The Amazing Journey of Christ Communities
Flag Poles and Flags When we did the renovation of the church, we changed the parking lot and added
the circle in the middle to help with traffic flow. In the circle we added 5 flag poles with 5 different flags.
The flags are the Papal flag (the yellow and white one), the Archdiocesan flag (with the plow on it),
American flag, the Ohio flag, and the Blue Ribbon flag. On various civil holidays, all the flags are changed
to the American flags. Sometimes the flags are flown at half mast, like September 11th.
Fire Pit The fire pit was built for our Easter Fire. On Holy Saturday night we have an Easter Vigil Mass to
welcome new people into the Catholic Faith and to begin the celebration of Easter. A huge bonfire is
built and everyone gathers around it. The giant Easter or Paschal candle is here, held by the servers.
Father blesses the fire and says some prayers. There are readings from the Gospel and Father pushes
four wax markers into the candle to indicate this liturgical year. The congregation follows the big candle
into the church. The congregation has their own small taper and as the servers enter the church, they
light peoples’ candles on the way down the aisle. Soon the whole church is lit with the light of the
Easter fire. This fire pit is also used to burn the palms on Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash
Wednesday. People bring their old blessed palms to church to be burned and that is what is used to
make the ashes that are used to mark our foreheads.
Labyrinth This is an ancient form of prayer. For centuries, labyrinths have been used on the grounds of
monasteries, convents, churches, catholic schools, and retreat centers. They are meant to provide a
quiet place for contemplative prayer. Usually these labyrinths are found in quiet natural settings, out in
the country, in fields, in the woods. Here at IHM our labyrinth is a blessed space on Beechmont Ave.
While Beechmont Ave is not a quiet place, most people find that slowly walking and praying the rosary
or just talking to God, is very helpful. It is a different way to pray and can help your faith journey grow.
The Front Doors of the Church/ The Mary Window The doors to our church are 12 feet tall on special
hinges. These hinges support the weight of the doors and help them to open very smoothly and easily.
In fact, they open so easily that they sometimes blow open in the wind. Standing inside the church
between the two sets of doors and looking outside you can see the beautiful images that have been
etched in the glass. The doors in the center are the story of creation, the very beginning of Genesis. We
see the sun and moon, the water and all the fish and turtles at the bottom of the center doors. We see
the trees, the birds, animals, and Adam. The doors on the right tell the story of the Old Testament. We
see Noah’s Ark, the tree of knowledge, the Torah, the Ten Commandments, the Star of David, the
burning bush, the incense pot, and the 12 stars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The doors on the
left have the symbols of the New Testament. The Star of the Epiphany, the staff and the Lamb of God,
the harp and the crown symbolizing that Jesus is from the lineage of David, the vine of life, the Alpha
and the Omega, and the hand of God. Each of these symbols tells us the story of our faith.
The door handles are sheaves of wheat. They are modeled after the sheaves of wheat that are in the
legs of the altar in the Cathedral downtown. This helps us to make a connection to the seat of our
Archbishop.
The Mary Window was originally from a place called Girl’s Town across the street from St. Xavier High
School. A parishioner purchased many of the windows from the building with its 7 chapels as it was
being torn down. He drove them across town on the top of his car! He sold most of the windows, but
donated 3 to Immaculate Heart of Mary. This Mary window is one of them. Our church used to be built
of all cinderblocks and it didn’t have any windows. A team of people decided they would use the Mary
window with the words Immaculate Heart of Mary in the window. They had the window made smaller
and put in a light box to hang on the wall of the church. This made it look like we had a window. When
we renovated our church we decided to put the window in the peak of the entrance of the church. The
parishioner who had originally donated the window to us, found the original pieces that had been taken
out of the frame of the window and he gave them to us. We had the window restored to the original
size and installed.
The Guadalupe Room/Bier This room is a kind of living room for the church. It is used for Bible studies,
meetings, small gatherings, and little parties. We have brides and their bridesmaids get dressed here
before their wedding. We also use this room for funeral visitations. The funeral bier is the wooden
piece of furniture that is under the Mary picture. This is where the casket is placed and family and
friends can come and pay their respects here. The Mary picture is Our Lady of Guadalupe, she is who
this room is named after, and she is the patroness of the whole Americas. She is very popular in Mexico
where she appeared to St. Juan Diego. On the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th, here
at IHM, the Hispanic community does a reenactment of the visit of Mary to Juan Diego when she filled
his cloak with roses. If you have an opportunity to come, it is a wonderful celebration.
