Immaculata Church has been an integral part of the Mount Adams neighborhood since its’ first Mass in 1860. In its early days, it was a German language church and grade school for the German and Irish working-class families living on the Hill. Holy Cross Church, which opened two blocks west of Immaculata in 1871, then served the Irish as an English language church. Holy Cross added a grade school in 1891.
Mount Adams flourished and by 1910 its population peaked at around 11,000 people in a community that offered everything families needed for daily living. There was no need to leave the neighborhood for goods and services and the only time people left was to go to work in downtown Cincinnati. Mount Adams was a self-sufficient urban island.
That began to change as a result of the Great Depression, the 1937 flood and white suburban flight. By 1980, the population stood at around 2,500 residents. The community was in the throes of gentrification and evolved into a high-income neighborhood of empty nesters, professionals and business owners.
The Hill continues to flourish today and Immaculata Church remains a community anchor and an important part of life on the Hill. Her bells wake us, are companions during the day, let us know when the day is over and remind us that God is in our midst. Examples of the relationship today among Immaculata, Mount Adams and the Cincinnati region follow:
Our neighborhood governing body, the Mount Adams Civic Association, holds monthly meetings at Immaculata’s parish center. The Immaculata pastor is an ad hoc member of the civic association. This relationship has existed for over fifty years. The meetings keep residents informed on local issues and are a good place to catch up with friends. There are frequent presentations by local organizations such as the Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati Ballet and a monthly report by the Cincinnati Police Department. At meetings end, some attendees adjourn to Crowley’s Highland House across the street. The parish center is also the site of a weekly neighborhood yoga class. A professional grade ping pong table is located on the second floor of the building, provided by a parishioner and open for use by the community.
The Immaculata summer festival has been a staple on Mount Adams for over forty years. It’s a two-day event and includes food, booths, Kids Alley, games of chance, a silent auction, music and adult beverages. Volunteers from neighborhood organizations including the Mount Adams Yacht Club, the Mount Adams Civic Association and the Mount Adams Beautification Association plus several Hill businesses provide volunteers to work the festival as there currently aren’t enough parishioners to cover volunteer needs. The alumni of Immaculata and Holy Cross Grade Schools schedule class reunions at the festival to renew old acquaintances. Some of them volunteer to work the festival. Neighborhood businesses, especially restaurants and bars, benefit from the crowd.
The Good Friday pilgrimage at Immaculata, known as “praying the steps,” has been going on since the early 1870s. 8,000 to 10,000 people make the pilgrimage every year, rain or shine. The pilgrimage takes place on the Immaculata steps, 94 in number, that run from St. Gregory Street to the church. People from Cincinnati and the surrounding region take part. Often, families pray the steps together. When asked why, the patriarch or matriarch relate that their grandparents brought them to the pilgrimage when they were children, and they want to keep the family tradition alive. The event lasts the 24 hours of Good Friday and volunteers serve breakfast and prepare an afternoon fish fry for visitors. Mount Adams non-parishioners also volunteer to staff this event as there aren’t enough parishioners to cover needs. It’s another opportunity for local businesses to benefit from the crowds that come to the Hill for this beloved, sacred event.
“Stealing” St. Patrick began as a result of the closure of Holy Cross Church. The closing took place in March of 1970 and was done with no forewarning. Fr. Wilfrid Flanery announced after the 11:00 Sunday Mass that next week the parishioners would be attending Immaculata Church. Parishioners were not prepared for this change. A group approached Fr. Flanery after the Mass and asked if they could take the statue of St. Patrick that had been in the church since the 1920s with them when they went to Immaculata the following week. Fr. Flanery’s response: “Sorry, I can’t authorize that, but I will leave the doors unlocked tonight.” Under cover of darkness, a group of men in a pickup truck moved St. Patrick to Immaculata and he was there the following week to welcome the Holy Cross Church parishioners. The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish fellowship group decided to “steal” Saint Patrick the following year. They paraded him around Mount Adams in a pickup truck accompanied by bag pipers and drummers, kept him until the annual St Patrick’s Day parade and then returned him to Immaculata. They have continued the “theft” for over fifty years and have added a luncheon and Mass as part of the festivities.
