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Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 226 Today's Topics: #1 St. Martin's Medina [Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <73777.25] ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 01:38:50 -0400 From: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman Subject: St. Martin's Medina "From Backward Glance" commemorative book, Published for Valley city and Liverpool township sesquicentennial, 1962 From: S J Hulett St. Martin's Catholic Church The history of any community is composed of the history of its several institutions. Among the oldest of the churches in Liverpool Townshipis St. Martin' s Church, Church Road, Valley City, Ohio. In the year 1811, the first settlers came to Liverpool Township, which was at that time the Connecticut Western Reserve. In that year, the entire''Reserve'' of the Connecticut Land Company's land was named Trumbull County. In 1812, Medina County was carved out on the map and attached to Fortage County until 1818. By the year 1830, large emigrations of Germans from Alsace and Baden made their homes on the marshlands of Liverpool. German-Catholic families living near Abbeyville were visited in those early years by two priests, the Rev. Fr. Peter McLaughlin and Fr. Maurice Howard. These priests read Mass and administered the sacraments to Catholics in their private homes. Bishop Purcell, at that time in charge of this territory, was bishop of Cincinnati. On his tour of northern Ohio in 1840, he paid the Catholic families in this neighborhood a first visit. Thus, the nucleus of St. Martin's Parish was germinated in the year 1842. Twenty Catholic families joined hands for the purpose of building a church were, all could go to Mass and receive the sacraments. Under the date of January 28, 1842, one acre of land was deeded over to the Bishop of Cincinnati by Louis and Harriet Rolling for the magnificent sum of $1.00 to erect this first church building. This was at Abbeyville, Ohio. On September 23, 1842 another acre of land designated as "The Square" was bought by Bishop Purcell for $5.00 from the estate of Daniel Colt, one of the pioneer Settlers. This square was tranferred by the Bishop of Cincinnati to the new and first Bishop of Cleveland on the 25th of February, 1850. In 1926 his excellency, the then Archbishop. of Cleveland, gave this one acre as a "Deed of Trust" to the Zion Lutheran Church up on the hill at Abbeyville. The first church of this parish therefore was built at Abbeyville. It was a log church. Shortly after, in 1842, two miles away another brick church! was built. The location of this brick church was near to Liverpool Center, now Valley City, at the intersection of the present U.S. Rte. 252 and Medina County Rte. 128. In a few years the brick church was too small for a fast growing parish, 1849 marked this year of growth and produced this need for a larger church. While the need was apparent, the question of where the new church was to be erected brought on quite a hassle and a controversy. The site whereon St. Martin's stands now was proposed as being a better location. The majority agreed to this change and immediately planned the transfer. Land was obtained from Aloys Grabenstetter for the second brick church constructed on it in the year 1849. You can see this building today as the little gray hall next to the steepled church on County Road 23,this building also became a school at a later date. Even though a majority of the parishioners favored this new site, yet those who lived around Abbeyville strongly opposed it. For a time they held to their old church. However, they could not hold on for long because many of them sold their farms and moved to other places; Cleveland, Wood County, Defiance County and elsewhere. The old log church could not be maintained.by the few remaining, and so the entire parish united and became affiliated with the above mentioned newly built brick church. For 12 years the people attended divine services in the second brick church. By the year 1860 this too was too small and so another still larger church, having become necessary, was constructed under the direction of Father Yohn Van den Broek. It is interesting to note here on the authority of a Catholic historian of the diocese of Cleveland, Father Houck, that all these churches were called St. Mary's The name becoming St. Martin's only when this building, under the direction of Father John Van den Broek, was built. This last mentioned church building is the church that you visit on County Road 23 when you go there today. Last year, 1961, the interior of the church was beautifully redecorated, renovated, and rebuilt. The present pastor at St. Martin's is the Rev. Father John F. Gruss. He came to this church December 20 1956. His predecessor was Rev. John C. Schaefer, whb was appointed October 29, 1937. Prior to Father Schaefer, in a tenure of 28 years from 1909, Father Julius Kitter was the pastor. A few other pastors still in the memory of some