The History of St. Michael's Church, Ripley, OH
About the year 1833 several Catholic families settled in and near Ripley. Prominent among them was Michael Waters, Joseph Helbing and Jacob Bellinger. Mass was occasionally celebrated in the Waters and Helbling homes.
In 1840, according to Father Lamotts "History of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati," the first Catholic Church in Ripley was erected on ground donated by Michael Waters, on the east side of north Main Street. The church was dedicated June 19th, 1842, by Archbishop Purcell in honor of St. John the Baptist. Later the name was changed to St. Michael's.
The church was a small frame building and it was claimed it was built by the contributions of only six families, the largest amount being given by Michael Waters. On a slab of sandstone in the foundation of the church was inscribed "Michael Waters, Ripley, Ohio. September 22, 1840." A large cross was alongside the church, about twenty feet high, hewn from black locust wood. On the cross arm were the words "The pillar and ground of the Truth." There was a small cross atop the church.
The year 1858 marked a new era in Catholicism in Ripley. At this time the first resident priest came to live, Rev. H. Bocker, who served the parish until 1861.
The congregation continued to worship in the frame building until the increasing membership made it necessary to build a larger structure. In 1864, a one-story brick building was erected on the north side of Fourth Street at a cost of $5,000. The interior was comprised of one large room, with a seating capacity of 400 persons. The room had a reed organ and the walls were decorated with scriptural paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross. The altars were modest in design. The lesser ones being of St. Mary and St. Michael. The right Rev. Sylvester Rosecrans officiated at the dedication January 6, 1865. At this date the congregation now numbered about 120 families. This building is still in use.
The Armorial Bearings of
Saint Michael Parish
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Saint Martin Deanery
Ripley, (Brown County), Ohio
Founded 1840
Argent a pair of Wings conjoined in lure Gules above in base two Bars wavy Azure.
In the arms of the parish, Saint Michael is represented by a fiery pair of wings. These hover above to wavy blue bars, representing the Ohio River, which dominates the site and the history of the village of Ripley. Above the shield is a representation of the parish church (erected in 1890), depicted in the stylized manner of heraldry.
Dohrman W. Byers - Armorist
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