I admit I have been remiss at posting, but this is a labor of love so one should not attempt it halfheartedly. I have recently returned form a trip through Covington, Kentucky and southwestern OH. There were several churches of note, but today we will focus on St Philomena. The church sits aside Stonelick Creek, not to far above OH 50. It sits on Stonelick-Williams Corner Road, one of those wonderful hyphenated OH roads, which by their name very succinctly inform one which two hamlets the road connects, but which always accomplish the connection in a seemingly indirect and decidedly rural fashion. The parish is an old German foundation, with the present structure dating form the 20s. While some of the family lines have recently died out, others are still present at the parish and in fact sit in the same seats as their fore bearers. ( Yes the pews do in fact have the names discretely appended.) Unfortunately, the high altar has been removed. Strikingly though, after talking with one of the locals who showed us the church, we learned that more than a few are dissatisfied with the results of 60-70S "renovations". There is a push to move thing back to the way they were, or failing this, to replace some of the more offensive features, with improved wooden furnishings, in some cases hand carved by a parishioner. The present wood altars replaced an unsatisfactory Formica altar. The windows are simple colored glass, with religious symbols in medallions, fitting for a small rural church. The statuary, particularly St Philomena, is well done. I will also include some photos of photos showing both the original interior, and the parishioners building the present day structure.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DocMeadows85/10210GStPhilomena#
http://picasaweb.google.com/DocMeadows85/72310StPhilomenaStonelick#
It is actually the oldest parish in Clermont County. For more information, you can also check the website for St Philomena and its partner (cluster) parish of St Louis.
http://home.catholicweb.com/stlparish/index.cfm/about
