St. Patrick Church

Address: 06959 Glynwood Rd., Saint Marys, Ohio, 45885 Phone: (419) 738-6308 Website

Mass Times: Sat. 16:00; Sun. 10:00; Tue. 08:00; Thurs. 08:00; Vigil of Holy Day: 01:00 (Call);Holy Day: 01:00 (Call); Confessions: Sat. 15:15 to 15:45 (or by appointment.)

Parish Founded: 1857 Church Built: 1884

Architect: Unknown Architectural Style: Gothic

History: St. Patrick Parish is located in Glynnwood just north and east of St. Marys in Auglaize County. The building of the Miami-Erie Canal from 1845 to 1850, and the famine in Ireland, brought Irish immigrants to western Ohio. There were jobs on the canal, and soon many of the men left that work to start farming and settled in the area. A little Irish settlement known as "Six Mile" was started in Moulton Township in Auglaize County. Since these Irish immigrants were Roman Catholic, priests from Piqua, Minster and Petersburg came to the settlement to provide for the spiritual needs of the community. They usually met at the home of Jerome McFarland, which today is occupied by Mr. And Mrs. Joe Barber.

In 1857 Father Patrick Henneberry, then at St. Rose, Lima, started serving the little community on a regular basis. An acre of land for a church and school was donated by Mr. McFarland and a cash donation was received from his brother, Bishop E.P. McFarland of Hartford, CT. Fr. Henneberry started construction in 1860 of a small frame church for the 12 families of the congregation. The church was finished in 1861 and was given the name St. Thomas. A parish cemetery was established, also called St. Thomas. The parish cemetery is still named the St. Thomas Cemetery.

In 1880, Fr. Ferdinand Walser, C.PP.S, became pastor at Glynnwood and was told to build a new church as the parish now numbered 70 families. A brick, Gothic style church was built on a lot across the road from the cemetery and dedicated in honor of St. Patrick. The church was completed in 1884 and remains the parish church today. A brick rectory, west of the church was built in 1920.