Our Story

Three communities. One enduring mission. A new chapter still being written.

Our Roots

Three Communities. One Enduring Mission.

The story of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish and School is rooted in generations of Catholics who prayed, learned, served and built community on Columbus’s north side.

St. Matthias, St. Anthony and St. Elizabeth each developed a distinct identity. One established an enduring Catholic school, another united education with a powerful tradition of service, and the third became a center for worship, faith formation and international Catholic life. Together, their histories form the foundation of the community we are becoming.

St. Matthias Church and School

St. Matthias Parish was established on June 28, 1956, under Bishop Michael Ready, with Father Ralph Dermody serving as its founding pastor. Its first home was a 21-acre farm, where a barn was converted into a temporary chapel. The parish celebrated its first Mass on July 8, 1956, at Clinton Junior High School, with 386 people in attendance.

As the young parish grew, its families worked together to build a permanent spiritual and educational home. A combined church-and-school building was completed in 1958, and St. Matthias School opened on September 15 of that year. Its first enrollment included 344 students, taught by four Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and four lay teachers under the leadership of Sister Agnes Clarissa.

The school grew rapidly, reaching 929 students during the 1963–64 academic year. When additional space was needed, several classes were housed at nearby St. Francis DeSales High School. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth served the school until 1973, followed by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity from Stella Niagara.

Over time, St. Matthias became home to families whose stories began across Columbus and around the world. Haitian, Brazilian, Nigerian and other Catholic communities enriched parish life through their languages, music, devotions and traditions. The school reflected that same spirit of welcome, educating children from many cultures within one community of faith.

Through worship, education, service and generations of family involvement, St. Matthias established a legacy that continues directly in St. Josephine Bakhita School and at St. Matthias Chapel today.

The nave in St. Matthias Chapel, formerly St. Matthias Church. From Wikimedia Commons, taken on April 16th, 2016 by user Nheyob.

St. Anthony Church and School

St. Anthony Parish was founded in 1963 by Bishop Clarence Issenmann in response to the rapid growth of Columbus’s north side. Father George Fulcher was appointed its founding pastor, serving an initial community of approximately 233 families.

Before the parish had a permanent church, Mass was celebrated in temporary locations, including a former Knights of Columbus hall and St. Francis DeSales High School. The new St. Anthony Church welcomed parishioners for its first Mass on Christmas Eve 1964 and was formally dedicated soon afterward.

St. Anthony School opened in 1965, initially serving students in grades five through seven before adding the remaining grades during the following years. The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity from Stella Niagara helped establish the school’s formative traditions and served there from 1965 until 1982. An expansion completed in 1980 provided additional classrooms and space for the growing community.

By the late 1980s, St. Anthony Parish had grown to approximately 1,500 families. As the surrounding Northland neighborhoods changed, the parish continued to evolve. Families from Ghana, Eritrea, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon and many other places brought new expressions of Catholic faith to the community. Masses, devotions and celebrations in languages including Akan joined long-established parish traditions.

Service was central to St. Anthony’s identity. Parishioners supported local families through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, reached beyond Columbus through mission partnerships and gathered generations of neighbors through events such as the annual Corn Roast. At the school, programs including Longhorns Unite and the Glory Beaders taught students that faith becomes meaningful through friendship, compassion and service.

A Sunday Mass at St. Anthony Church in October 2023. Photo courtesy of The Catholic Times, Diocese of Columbus.

St. Elizabeth Church

St. Elizabeth Parish was established in 1967 during the service of Bishop John Carberry, with Father Robert Noon as its founding pastor. Its beginnings coincided with the rapid development of Sharon Woods and the larger Northland area, as new neighborhoods brought Catholic families to the northern edge of Columbus.

The permanent church on Sharon Woods Boulevard was dedicated in 1971. It became a spiritual home where generations of parishioners celebrated baptisms, First Communions, marriages, holy days and funerals. The church was renovated in 1992, and a classroom wing was added in 2007 to support children’s religious education, adult faith formation and parish ministries.

St. Elizabeth developed a particularly important relationship with the Filipino Catholic Community of central Ohio. Masses in Tagalog, devotions to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the traditional Simbang Gabi novena before Christmas became cherished parts of its spiritual life. Priests of the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception also served the parish while continuing their ministry to patients in Columbus-area hospitals.

Like its neighboring parishes, St. Elizabeth expressed its faith through service. Its St. Vincent de Paul conference and food pantry assisted local families, while parishioners participated in BREAD and other efforts promoting justice and human dignity. Fish fries, festivals, spaghetti dinners, rummage sales, Knights of Columbus activities and parish music brought people together in fellowship.

St. Elizabeth’s legacy of hospitality continues in a special way today. Its church and parish facilities now serve as the principal worship and administrative home of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish.

Exterior of St. Josephine Bakhita Church, formerly St. Elizabeth Church. From the Diocese of Columbus.

A New Chapter

Honoring the Past. Moving Forward Together.

In 2021, the Diocese of Columbus began Real Presence, Real Future, a three-year process of prayer, consultation and planning for the future of Catholic parish life throughout the diocese. In June 2023, the Diocese announced a significant transition for the Catholic communities serving the North Linden and Northland areas of Columbus.

St. Anthony, St. Elizabeth and St. Matthias would come together as one new parish and school.

During the following year, parishioners from the three communities entered a period of transition and consultation as they prepared to build a new Catholic community together. On February 8, 2024, Father Anthony Davis announced that the parish and school would take St. Josephine Bakhita as their new patron.

On June 15, 2024, Bishop Earl Fernandes celebrated the establishment Mass of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish. The former St. Elizabeth Church became the principal parish church and administrative home, while the former St. Matthias Church continued its ministry as St. Matthias Chapel.

The school entered this new chapter through the renaming and continuation of St. Matthias School as St. Josephine Bakhita School. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce formally approved the school’s new name in August 2024, completing the transition to its new identity.

The parish and school had received a new name—but their story had been generations in the making. We are proud to honor the legacies of the St. Matthias, St. Anthony, and St. Elizabeth communities by continuing their work.

A beautiful rainbow arches over the newly established St. Josephine Bakhita School.