St. Agatha Parish History

St. Agatha Parish was founded in 1940. The first Mass was celebrated on December 1, in a church designed to accommodate 350 people. There were 70 families who became official charter members of the parish.

The new parish was established by Bishop James J. Hartley following a housing boom which had rapidly transformed Upper Arlington from a quiet farm area to a growing community. Monsignor George J. Kennedy moved into the new rectory located on a cow path now known as Northam Road. Our parish property, then 19 acres of forest and swampland, was located just outside city limits.

St. Agatha School opened in 1941, staffed by the Sisters of Charity, who took up residence in the newly completed convent. The school consisted of four classrooms and a parish hall, with 46 students in six grades. The first class graduated in 1944.

Rapid growth necessitated the addition of other parish communities within the original boundary of St. Agatha: St. Andrew (1955), St. Brendan (1956) and St. Timothy (1960). In 1960, with attendance at Sunday Mass averaging more than 2400 people, plans were started for a new and larger church. On May 27,1962, the groundbreaking was held, with a dedication on March 15, 1964. Parish Council was founded in 1968 to serve as an advisory group for the pastor in all areas of parish life and operation.

As the church needs grew, so did those of the school. Additions were made to the school in 1950, 1952, and 1955. In the 1990's, a group of foresighted parishioners realized that additional space was needed for the school and for parish activities. Following an extensive analysis, a $1.2 million Parish Expansion Project facilitated the addition of a parish center, a new school library, four additional classrooms and a redesigned cafeteria for the school building.

The new addition was completed in1994. The Monsignor George Kennedy Parish Center has a capacity of 425 people and has been well utilized by the St. Agatha Parish Community. Its rental to parishioners and outside groups for events such as weddings, reunions and anniversaries helps payoff the remaining construction debt and defrays operating costs. This facility provides an excellent environment for parish fellowship activities. Today, the school building houses 15 classrooms, a cafeteria, library-media center, gymnasium/auditorium, computer lab, two science rooms, an art room and a child care center.

Taken from The Saint Agatha Community, published in 1999.

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1860 Northam Road Upper Arlington, OH 43221     Office: (614) 488-6149    info@st-agatha.org