Our History

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church was established in 1954 with a few dozen faithful Catholic families worshiping in a small theater in the Old Town section of Grove City. Since then, Our Lady has grown into one of the largest parishes in the 23-county Columbus Diocese. Its campus on Broadway now includes an imposing church building, a kindergarten-8th grade parochial school, a preschool classroom building and a rectory. Our Lady has been led by seven pastors, all men of deep faith who have been revered by our parishioners.

It’s been quite a journey.

Bishop Michael J. Ready announced on April 9, 1954, the establishment of Our Lady parish, and the Community Theater on Broadway was purchased to serve as a temporary church.

The parish’s boundaries covered most of southwestern Franklin County from Frank, Clime and Alkire Roads on the north; the Scioto River on the east; the Pickaway County line on the south and the Madison County line on the west. Most Catholics south of official boundary all the way to Mt. Sterling also attended Mass at Our Lady

Under an arrangement with theater owner Melvin Girbert, movies continued to be shown in the evenings until June 1, when the parish took over sole ownership. The first Mass was celebrated on April 25, 1954, with 121 people – 90 adults and 31 children - in attendance. The celebrant was Msg. Harold O’Donnell, who had been appointed as Our Lady’s administrator. Catholics in the area were grateful for the new parish because many of them previously had to travel up to 30 miles to attend Mass.

Fr. Richard Hoch was appointed the parish’s first pastor on Sept. 16, 1954. Although an altar had been installed, the temporary church still had the look of a theater, so Fr. Hoch initiated a renovation. The stage was removed, sacristies built and a confessional installed. Seats were moved so kneelers could be added, and the interior of the church was painted. The remodeling, most of which was done by parishioners, was completed in time for the Oct. 24 morning Mass.

Several Our Lady firsts were initiated in 1955. They included a fund drive to retire a $65,000 debt; Holy Name Society on Jan. 9; Communion class on May 8; and Summer Festival  Aug. 26-27.

The need for a Catholic church in Grove City quickly became apparent because of the parish’s fast-growing membership. It was a trend that would continue throughout Our Lady’s history. By the end of its inaugural year, the parish had 73 registered families. In 1955, this number more than doubled to 154 families and then to 216 families in 1956. When registrations reached 363 families in 1957, Our Lady’s first associate pastor, Fr. Herman R. Luchi, was appointed.

By 1959, the parish had outgrown its original home (now the Little Theater on Broadway). Because of foresight by Bishop Ready, land for a new church was already available. In 1953 - a year before Our Lady parish was established - the Diocese had bought 27 acres at 3752 Broadway, a former dog track four blocks north of the theater. Four additional acres were later bought by Fr. Hoch.

 Three days before Bishop Ready’s death, plans for a new church, an eight-classroom school and a cafeteria were approved. The project would cost $272,951. Construction began on April 9, 1959. Though not finished, used furnishings, old pews and altar supplies were donated from several churches so that Mass could be celebrated for the first time at Midnight Mass Christmas, 1959.

The school opened in September 1960 with 300 pupils in grades one through four. One grade level was added in each of the next four years. For the first decade, all the school’s principals and most of its teachers were nuns. By the mid-1970s, most of the teachers were laity. The school has been named twice – in 1988 and in the 1991-92 school year – as a National Exemplary School, a rare achievement.    

Rising school enrollment resulted in eight classrooms being added to the school in 1970. Shortly after that, a building at 3710 Broadway on the northwest corner of the campus was purchased and renovated into a rectory and parish office.

Fr. Hoch was honored in 1977 for his selfless service to our parish. He had guided Our Lady from its humble beginnings through 23 years of impressive growth. During Fr. Hoch’s tenure, Our Lady became an example to Christians of all denominations in the area of what can be accomplished with God’s grace. 

Bishop Edward J. Herrmann appointed Fr. Thomas Shonebarger on June 21, 1977, as our second pastor. By then, the parish had grown to 850 families. (As of December 2021, some 2,700 families were registered at Our Lady.)

The church was still using many of the originally donated furnishings, and they were wearing out. So, Fr. Shonebarger initiated a fund drive in 1978-79 to re-furnish, enlarge and renovate the church. A tower and steeple were added, which enclosed an elevator for the handicapped. Air-conditioning for the church and cafeteria was also installed. Among the other new features and renovations were a Schantz pipe organ, furnishings, walls, ceilings, carpeting, a small crying-room, a sacristy and a bride’s room. On Sunday, Sept. 16, 1979, Bishop Herrmann celebrated a Liturgy of Re-dedication.

