St. Edward Church History
In Harrison County (formed in Dec. 1793) there were Catholics as early as 1825, visited by priests from St. Francis Mission, White Sulphur, Scott County.
In 1849, there is record of Masses by Fr. P. Kroger of Cincinnati, held for a colony of German Catholics in the Broadwell Meeting House which stood on the Ruddles Mill Road near the intersection with the Millersburg Road.
In 1852 Right Rev. George Carroll, first bishop of Covington, instructed Fr. Force, pastor of Paris, KY to establish a mission in Cynthiana which had a growing number of Catholics. Many Irish workers were moving in to lay track for the Kentucky Central Railroad. At first Masses were held in the homes once a month. Then the neighboring Presbyterians generously offered the use of their present church until the Wall Street School House could be rented twice a month.
On Feb. 2, 1860 Fr. Edward Brandtz, native of Holland, pastor of Paris, was given charge of Cynthiana and is regarded as the real founder of St. Edward Parish.
On Nov. 22, 1860 Fr. Brandtz purchased an 86 ‘ x 206’ lot from William Roper on Back Street (the site of the present church) for $325 and built a frame church for $3,000. It was dedicated on Ascension Day 1864, honoring Fr. Brandtz’s patron saint, St. Edward (king of England 1002 to 1066 a.d. founder of the famous Westminster Abbey).
In 1869 thirty acres from Harrison Magee at the intersection of A. Keller and Falmouth Pikes was purchased for $3,000. Part of this was later sold and the remainder began to take shape as our beautiful cemetery.
By 1871 the congregation had grown so that a new larger church was started. The original frame church was moved to the back of the lot, where it became known as “the Hall” and housed many a card party and school play or concert. It was torn down in 1961 when the present school was erected.
In 1872 Fr. Ferndinand Brossart (later to become bishop, the only one to date selected from the priests of the Diocese of Covington) became the first resident pastor and St. Edward Mission became an official parish.
On October 29, 1876, the second church building at 123 North Walnut was dedicated by Bishop Toebbe. Fr. Thomas Major was pastor.
This church building and the next-door rectory were destroyed by fire on December 30, 1965. The fire of undetermined origin was discovered by workmen on the church roof. Within two hours, the church and rectory were damaged beyond repair. The pastor, Fr. Urban Horstman, narrowly escaped injury from a falling light fixture in the church.
New Year’s Day Mass was held (with every one in tears) in the auditorium of the city hall. For nearly three years Mass was celebrated in the school library and adjoining classrooms.
One of the few items to survive the fire was a beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She became known to the entire community of Harrison County as the “Miracle Statue.”
On Nov. 3, 1968, our present church building (the third one to be built on the present site of the church) was dedicated by Bishop Richard Ackerman.
In May, 1970, to honor Fr. Horstman’s 40th anniversary, a surprise collection was taken to purchase the large crucifix which he had wished for, to hang over the tabernacle. The corpus was hand carved in Italy, just for St. Edward’s.
In Nov. 1971 Fr. Lawrence Keller was named pastor. With much encouragement from the pastor and many money making projects, the parish’s debt of $170,000 was retired by 1980. A careful burning of the mortgage note was held at the evening Mass on Dec. 8, 1980.
In the fall of 1985 Fr. Louis Brinker was named pastor. Among many things he will be remembered for his encouragement of a deep devotion to Mary, the praying of the rosary and emphasized the Pro- life message. He is known for his friendliness to one and all. In 2001 he was named “Citizen of the Year” for Harrison County and Cynthiana, an indication of the respect which the community has for him.
In July, 2001, Fr. Richard Frazier was appointed pastor. His rapore with the young parishioners will be remembered. Several projects on the physical facilities were also accomplished, in major part due the generosity of parishioners who left St. Edward’s in their will.
A number of new Catholic families have moved into the county and the number of converts to the faith have brought significant growth to the parish.
In December, 2004, Fr. Douglas Lauer was named the 17th pastor. One of the issues facing the parish and school at this time is a need for a master plan to help direct our efforts concerning the maintenance and updating of our buildings.
A need for addition space resulted in a number of property acquistions. In July, 2007 the parish acquired 110 N. Main. In October, 2007 the parish acquired 103 & 105 N. Walnut. In August, 2008 the parish acquired 108 & 110 E. Pleasant. These properties provide an opportunity consider adding a parish hall and addition to the school building.
The future of St. Edward’s is bright. Many dedicated parishioners help in the mission and ministry of the parish. Over the past several years a significant number of people have been received into the church. This is an indication that all is well and growing at St. Edward’s.