Font/Paschal Candle and Water Doors Our baptismal font is an “Immersion” font and one of the
biggest in the Archdiocese. It is cruciform in shape, or a cross. Babies that are being baptized are usually
undressed and held under their arms in the water. Their head does not go under but the priest or
deacon will pour water over their heads three times and say the words of baptism. People that can walk
in, older children and adults, will dress in shorts and a tee shirt and wear a brown garment. They walk up
the steps and go down into the water where they will kneel down. They are then dunked three times
under the water as the words of baptism are spoken. They come out of the water and dry off. They go
and change into a white garment and then receive their baptismal candle. They reenter the church
through the water doors, which were made to represent the waters of baptism where we are washed
free from sin. We bless ourselves every time we enter and exit the church as a reminder of our baptism
promises and our call to try to live as Christ asks us to live, being nice, kind, and compassionate to all.
The font is made from green granite and white marble. You will see those materials through the
sacramental pieces in the church. The carving on each side of the font are of a Tudor Rose. Roses
represent Mary and we used that motif throughout the church. Our name is Immaculate Heart of Mary,
so everything we did when we rebuilt the church we did as a way to make sure everything was in honor
of Mary.
Paschal Candle This is the candle that is lit in the Easter fire on Holy Saturday night. This candle will stay
lit for all the Masses for the whole Easter season. After the Easter season is over it is lit for every
baptism and for every funeral. Notice the markings on the candle. The alpha and the omega are on the
candle, you have seen those in the front doors. God always has been and always will be. The year is on
the candle as well as the wax markers that the priest inserts during the prayers at the Easter fire. Notice
the Candle stand has the same white marble on it that we see on the baptismal font. That helps us to
make all the visual connections for the sacramental spaces in the church.
The Reconciliation Chapel This chapel is a beautiful space used during our times for reconciliation, or
other times as people request. The beautiful carving on the door tells the story of the Prodigal Son. It
depicts the son at his lowest point eating the pigs’ leftovers on the bottom panel of the door. On the
top we see the Father embracing his son as he returns home, just as Jesus embraces us when we
reconcile to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Inside the room, there is a screen that a person can
kneel behind as they confess their sins. Father sits in the chair behind the screen. They may also sit in
the comfortable chair facing the priest. Most people choose this option. They confess their sins and
Father gives them some guidance and a penance. Over Father’s head is a painting of the Act of
Contrition and there are baskets of the prayer for anyone who would be more comfortable using them.
Sometimes people are afraid they will forget the prayer so they don’t want to come for the sacrament.
After the prayer is said, Father gives absolution and the penitent leaves through the door with the water
windows on either side.
The door was carved by the same artist who carved the angels on either side of the tabernacle. The
sides of the door are stained glass and match our water doors going into the sanctuary from the
Baptismal font. These represent our coming from the sacrament of Reconciliation through the water
doors to the baptismal font and into the altar of sacrifice.
The body of Christ on the wall is called the “corpus” and is a piece that was brought back from a trip to
Germany. The picture of the Last Supper on the back wall is from the same artist, Tony Baur, from
Oberammergau, Germany.
Balcony/Sacred Heart Statue The balcony is part of the original church from 1979 and many people love
to be up here so they can see everything that is going on. The Sacred Heart statue is one of the original
statues in the church. When we were redesigning the new church we didn’t know what to do with the
statue. Before the renovation, the front of the balcony had a round icon on the front. It was for the
priest to focus on Jesus when it gets distracting with all the people moving around as they celebrate
Mass. Once we did the renovation the icon didn’t fit. We didn’t know what to do with the statue, so it
was mentioned that the statue would look great on the wall. We didn’t think there would be a way to
make that happen. The company that did all of our furniture was able to build a stand that anchored
into the wall. Now when priests celebrate the Mass they are able to see the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
pray to Him.
