Corpus Christi Catholic Church of Newport
Corpus Christi Church-1914
Condensed from an article by Jim Reis in
Pieces of the Past Volume 3, pages 132-135 and printed here with his permission.
The year 1844 was not a particularly good time to start a new Catholic Church
in Northern Kentucky. Anti-Catholic sentiments were evident nationally
with riots breaking out in Philadelphia. The proposed location in Newport
was a community with about 30 Catholic families. The task of establishing
Newport's first Catholic Church was assigned to and carried out by the Rev
Charles Boeswald.
Corpus Christi began to take shape on May 15, 1844 when Henry Goodman of Cincinnati, a non-Catholic, donated a 7500 square foot lot for a church. Goodman's motive is not clear, but Father Boeswald wrote he accepted the unexpected gift "with great joy and gratitude."
The church site was on the north side of Chestnut Street between Isabella and Patterson. The building cornerstone was laid on August 15, 1844 and the first service in the uncompleted building was on January 19, 1845. The building was dedicated as "Corpus Christi" on June 15, 1845.
Father Boeswald served as pastor until January 14, 1846, when he was assigned to Louisville. On November 2, 1855, Father Boeswald was returning home in Louisville when he as struck in the head by a rock during an anti-Catholic riot. He died from his injury.
Membership in Corpus Christi remained small for the first few years, but parishioners wanted their own school, so in September 1848 a lot next to the church was purchased from Goodman for a school building and a rectory. The school opened in early 1849 and the rectory opened in the spring. By the late 1840s, a new wave of immigrants from Germany began arriving and the church grew. By 1853 there were more than 100 families.
More adjoining property was bought and a new church was built; the dedication was Christmas Eve 1854. The first of several natural disasters hit the church March 25, 1861 when a violent storm damaged the building. Repairs were made and a few years later a larger school was built. By 1850 the church had its own cemetery, although its location is not clear. Accounts say the location was in an unfavorable location and a search for a new cemetery site was started. The 20 acres site Corpus Christi selected was dedicated as the St. Joseph Cemetery, next to St. John's Church at Licking Pike and Johns Hill Road in Wilder. For a listing of the known burials in this cemetery that were moved, see the Corpus Christi Cemetery.
By the early 1870s the number of Newport Catholics had grown so large that two new churches were formed, St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception. It also called for a bigger church. The dedication of the new building was October 15, 1876. In 1882 a flood caused damage to the building which was located six blocks from the Ohio River and three blocks from the Licking River.
In February 1883 it was flooded again and in February 1884 the river rose to the highest level recorded to that time. Repairs were made in each case and it was still operating on Chestnut Street when it celebrated its Golden Jubilee September 30 1894.
In April 1902 construction of another church began and it was dedicated October 4, 1903. The old church building was sold to the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saratoga street for $2000. The church celebrated its 75th anniversary September 28, 1919.
In March 1923 the original cornerstone was found unopened imbedded in the foundation. An 1841 American dime, an 1835 American 5 cent piece, an 1833 American penny and an 1836 German coin were found. Also inside were a jar of holy water and paper that had meshed into a pulp.
A new school building was constructed at a cost of $80,000 and opened in 1923 located on Isabella Street. The school had 430 elementary and 60 high school students. In 1936 the inside of the church was redone, but the following year Corpus Christi discovered that it had not moved far enough from the threat of flood. Water reached seven feet deep inside the church. The 1937 flood caused extensive damage but repairs were made.
On March 11, 1940 thieves broke in the church, ransacked it and stole many items. The centennial observation was delayed until after WWII and celebrated in October 1946.
The sacristy and roof of the church were extensively damaged in a fire on January 12, 1974 but held a special thanksgiving for firefighters on March 16, 1975 to recognize their efforts to save the building. In 1984 the Diocese of Covington merged Newport's four Catholic schools into a new one called Holy Spirit. In 1994 Corpus Christi had a membership of 325 families.