St. Andrew Church demolished

Demolition of the former St. Andrew Catholic Church is in its final stages, and the land is in the hands of the same family that originally donated it. The Catholic Diocese of Toledo relegated — or formally took the church building out of service — in February 2020 and sold the property in May 2020, said Kelly Donaghy, senior director of communications for the diocese. "We didn't do it in a bubble," Donaghy said. "Neither did the people who bought it." She said church representatives talked with community members within the last year before making the decision to sell the property. "We wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do for the community," she said. Until it was relegated, the church had most recently been part of All Saints Parish, based in New Riegel. The June 7, 2020, weekly bulletin for the All Saints Catholic Community announced the news that the property had been relegated by Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. "It was the consensus of the community that the church building be taken down as soon as possible, and the use of the land restored to local community members," the bulletin item said. The buildings and land were purchased by Jeremy and Ashley Schumm, who owned contiguous farmland, and are ancestors to the family that originally donated land to the diocese. "They have agreed to remove the church building within 12 months," the bulletin notice said. "It's our understanding that the schoolhouse will remain and may be used for family business. "There is surely sadness for all of us as we let go of this landmark of our Catholic heritage, and special loss and sorrow for the St. Andrew Community. We share in their loss and we also acknowledge their courage, wisdom and sacrifice." The parishes of St. Andrew and St. Patrick, Bascom, were longtime sister parishes. According to a 1985 History of the Diocese of Toledo, Northern Ohio — West Central and Central Sections, Diocese of Toledo, by Lawrence Mossing, St. Andrew, the older of the two parishes, began as a mission of Peru in 1834, and in 1845, it became a mission of New Riegel. In 1863, the parish of St. Patrick was formed and became a mission of New Riegel also. The church of St. Patrick was originally located in St. Patrick Settlement, but was relocated to Bascom in 1913, after a fire destroyed the church building. Beginning in 1893, St. Patrick began being served by resident pastors, and St. Andrew was served by priests of St. Patrick. They remained sister parishes until the St. Patrick/St. Andrew was combined with St. Boniface, New Riegel; St. Nicholas, Carey (Frenchtown); and St. Peter, Alvada, to become All Saints Parish, based in New Riegel in July 2005. Anyone looking for church records from St. Andrew Church can find records from 1834-2001 at Bowling Green State University Library's Center for Archival Collections (https://lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/383). According to library information, the records of St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Andrew Catholic Church were transferred for microfilming to the Center for Archival Collections in August 2001 with the cooperation of the Rev. David Bruning. The collection consists of baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages and deaths. Due to inconsistencies in pagination and transcription of data, researchers are encouraged to refer to all volumes within each series. There is a 70-year access restriction on baptism and marriage records. No restrictions apply to the remainder of the collection.