The Mary and St. Joseph Statues These statues are inside church under the steps to the balcony. They
came from our first church, with the Sacred Heart Statue upstairs, which is now the Pre-School. They
were moved to our old cinderblock church where originally Mary was in the sanctuary and Joseph was in
the Gathering Space. When the church was remodeled, we had these special niches built for them. The
walls of the niches are made of “blued” copper. The copper was used to cover the walls and then a
water was brushed on them and a torch was heated and it turned the copper into beautiful colors. The
candles are here for people to light a candle for their intentions. People can ask for Mary and St. Joseph
to intercede for them in their prayers.
The kneelers or “prie-dieus” are for anyone who would like to have quiet time to pray to Mary or St.
Joseph.
Holy Family Wooden Medallion This was a beautiful gift from a family in the parish. They love the Holy
Family and while they were in Rome, they found this wooden medallion which they purchased for the
parish. After we had finished our renovations we had this blank wall, and it was a perfect fit. Mr. Auxier
had lighting put in so that all could see it and it shines like gold.
The Memory Garden is a space outside that has been planted in memory of a parishioner’s child who
passed away after he served in the military. His mother worked with the parish to have the space
designed and planted with some of her favorite flowers. Some of the trees and bushes on this side of
the church were planted after they were used for Easter inside the church. There is a beautiful plaque
that lists the son’s name and the years of his life. It is a wonderful and quiet place to pray if you would
like.
Rachel Statue This is not a statue of Mary. This is a statue of Rachel. The Knights of Columbus created
this space for people to pray for unborn children. Rachel is the patron saint of the unborn children and
so the Knights bought the statue and had her placed on this special base. They added the benches for
people to have quiet time here and to remember and pray for unborn children.
Mary Statue outside of Hageman This statue was a gift to the parish when we renovated the church
and Hageman Hall. A family donated it in memory of a loved one. With roses, the flower that represents
Mary, growing all around her, this is a beautiful spot. A few years ago some parishioners asked for some
benches here and the parish created this space as a memorial for people who have died. Many families
have bought a brick to be engraved to remember their loved one. This space has become a favorite
place to pray the rosary, especially after the 9:30 Mass every Sunday morning. At different times of the
year, during the months of October and May, people pray the rosary here every night.
Sacred Heart Statue This statue, outside the gym entrance, was another wonderful gift to our parish by
a family who wanted to do something very special to honor all the members of their family. It was
purchased by the family while we were doing our renovation of the church and the school. The Sacred
heart is a very special devotion. The heart, on fire, is a symbol of Jesus’ intense burning love for us all.
In our human heart, God has written His love and His message on us.
Icon in the gym lobby of school This is an icon of Mary with Jesus sitting on her lap. It was placed over
the gym door so all who enter the lobby see it and realize that we are dedicated to Mary. Here Mary is
"Pointer of the Way" or "Guide of the Church." This style is associated with Mary's words at the wedding
feast of Cana, "Do whatever He tells you." The mother points to her child as if to say, look at Him, not
me. Christ is pictured as a small but mature person who looks straight at us and blesses us. The Greek
letters are an abbreviation referring to the Mother of God and Jesus Christ. According to legend, the first
Hodigitria or icon, was painted by St. Luke.
Gym “Christ is the Reason” Our gym has been newly redone. The floor is all refinished and has the new
Crusader logo on it. There is a new screen and new sound system in here as well. One thing that hasn’t
changed is the beautiful phrase up on the wall. “Christ is the Reason”. That phrase sums up why we are
called to be who we are. We were created in God’s own likeness to live the life He calls us to live. We
are to use the gifts and talents that God has given us to be kind and good to one another. God gave us
his son, Jesus Christ, and He redeemed us from sin. He is the reason that we are on this earth, to live
our best life for Him. We strive to play sports or participate in activities as good sports, treating people
as we know Christ teaches us to treat each other.