1972 marked the beginning of a Mass to recognize and honor the men and women who were members of the armed services. The event was begun by Immaculata parishioner Ted Hammond, Captain, USNR. It’s an annual event celebrated every November on the Sunday closest to Veterans Day. Service members, in uniform, and their families from Cincinnati and suburbs fill the church. The Elder High School Glee Club performs every year as part of the ceremony. General Tom O’Brian, US Army Retired and an Immaculata parishioner, is the ranking officer in attendance.
Immaculata hosts a yearly chamber music series in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music that is open to the public. There are four Sunday afternoon performances during winter and spring and a free will offering helps to fund the event.
An informal, ecumenical Monday morning prayer group was formed ten years ago by neighborhood women to pray for a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer. Their prayers were answered. The group continues to meet at Immaculata and offers prayers for people who are in need.
There are Mount Adams businesses who benefit from Immaculata’s presence and in turn support her. Crowley’s Highland House, Cincinnati’s oldest family-owned Irish pub across the street from Immaculata, is also known as the “Immaculata Annex.” It’s a place for fellowship, post wedding celebrations, wakes after funerals and an overflow landing spot for festival visitors and St. Patrick’s Day celebrators. It was founded in 1937 and is now managed by a fourth-generation member of the Crowley Clan. Crowley’s has been a lead sponsor of the Immaculata Festival since its inception. The Bow Tie Café is an after-Mass landing spot for parishioners looking for conversation and a bite to eat. It’s especially busy with breakfast seekers after Sunday Masses. The staff at Immaculata are regular patrons. The Mount Adams branch of North Side Bank is a banking partner with Immaculata. The bank is a sponsor of our festival, and their employees support Immaculata behind the scenes. Red Whale Rentals provides housing in the neighborhood for people from out of town who are visiting the Hill for weddings at Immaculata and graciously offer discounts.
The View, a reception venue on Mount Adams, has been a location for several parish events and is also a venue for receptions after Immaculata weddings. The former Holy Cross Church was converted to the Monastery Event Center in 2016. The venue hosts weddings, receptions, business gatherings and special events. They are a sponsor of the Immaculata Festival and host frequent receptions after Immaculata weddings. Shortly after their opening, the center hosted a Mass of remembrance for former Holy Cross parishioners and current Immaculata parishioners that included an after Mass brunch. The old church was packed.
Towne Properties in Mount Adams owns the building housing the Monastery Event Center and worked with Mount Adams resident and interior designer Judi Cettel to convert the space. Her plan retained the historical elements of the church’s interior and added modern touches, including a kitchen, creating a warm, welcoming space and preserving the historic landmark. It’s a classic example of thoughtful, historic preservation.
Towne Properties also owns the former monastery adjacent to the event center that housed the Passionist Fathers, a monastic, missionary order housed there from 1900 to 1976. Towne repurposed the building and it is the site of their national headquarters. Towne has been very supportive of Mount Adams and Immaculata Church since its inception in 1961 and is a sponsor for the festival and has helped fund other Immaculata projects.
In the summer of 2009, Towne Properties cleared thick undergrowth from the slopes running from Celestial and Monastery Streets to the then empty Holy Cross Church. A river rock pedestal was uncovered during the clean-up. A statue of St. Gabriel, the patron saint of Catholic youth, had previously occupied the pedestal and welcomed visitors to a weekly novena in his honor that began in 1929. The novena continued for forty years and at its peak welcomed a thousand visitors to Holy Cross Church every Monday. When the Passionist Fathers left the monastery in 1977 they sold the contents, including St. Gabriel, at auction.
The empty pedestal inspired two Hill residents and Immaculata parishioners, Jean McCafferty and Jayne Zuberbuhler. They spoke with Sandy Zimmerman, manager of North Side Bank and Sandy asked Neil Bortz, CEO emeritus of Towne Properties if he would permit Jean and Sandy to place a statue on the empty pedestal. He agreed and Jean and Jayne purchased an angel to take Gabriel’s place. Several Towne Properties employees volunteered to install the statue. The Mount Adams Beautification Association landscaped the grounds around the pedestal with rose bushes they donated. The angel is an example of Hill people working together to make Mount Adams a special, magical place. Our angel is known as the Hills Angel.