5 Beautiful Catholic sites not to miss in Ohio

Catholics were present in Ohio even before it became an official state: Catholic pioneers were recorded in Ohio as early as 1790, while Ohio entered the Union in 1803.

Catholics from Germany and Ireland began to arrive in large numbers in Ohio during the early 1800s, building the first Catholic church in 1818. 

These early Ohio Catholics went through a lot to get to Mass in their humble log church. Winter temperatures dropped low enough that a brazier was used on the altar during Mass to keep the Communion wine from freezing. 

Yet they persisted, and today Ohio has nearly 2 million Catholics, some 16 percent of Buckeye State residents.

Ohio is known as the Birthplace of Aviation, thanks to the Wright brothers, and as the Mother of Presidents, since seven U.S. presidents were born there. Shaped somewhat like a heart and located near the middle of the country, Ohio is fondly known as “the Heart of it All.”

If you’re from Ohio or find yourself visiting, don’t miss these beautiful and historic Catholic sites.

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption was founded in 1818 and the current church building was completed in 1864. When the Holy See declared the church a minor basilica in 2022, it became the 91st in the United States, the seventh in Ohio, and the first in the Diocese of Columbus. The church occupies a prominent place in the city and offers an uplifting space for prayer, worship, and community.

Visit the second largest collection of relics in the U.S. at The Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics. The shrine is home to more than 1,153 relics, ranging from slivers of Christ’s cross and part of St. Joseph’s tunic to a piece of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s habit and a snippet of hair from St. Teresa of Kolkata.

You can visit for a self-guided tour during normal business hours or schedule a guided tour with 48 hours advance notice. Besides the relic chapel, the complex includes a heritage museum, an Adoration chapel, and 30 acres of beautiful outdoor spaces, including a Stations of the Cross walk and Lourdes chapel in the woods.

Old St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Cincinnati's historic Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. The exquisite Greek Revival edifice is the oldest church in Cincinnati. 

Early German immigrants donated their own labor to build it, making the bricks by hand, and today it stands as an enduring testament to their devotion. Yet this devotion is not a thing of the past: Today the parish is thriving and growing under the care of The Cincinnati Oratory, a society of priests and brothers of The Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation is a place of great peace where pilgrims can pray and pay homage to the Blessed Mother. This church is the site of so many favors granted through Mary, beginning with this story from its very earliest history:

It’s Christmas every day at Nativity Church, where you can visit a Bethlehem Cave that is a replica of the cave where Jesus was born as it appears today in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel. Only one other such replica exists in the United States.

The church also is home to a Nativity Museum containing over 400 beautiful and unique Nativity Scenes from all over the world. The church building features stained-glass windows depicting the mystery of Christmas.

Visit the world's largest statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and world’s largest illuminated Rosary at this 50-acre shrine 40 miles east of Cleveland. 

Mary's likeness stands 50 feet tall and is covered by over 450,000 mosaic tiles. The design and construction of the statue was donated by Richard Hyslin of Mission, Texas. He and many other volunteers spent 10,000 hours constructing the sculpture.

In front of the statue lies the Lake of Hope which is surrounded by the world’s largest illuminated fifteen-decade Rosary. At night, the beads light up the rural Ohio night sky.