Outdoor Mary and the start of the Marian Trail. This Eagle Project was something that really helped to
set this space off as a special prayer space. The Marian Garden had been put in first, then the Stations
of the Cross went in. No one could find these places when they were finished. No one knew they could
come back here and pray. When this scout did this project, it made the trail special and helped
everyone know that this was an important space. The scout found out about this Mary statue and it was
being given away by a church that was closing. They gave him the statue when he told them it was for
the start of a Marian trail at Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Outdoor Marian Garden This is another Eagle project. This one was done by Jacob Wiles. Jacob spent a
lot of time designing and laying out what the garden would look like. He and the scouts cleared out all
the brush, put down all the pavers to look like a rosary, they planted all the plants. Jacob raised money
to do all of this work and to buy a Mary Statue. He had benches in the design so that once you were
finished praying the rosary by walking on the pavers, you could sit in the beauty of this outdoor space
and have some quiet reflective time with Mary.
Outdoor Stations of the Cross This is another Eagle project, by Ryan Wampler. This scout had seen
Stations of the Cross outside in Germany and they looked like the fronts of little tiny houses. He looked
at the nice space back here and decided to lay out the stations in a semi-circle. He raised money to buy
the metal pictures of the stations and then with the help of other scouts, his father, and his grandfather,
he built each of the little roofed structures for the stations. The scouts then came and dug all the holes
and put in all the poles for the project to be completed. Lots of groups come back here and pray the
stations.
Outdoor Classroom This classroom was built by an Eagle Scout, Dale Lakes, as his Eagle Project. This
project took a lot of planning and very hard work. One person who helped a lot with this is a man whose
son died while climbing a mountain. His son loved the outdoors and loved working with youth that had
troubles. He worked for a company that put on programs for troubled teens and he took them on hikes,
and camping. When he died, his dad started to raise money to help communities to build places for kids
to enjoy being outside. This space was dedicated to his son, Jason. Many groups use this space; scouts,
students, and American Heritage Girls all have their meetings out here when the weather is nice.
Mary Statue in the 7th grade hallway This is one of the most beautiful statues of Mary on the campus.
They are all beautiful but this one is one of the prettiest. A parishioner donated this statue for the
church but she didn’t fit in the new space. When we added onto the school, Brother Ed suggested that
she might be moved here and it was a perfect fit. This space in this hallway is a wonderful prayer space
for the school. How many big statues of Mary can you count on this campus? (8) There are many small
ones in each classroom and one in the cafeteria that are not in this count. We are soon to have another
one added to the campus in the middle of the flags.
Formation Offices These offices are for the parish to administer all of the programs, especially for
children, here at Immaculate Heart of Mary. This office is used by our Director of Youth Ministry,
Michael Haley, our Coordinator of Children’s Formation and Sacramental Prep, Pete Taylor, Peggy
Sorrentino our administrative assistant, Debbie Birck, and sometimes our intern, Jacob Willig. Our
Young Children Montessori program, Summer and Sunday PRP, Vacation Bible School, Camp Bosco, First
Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, preparation, Middle School and High School programs
and Family Catechesis are all run from these offices. We have a library for religion teachers and all the
supplies we need for our teachers and students are in these cabinets and drawers. If you ever want to
stop to talk to Mr. Pete or Michael, please come in and say hi.
Crucifix in the cafeteria The crucifix on the wall of the cafeteria, opposite the Gabriel window is a
wonderful cross. It depicts Jesus when He was in the most pain. The body of Christ was purchased in
Oberammergau, Germany by Father Jan Schmidt. The cross that the body is on was the original cross
from our church before all of our renovations. When we had a new cross made for the Church we used
the old cross and had it made to fit this new body. It works well here. With the lighting on, when you
look at the cross, you see shadows on either side of the cross. These shadows look like the 2 thieves
that were crucified with Jesus. When we celebrate Mass in here at Christmas and Easter, we are set up
so that we can see the cross during Mass.
Gabriel Window The Gabriel window was placed in the school cafeteria in 2003. This is a window that
was donated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary window from Girls Town near St. Xavier High School.
Before Girls Town was to be torn down, one of our parishioners bought 12 of the windows that were
there. There had been 7 chapels at Girls Town. He sold many but kept three for IHM. This is one of the
windows that we found in his warehouse where it had been stored when we didn’t have a place for it.
We sent it to Indianapolis to have it cleaned and we decided that the best place for Gabriel the
Archangel, one of seven archangels named in the Bible, was to be installed here in the cafeteria so he
could watch over all our children just as their Guardian Angels do.
