In 1926, Little Flower Parish had a humble beginning in a blacksmith shop converted into a chapel at the corner of North Bend Road and Colerain Avenue in 1926. Soon after, plans were drawn for the original church and school. Archbishop John T. McNicholas granted permission to start construction in July of 1928. The church and school were completed in March of 1929.
A memorial rose garden honoring St. Therese, the Little Flower, was completed in 1930. Devotion to St. Therese began with the completion of the rose garden and grew rapidly. People began traveling to our parish, which became known as the “The Shrine of the Little Flower” from all over the country. In 1937, a nine-day Novena to St. Therese, the Little Flower drew over 50,000 people.
The parish continued to grow over the years. In the 1950’s additional school classrooms were built. On April 9, 1961, our present church was completed and dedicated by Bishop Paul F. Liebold and Archbishop Karl J. Alter. A bulging school was remedied with construction of the junior high wing and cafeteria enlargement in 1964. In 1996 a new school office and meeting rooms were added to the school and a parish center consisting of a combination gymnasium and auditorium were completed.
In 2006, through the generosity of our parishioners, a beautiful sounding new electronic organ was installed in church.
As a result of our efforts to continue to provide an affordable, quality Catholic education for our children, St. Therese Little Flower Parish, along with the parishes of St. Ann in Groesbeck, St. Margaret Mary in North College Hill, and Assumption in Mt. Healthy, joined together to establish a new regional school. Our Lady of Grace Catholic School (OLG) was established in 2008 as an entity operated by the four covenant parishes. It is located on the St. Ann Parish campus at 2940 West Galbraith Rd. in Groesbeck.
Embracing the Future, a multi-year plan for future ministry in our parish was implemented from 2010 through 2015 and focused on six pastoral areas: (1) Parish Leadership, (2) Faith Formation and Transformation, (3) Stewardship and Sustainability, (4) Community Building, (5) Neighborhood Outreach, and (6) Communications. Pastoral Council, Faith Formation and Social Justice Commissions were formed as a result.
On July 1, 2022, we moved on to the next major phase of Beacons of Light, implementation of the new Families of Parishes and the start of intentional pastoral planning within each of those Families. Each Family of Parishes will follow the Pastoral Planning Pathway to guide its future. This Pathway will assist each Family in creating a pastoral plan for the parishes in the Family, articulating how they will live out the six Beacons principles and abide by each of the parameters, all aimed towards vital, mission-driven parish life within the Family of Parishes and ultimately, as one canonical Parish. Fr. Rudy Coaquira Hilaje, M.CC.J is the pastor of our family, which is made up of:
St. Boniface, Northside, 1750 Chase Ave.
Holy Family, East Price Hill, 3006 W 8th St.
St. Joseph, West End, 745 Ezzard Charles Dr.
St. Leo the Great, Fairmount, 2573 St. Leo Place
St. Therese Little Flower
Pastors of St. Therese Little Flower
1926-1933 – Fr. Albert Hagel
1933-1950 – Fr. Leo M. Schmitt
1950-1956 – Fr. Francis Garrity
1956-1977 – Fr. Edwin Hamann
1977-1979 – Fr. J. Thomas Rolfes
1979-1991 – John Mattscheck
1991-2002 – Fr. Thomas King
2002-2016 – Fr. Robert Goebel
2016-2019 – Fr. Patrick McMullen (Parochial Administrator)
2019-2021 – Fr. Dennis Bosse, OFM (Parochial Vicar)
2022-2022 – Fr. David Kobak, OFM (Parochial Vicar)
2022-present – Fr. Rudy Coaquira Hilaje, MCCJ