the building had been completed, and the cornerstone was laid by Right Reverend Monsignor Herbert F. Hillenmeyer, Dean of the Campbell County Deanery. The new St. Catherine of Siena Parish School, combining the most modern structural design with the latest in school equipment, was solemnly dedicated by Bishop Mulloy on Sunday, September 25, 1949.  The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth conduct the parish school. St. Catherine of Siena Parish at present numbers about one hundred and forty families.

excerpted from History of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, on the Occasion of the Centenary of the Diocese, 1853-1953, by Rev. Paul E. Ryan