St Vincent de Paul History
By Jean Bach, Editorial Assistant; Published in the Diocesan News, July 14, 1991
As early as 1913, the 86 Catholic families living in the suburb of Newport called Clifton Heights went to Bishop Camillus Maes and requested that a new church and school be built. Bishop Maes gave permission that a combination school and church be built to serve the mostly Italian and German congregation.
On March 1, 1913, an option was obtained on property on Schneider Avenue, between Oak and Home Streets. Formerly members of St Stephens Parish, Newport, the Catholics of Clifton Heights joined together to raise the funds necessary for the building. Bishop Maes died in 1915 and no steps had been taken to start construction of the building. Bishop-elect Ferdinand Brossart assigned Father Herman J Wetzels, at that time an assistant at St Stephens to organize the parish.
The cornerstone was laid in July 1915 in honor of St Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of all works of charity. The building was under roof by August 1916. The building had two and a half floors; Masses were held on the first floor and school was held in the two classrooms on the second floor. The first floor had a seating capacity of 250 and a basement playground was used for children. A west wing and the center portion of the school building were constructed later that same year. The school opened in September of 1916 and was run by the Sisters of Divine Providence, with an enrollment of 70 pupils.
Bishop Brossart dedicated the building on Sept 17, 1916 amid a parade and solemn Mass was offered by Father Wetzels. The parish continued to grow making it necessary for more building to take place in the parish. In 1922 the rectory was built and the following year a basement was erected and dedicated for worship. Plans called for eventually building a church on top of the basement. The basement church has an increased seating capacity for 420 persons. In 1927 more rooms were added to meet the needs of the parish, and at the same time the Sisters residence was completed.
Father Wetzels dreamed of completing the church structure, but the economic situation from 1927 on made it virtually to think of the completion the church as anything but a dream. With the onset of the Great Depression followed by World War II, the parishioners of St Vincent's could not afford the added expense of constructing a new church.
Three years after St Vincent's observed their silver jubilee, 1914, Father Wetzels died after leading the parish for 28 years, seeing the parish grow from approximately 80 families to 325 families. Father John A Reifsnyder was appointed administrator. Two years later, Father Alfred Hanses was appointed pastor and led the parish until 1954 when a son of the parish, Father Ralph J Stoeckle, became the pastor. Seeing the need for expansion Father Stoeckle began plans for the completion of a new church. Before he did anything he realized that the Sisters of Divine Providence had inadequate space available to teach and to live. In 1956 the church purchased a $12,000 10-room house for the sisters, located at 135 16th Street. This allowed for more space for classrooms in the school.
Excavation for the present church began in the fall of 1958 on the site of the previous "basement church". The foundation of the church was so badly cracked that construction had to begin from scratch. The following June Father Stoeckle laid the cornerstone for the $310,000 building. The dream that Father Wetzels had thirty years before became a reality in 1959 when the first Mass was held in the new St Vincent de Paul Church.
The stations of the cross and statues brought from the old church added history to the new church. The stained glass windows were made in Europe with the largest window depicting St Vincent performing the corporal works of mercy; sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry and visiting the sick. Formal dedication ceremonies were held in September 1960 when Bishop Richard Ackerman presided over the dedication Mass. Father Stoeckle served the parish until 1979 when he retired. Father Lawrence Robtnik served the parish until 1980 when Father John Wordeman was named pastor. Under his leadership, a difficult decision had to be made.
Faced with declining enrollment, St Vincent de Paul School merged in 1984 with three other inner city schools to form Holy Spirit Elementary School. Divine Providence Sister Juanita Nadicksbernd acting principal, helped carry through the merger. The school building was converted into apartments known as the Manors of St Vincent in 1989-90. As part of the agreement when the school was renovated, the parish was to get a percentage of the profit from the apartments. When the apartments opened, the parishioners had the first opportunity to rent them.
Father Wordeman served the parish until early 1986 when Father Paul Ciangetti served for several months until Father Robert Reinke, the present pastor, was named pastor in 1986. Father Robert Velton has been assisting at St Vincent's since 1975. When writing to endorse building the new church, Bishop William T Mulloy said, "A new St Vincent de Paul Church in South Newport will stand as a monument to your lively faith. It will be a sources from which many graces will flow".
Many graces have flowed and continue to do so as St Vincent de Paul Church continues to serve the Catholics of South Newport and of the Diocese of Covington.