House of the Lord | Gail Deibler Finke

History Behind the Name

When Bernadette Soubirous, a poor peasant girl from the town of Lourdes near the French Pyrenees, first reported that a beautiful “small young lady” appeared to her at a cave in February of 1858, no one believed her. A clear spring appeared from the mud at the site during one of the 18 apparitions, and the young lady eventually identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception”—words Bernadette did not know. Bernadette was canonized in 1933, and the grotto and miraculous spring became a major pilgrimage site that now includes three basilicas and other buildings. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is February 11.

Through the Years

1927

First Mass celebrated April 17, Easter Sunday, at the home of Dr. Charles Murray. The first church, a white frame building designed by Kunz & Beck, is finished six months later, and the parish holds its first festival in 1928.

1948

First part of the school building built; the cafeteria and gym are used for Mass.

1960

Eight-classroom annex (St. Bernadette Hall) built; convent, now the parish office, is completed a year later.

1967

Current brick church completed, designed by Cotter & Associates, with a traditional, cross-shaped floorplan. 

1990s-2001 

Complete renovation of the church, including raising the ceiling; reorienting interior from facing west to facing north; moving sanctuary from west wall to a free-standing dais; constructing new exterior gathering space with peaked roof and curtain glass walls, each with a central contemporary stained glass panel; moving baptismal font to gathering space; and moving tabernacle to a side chapel area. Panels of the marble high altar are incorporated into new altar and lectern. After efforts to save the old frame church failed, it’s demolished and a new school gym, computer lab, library, and art room are constructed in its place.

2022

Parish incorporated into a new Family of Parishes, Family of the Most Holy Eucharist, with St. Catharine of Siena, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Antoninus parishes.

2023

Tabernacle moved to a stand behind the altar, and baptismal font moved to the side chapel in its place. 

By the Numbers

1

Grotto: a freestanding stone structure replicating the Grotto at Lourdes, including statues of St. Bernadette and Our Lady and a water feature. Built in 1949 to replace a small, indoor replica left of the church altar, the new Grotto was originally situated on Glenway Avenue, then briefly slated for demolition when the original church building was demolished. After parishioners rallied to save it, Fr. Edward Rudemiller negotiated to buy and demolish a home at the Grotto’s present location, in a garden courtyard off Rosebud Avenue. It was moved in pieces in 1999.

2

Altar crucifixes: the crucifix from the original church is located in the youth center; a “Resurrection crucifix” from the 1967 building hangs in the gathering space; and a new crucifix of Christ Crucified, made in Italy and donated by a parishioner during renovations, is suspended over the sanctuary.

Quotes

“The grotto is more than stone and water; it is a living reminder of our parish’s devotion to Mary and of the healing presence of Christ. It is a place where visitors can pause, pray, and feel the peace that has blessed generations of parishioners. It is the place where we have come together for countless parish rosaries or to say our favorite parish prayer, The Memorare.” –Deacon Mark Madden

“The altar contains marble pieces from the previous altar, a sign of continuity and the centrality of the Eucharist in our parish life. But more than the grotto and the building, what is truly unique here is the warmth of our community and the way faith is lived out in service, fellowship, and tradition.” –Deacon Mark Madden

This article appeared in the February 2026 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.