Despite all the new construction, Our Lady was still bursting at the seams. Increasing school enrollment required yet another capital improvements project.  New office space for the school and Religious Education Department and a full-sized gymnasium were approved and work completed in 1981. Two houses just south of the rectory were purchased in 1986. One house was renovated into a convent and the other into meeting spaces. 

Fr. Romano Ciotola, who was later promoted to monsignor, was appointed pastor by Bishop James A. Griffin on July 14, 1987.

A year later, Msg. Ciotola re-established the annual Summer Festival, which had been disbanded years before. The festival has grown into one of Our Lady’s most popular events. Msg. Ciotola also founded a Parish Council on Sept. 22, 1988. A number of ministries also were organized during his tenure, including Bereavement Committee, MOMs Group, Respect Life Committee, Social Committee and Visitation Group. In 1992, a statue of the Virgin Mary, sculpted from Carrara marble imported from Italy, was placed at the church entrance on Broadway.

On Dec. 23, 1993, the parish paid off a $700,000 debt incurred from the gym/school offices project, asbestos removal from the school and the purchase of the two houses. 

Next, Msg. Ciotola turned his attention to the most ambitious building project in Our Lady’s history – construction of the current church. A major fund drive was undertaken in 1997. It included not only generous donations from parishioners but also a variety of other fundraising events. The construction project also included converting the old church into two classrooms and a school library. A basement was added to the new church through a major donation by the Knights of Columbus, Council 4603. (The two houses near the rectory were razed to make way for the new church.) Construction of the $3.77 million project began on June 7, 1998. The new church was dedicated by Bishop Griffin on Sept. 26, 1999.

Bishop Griffin appointed Msg. Stephen Hawkins pastor on July 11, 2000, though he served less than a year, passing away on Feb 15, 2001.

Fr. Joseph Stanton served as the interim administrator until Fr. John Swickard was appointed pastor by Bishop Griffin on April 3, 2001, in time for the celebration of Holy Week.

Fr. Swickard introduced a formalized stewardship program, which encouraged parishioners to contribute their time, talent and treasure. This program led to paying off the church building debt in November 2008, as well as numerous enhancements. They included installation of air conditioning and replacement of windows in the school and an elevator and bell tower for the new church. Also, maintenance and storage facilities were expanded, an athletic sports shelter house was erected by the rear parking lot and a bronze statue to the Virgin Mary was installed on the west side of the church. A commercial building at the southwest corner of the campus was purchased and renovated into pre-school classrooms. Fr. Swickard also established several new programs, including celebrating Masses once a month for Catholics in a Grove City nursing home.

In the fall of 2010, Fr. Swickard took a medical leave of absence, and Fr. Daniel J. Millisor was named interim pastor. Fr. Millisor was appointed permanent pastor by Bishop Frederick F. Campbell on July 12, 2011, after Fr. Swickard officially retired.

Some of the parish’s facilities were beginning to show their age, so Fr. Millisor established the Our Lady Appeal. Under this program, money donated in excess of the parish’s goal for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal was to be used for major maintenance projects. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised through the Our Lady Appeal.

Capital improvements undertaken during Fr. Millisor’s tenure included repaving the parking lot, installing a new church roof, upgrading the sanctuary sound system, repairing the church’s hallway floors, installing new flooring and stands in the gymnasium, upgrading the campus security system and a prayer garden on the north side of the church. 

Fr. Millisor initiated new ministries and quadrupled the nursing home Mass program. Our Lady’s first permanent deacon, Michael Kopczewski, was also appointed.

Bishop Robert J. Brennan named Msg. John Cody as Our Lady’s administrator pro tem on May 20, 2020. Msg. Cody’s 14-month tenure proved to be one of the most challenging in the church’s history. It came during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of a statewide lockdown ordered by Gov. Mike DeWine, Masses and most other church activities were canceled. 

Our next pastor, Fr. Joseph Yokum, was appointed by Bishop Brennan on July 21, 2021. By this time, COVID-19 vaccines had been developed and Masses and other church activities gradually returned to normal. Parishioners were immediately impressed with Fr. Yokum’s energy and dynamic personality. And Fr. Yokum was impressed with Our Lady, a large parish with a close-knit, family atmosphere. “This is such a joyful, friendly parish,” he said. “From the very beginning, the people made me feel welcome.”

Like the rest Our Lady, Fr. Yokum is excited about the future. Early in his tenure as pastor, Fr. Yokum announced that a master plan would be developed for future capital projects. “There will be changes, but they will be built on the great foundation that has already been laid here,” he said.