St Patrick Of Heatherdowns

The first step in establishing St. Patrick’s as a parish was made on June 15, 1955 when Bishop George Rehring purchased an eleven acre plot along Heatherdowns Boulevard from sisters Emma and Louise Kneer.

The parish was officially “born” on June 7, 1956, when Fr. James Brogan was appointed associate pastor at Maumee St. Joseph, armed with a list of 615 families who would become his new parish. Legend has it that Fr. Brogan visited each and every one of those households personally.

On September 23, 1956, a meeting of the new parish was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and the name “St. Patrick” was chosen upon the Bishop’s recommendation. Fr. Brogan’s middle name, by the way, was Patrick.
Before the church was built, the first Masses were held in the auditorium of Heatherdowns School; there were four Masses each Sunday, with Fr. William Seelaus, an Oblate from St. Francis deSales High School assisting Fr. Brogan.
The first Sunday collection at St. Pat’s totaled $4,914.82.

Ground was broken for the church and school on St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 1957. A St. Patrick’s Day party followed – in a tradition that was kept for 37 years.
The first Mass celebrated on St. Pat’s property was in November of 1957, in the basement of the new building.

The first Mass celebrated in the church building was Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1957.

In the winter of 1957, at the direction of the Bishop, a house was purchased on what is now Green Valley to serve as a temporary rectory. Fourteen years later, a house down the road was built by parishioner Ken Mossing to serve as the convent. Beginning in 1990 events came full circle and the convent house now serves as the rectory.

In September of 1958, 527 students started their school year at St. Patrick’s School in the West wing, now known as Seton Hall. As St. Pat’s rapidly grew, in 1960 the East Wing – what is now known as Neumann Hall – was added, complete with 13 more classrooms.

In 1963, the new rectory, now called the Crites Community Center, was completed, and served as home to three pastors, 22 other priests (including the late Bishop James Hoffman), six seminarians, three youth directors, and numerous others in its 27 years as a residence. The Crites Center was named after Peg and Chuck Crites, who were longtime volunteer workers during the years of Fr. Brogan and Fr. Wilhelm.

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