of the living old-timers were: Fr. Francis Braeunig, Fr. Charles Settele, and Fr. William Mueller. Some 25 or 26 other priests, (many of whom were members of the Sanguinish' Congregation) served as pastors of St. Martin's. It is interesting note that St. Martin's boasted of a school as early as 1858, organized by Fr. Albrecht. This first school building was a frame structure on the very site where the towered St. Martin's stands today. This was destroyed by fire. A second frame building was put up and served as a school until it was transferred into the present parish hall. The changing of teaching staff was rather frequent. Lay teachers would at times instruct and then these would be replaced, by nuns and again lay teachers would come, and so forth.This kept up until the closing of the school in 1923. On Thursday, December 20, 1956, just six days before Christmas, by the grace of God and the favor of his Excellency, The Most Reverend Edward F. Hoban, Archbishop of Cleveland, the Reverend John F. Gruss came to St. Martin's, Valley City, as its new Pastor. It was but natural that a pair of new eyes should look at the parish differently from the eyes of the beloved outgoing Pastor whose vision rolled back nineteen years earlier, when he took over the pastorate from the esteemed Father Kitter. Every pastor by the grace of God and the blessing of his new priesthood is given his own view of activity in his vineyard of the Lord a view shaped to his own personality and talents, a view dedicated to his best efforts for the things that need to be accomplished in his parish. And so Father Gruss became the expander, the builder, the extender, where Father Schaefer had been the maintainer, the caretaker and the stabilizer. Both men would have done what was necessary in the vision of new needs, new growth and influx of parishioners, etc., in the terms of their own priestly care and conscience. Since the coming of Father Gruss two new parking lots have been added to the parish grounds. The parish hall has been rebuilt with comfortable and necessary additions and expansions to turn it into a meeting place for parish societies and activities, parish dinners, carnivals, weddings, classroom schedules and socials of all kinds and descriptions. The rectory has taken on a new appearance with the addition of a parish office at the front and the creation of a new kitchen plus adequate quarters for the necessary living comfort of a devoted housekeeper. A new garage has replaced the old wooden one, with a second story added for storage space and the appearance of a work and tool shop useful for the maintenance of the grounds, the buildings and especially the parish cemetery. A new driveway leads up to the garage. A second entrance to the Church has been created by the addition of the side-door, and a complete new sacristy has been built. Underneath and in the heart of all these facilities, a new electrical wiring system with higher voltage and amperage to operate the expanded and multiplied appliances was installed, plus new gas heating equipment, the only answer to provide a substantial saving against the old hand-fired boiler system for each of the buildings. New cisterns and water supplies were created for programs on the grounds. Today, in this Centennial year of the Parish Church Building (headstone over the main entrance is 1861), there remains the rejuvenation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the present church building which is 100 years old. A new sanctuary appears with a one-step to replace a three-step approach to the Communion rail now extended over the whole of the sanctuary front. In the plans are a new heating system, new wiring and lighting, new wainscoating, new floor, brand new ceiling, rejuvenation of the pews and the organ, and an overall alluring and attractive paint redecorating of the whole Church building. All these excellent accomplishments were the end product and the interest plus the support of the people of St. Martin' s. They are also all fashioned and dedicated to the spiritual life and growth of the individual members of the parish, a life that appears healthy and active from the records of the liturgical functions of the parish. While we feel proud of our accomplishments we are aware that they would have been impossible without the heritage left us by those who labored here in former years, priests, sisters and parishioners. Under the patronage of St. Martin, God has showered His graces and blessings upon us. Grateful for the past, we look forward to the future with confidence and in the hope of dedicating our best efforts to the service and the honor and glory of the Most High God. If the things we do are instrumental in the Providence and Grace of God toward the salvation of our souls, our efforts will be well done and well worthwhile. May the Good Lord continue to bless and protect dear old St. Martin' s for many long years to come. -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #226 *******************************************