In the year 1865, approximately one third of the Columbus population was ethnically German due to decades of immigration. Many German immigrants settled in the South End neighborhood. The Catholic population had outgrown nearby Holy Cross Church and the German-speaking South End residents wanted their own parish. It was in that same year, St. Mary's parish was formed with the newly ordained Fr. Francis X. Sprecht as its first pastor. Construction began in 1866 and the church was dedicated two years later by Bishop Sylvester Rosecrans on November 29, 1868. The spire was erected in 1893 at a price of $5,000 The clock was installed the next year.
Interior
Chancel
The white walnutreredos behind the main altar is 20 feet wide and 45 feet tall. Carved by Allard Klooter in 1866 at a cost of $2,500, it was moved to St. Mary Church from another church in Cincinnati. As the church patroness, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands in the center of the reredos. It is flanked on the left by a statue of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and on the right by SaintBoniface. All of these statues are made of carved wood. The crucifix hanging from the dome of the apse is 10 feet wide and 12 feet long, with a symbol representing one of the four Gospels at each extremity. Created by a parishioner, it was first hung in the church during the early 1930s.
Stained glass windows
The original stained glass windows in the church building were composed of religious symbols and geometric designs. Some of these can still be found in stairways, the choir loft, the sacristy, and in the vestibule. The original windows along the north and south walls of the nave have been replaced with windows depicting saints and the life of Jesus Christ.
Paintings
Ten painted ceiling panels depict images representing titles of Mary from the Litany of Loreto. The ceiling was originally painted in the 1890s and restored in 1987. Munich native, Gerhart Lemars, executed the sanctuary paintings between 1930 and 1935. The apse ceiling depicts a Trinitarian rendering of the Eye of Providence. Oval symbols running vertically near the face of the apse represent salvation. Angels holding instruments of the Passion of Christ stand over a Latin phrase taken from the Adoration of the Cross portion of the Roman Catholic Good Friday liturgy. Translated, it says, “Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the salvation of the world… Faithful cross, most noble tree of all.” Oil frescos are located over the side altars flanking the sanctuary. Painted by Wenceslaus Thein and William Lamprecht in 1867, the left painting shows the Adoration of the Magi, and the right painting shows the Holy Family with Saint Anne.
150th anniversary
On August 14, 2015, the church undertook a motorcade featuring a mobile carillon as part of the celebration for the parish's 150th anniversary and its 90th Homecoming Festival. The current pastor, Father Kevin Lutz, regaled onlookers in downtown Columbus and German Village with hymns played on the 48-bell carillon. The motorcade reenacted the November 1868 procession which preceded the church's dedication.
Closure and restoration
On Sunday, August 28, 2016, lightning struck the church building. On Friday, October 7, 2016 structural engineers recommended St. Mary Church temporarily condemned due to significant damage to the roof trusses, exterior brick, and ceiling. While under repairs, Masses were held in the St. Mary School gymnasium, with special Masses held at Saint Leo Church in Merion Village. The parish used the closure as an opportunity to renovate and restore nearly the entire church. The parish funded the project via a $7.5 million capital campaign with support from Columbus community leaders. Architect William Heyer and general contractor Corna Kokosing executed the project, which according to Fr. Kevin Lutz, “…encompassed the roof, the foundations, wall supports, choir supports, new front stairs, a prayer garden, a new sidewalk, rewiring the entire church, new heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, a new church and sanctuary floor, repainting the statues, and restoration of the confessionals, baptistery and Pietà shrine… For financial reasons, the original plan also did not include work on our stained-glass windows. But when they were looked at more closely, we realized they had to come out for re-leading. These are the kind of previously unknown issues that add layers to the original task.” EverGreene Architectural Arts and Martin Painting and Coating jointly restored the painted ceiling with digitally printed canvasses. Matthew Indrutz of Muralworks painted additional interior decoration. The church reopened for worship on April 19, 2019 for the Palm SundayVigil Mass.