Lobby of the School There are 2 things of note in the school lobby. The first is the statue of Mary. This
statue was originally outside. It is very old. When we added onto the school, we brought Mary inside to
be the first thing people see when they come into our building.
The second thing is the mosaic on the front wall, titled “The Light of Christ”. This was made with the
help of parishioner Julie Stintchcomb. Julie asked students of the school to draw pictures that spoke
about faith and the theme to them. She selected some of the pictures and copied them. She created
this mural from all the art work and went about finding all the different tiles in all the different colors
that could be used to duplicate the students’ art work. Once she had assembled all of the materials, she
set up in Hageman Hall and had every student in the school help build the mosaic. Each class had time
to cut the pieces of tile and fit them into the colored drawing that Julie had made. Once all the pieces
were in their proper places, Julie grouted the entire piece and had a special team of people help her
mount it and frame it on the wall. She worked with a screen around her and the space so it would be a
surprise when the mosaic was dedicated. On the wall is a plaque that she had made from the signatures
of the students whose art is in the mosaic.
Can you find the hidden Brother Ed?
Front of the Welcome Center This space was just rocks all the way to the wall of the building. A Boy
Scout, Jake Bollman, was interested in doing his Eagle Project and offered to transform this space for the
entrance of the building. He and his troop removed all the rocks, cleaned everything out and made a
patio. The rocks were moved to the outdoor classroom. The scouts laid all the bricks to provide a space
where people can sit outside in nice weather, wait for a friend, or pray. He provided the cement pots
and the benches. The parish provided the colored ceramic pots.
The statue of Jesus and the children came from a parishioner who was moving. One day he just pulled
up in a truck and asked if we would be interested in the statue and, of course, we said yes. This seemed
like a nice spot for it.
Parish Welcome Center/ Batahola Mural/Library This building started many years ago as a restaurant
on the Beechmont side of the building. Then it was a furniture store, a medical building, and then we
bought it for our offices. We have done some renovations and have been able to use every inch of the
space. The front space is called the Welcome Center and we help all people who enter the building with
whatever they need. Sometimes we direct them to a meeting in another room, help them with
scheduling activities, or offer support. Sometimes we have small gatherings here. The beautiful mural
that is hanging here was painted by an artist in residence from our twining community in Batahola,
Nicaragua. Each figure represents someone or something from our communities, including the people
who started the Cultural Center in Batahola. Sr. Margie, one of the founders, was from Cincinnati. It
took the artist a few months to complete this mural but it was so fun to watch the progress every day.
We also have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe here. All the colors we chose for this space were done
a long time before we brought this picture here to hang. We were surprised that all the colors and
fabric match the colors in the Mary picture. The Holy Spirit inspired us.
The Library was reconfigured and the sliding pocket doors were added so that if someone wants to
check out a book they could come in more easily. And if they wanted to have a small meeting in here
they would have some privacy. Most of the marriage preparation that we do here in the parish happens
in this room. The books here can be checked out and all of them have something to do with our faith.
The Blessed Mother Room Before the renovation this was two offices. One of our parishioners had his
office here before he retired. This room is now a meeting room but the beautiful crucifix is one that is
original to the church when it was in Hageman Hall. It is so pretty and the room is such a nice room that
we turn it into a little chapel for our Christ Renews His Parish Teams. We added the pictures to create a
beautiful prayer space.
St Matthew Room This is the biggest meeting room we have except when we open Heritage Hall to use
both sides. We use this room for Bible Studies, for meetings, presentations, Father’s Team, sleeping
overnight for middle school events, and Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). We have great
equipment for people to use to show DVD’s or do presentations. We have a special room in this space
for an emergency for anyone who might be handicapped. This room has a “refuge room” and has a
panel to call the fire department to let them know someone is here. It has doors that are rated to hold
off fire for almost an hour and then it has an exit to go straight outside. The firemen can come up here
and carry someone out to safety.
Parish offices These offices were originally doctors examination rooms. Some rooms were x-ray rooms
and rooms to set broken bones. We have renovated and converted all the rooms into offices for Fr.
Tom, Fr. Ron and all the parish staff.