Rita Batts, 90, a parishioner at Columbus St. Philip the Apostle Church, recalled when the church was merely “a hole in the ground.”

Now, after 67 years, the church has closed its doors.

The parish, located on Columbus’ east side, was formed in November 1956 from area that was part of Columbus Christ the King parish. 

In May, St. Philip was slated to close as part of the Real Presence Real Future initiative in the Diocese of Columbus. A lack of priests and changes in the number of parishioners led to the closure of several diocesan parishes.

Bishop Earl Fernandes celebrated the official closing Mass at St. Philip on Sunday, Nov. 19, and the last Mass at the church was on Sunday, Nov. 26.

Father Bill Arnold, who retired on Dec. 1, served as St. Philip’s pastor. He was also pastor of Columbus Holy Spirit Church since 2009, located nearby in Whitehall. The two parishes were closely connected for several years, and Father Arnold served as the pastor of both since March 2013.

Batts recalled when St. Philip was built.

“My husband and I were married in 1961, and when we went to the church, it was just a hole in the ground, but the school had been built, part of the school,” she said. “And so, we weren’t sure where we were supposed to go to church, so we went over to Holy Spirit.

“The priest there, … he said, ‘You’re really going down the wrong road.’ He said, ‘We would love to have you,’ but he sent us over to St. Philip’s, so that was the beginning of really a wonderful, wonderful experience. We made nice friends at St. Philip’s, and it really was our second family.”

St. Philip parish was formed in November 1956 and the groundbreaking for the church building was held six years later.  Photo courtesy Abigail Pitones

Before the church was finished, Batts said, Masses were celebrated in the St. Philip school building. The groundbreaking ceremony for the church was held in 1962.

For 25 years, Batts taught at the former St. Philip elementary school. She had previously taught nursing at Ohio State University. Batts said she began teaching at St. Philip when the church’s first pastor, Father Louis Hoffman, advertised for a fifth-grade teacher.

“I went over and said, ‘I’d like to give it a try,’ and he hired me,” Batts said. “And so, that was my beginning of teaching school at St. Philip’s.”

Batts taught for one year and left after her mother died and her father moved into her home. She returned 13 years later, in the 1970s, and taught primarily third grade at St. Philip until her retirement in 1999.

“I loved it,” she said. “We did all kinds of neat things.”

Batts said she enjoyed the close-knit community and weekly liturgies.

She and her husband, Dick, had three children who attended the school. Their grandson was in kindergarten at St. Philip when Batts retired.

Mary Kitsmiller and her husband, Tom, who were parishioners at St. Philip since 1975, have six children who all graduated from St. Philip school. She said their family appreciated the church and school throughout the years.

The Kitsmillers’ children were all confirmed at St. Philip Church, and their two sons were altar servers. One son, Father Bob Kitsmiller, serves as the judicial vicar in the diocesan marriage tribunal, which hears marriage validity cases. He celebrated his first Mass at St. Philip.

Mary Kitsmiller said their family has many memories of the parish.

Parishioners participate in the liturgy during the final official Mass at Columbus St. Philip Church on Sunday, Nov. 19  Photo courtesy Abigail Pitones

“By this time now, we just don’t have as many of us,” she said. “Many people who are still there, since we don’t have a school anymore, when the school closed in 2003, I think that was really difficult because we didn’t have children really in the parish. At our liturgy, it was very rare to have very many children. You don’t have much growth when you don’t have the school.”

While the school was active, Kitsmiller’s children were involved with many activities and sporting programs. There were “wonderful people” at the parish, she said, who coached and volunteered.

“Back when we first joined, there were just so many, many families involved, and there were many loving people who went out of their way to help people,” Kitsmiller said.

“They had a lot of different ministries. … They had a wonderful choir, beautiful liturgies, especially at the holidays and the Easter seasons.”

There was also a Rosary Altar Society at the parish, which helped to organize parish activities and perform charitable works. Kitsmiller said this later became the Daughters of Mary, and the members did volunteer work at the church, including organizing funeral lunches. 

The parish also had a “very vibrant” food pantry that served  people who were struggling.

“We really appreciate the church, and really, it’s sad to see the end of it, but we understand, and we know how the neighborhood just changed. … It’s happening a lot of places,” she said.

Priests from the diocese with ties to Columbus St. Philip Church concelebrated the final official Mass at the parish with Bishop Earl Fernandes (left).  Photo courtesy Abigail Pitones

Father Veevin Richard Pitchaisavary, SAC (Society of the Catholic Apostolate, known as the Pallottine Fathers), who served as parochial vicar at Holy Spirit and assisted at St. Philip since August, assumed the role of pastor at Holy Spirit. 

Kitsmiller plans to join Holy Spirit, and she predicted many St. Philip parishioners who live nearby will join the parish as well. She said she appreciated getting to know Father Pitchaisavary at St. Philip before joining Holy Spirit.

“He and two of the other priests from India have moved into the rectory at St. Philip, and so, we’ve gotten to know them, which has been nice, too,” she said.

“When Father Arnold retires Dec. 1, Father Richard will be the pastor over there, and he’s been very welcoming to all those people at St. Philip, and he’s actively been asking people to please come to Holy Spirit.”

She also expressed gratitude to Father Arnold, recognizing that being the pastor of multiple parishes can be difficult.

“Father Arnold, I know he worked really hard to keep the parish going here these last many years,” she said. “He’s been juggling two parishes … but we understand that times change, and we have to face it.”

Carolyn Bond, who has been a parishioner at St. Philip for 57 years, agreed that she is sad to see the parish close. She served as the rectory housekeeper for more than 30 years.

“It’s just sad that has to be done, but if there’s no priest, they can’t,” she said. “They can only do so much. ... It’s very difficult at times, having two or three to take care of depending on where the location is, so it will be greatly missed.”