Dedicated St. Vincent de Paul group helps needy in Perry County

Shortly before 10 on a chilly November morning, a line of cars has formed on the driveway in front of the old school next to Corning St. Bernard Church, extending onto Chestnut Street and snaking down a hill and around a corner onto Adams Street.

The occupants of those vehicles have come to pick up groceries mostly but also some household goods, diapers and miscellaneous items that will get them through another week. 

In southeast Ohio, many individuals and families struggle to make ends meet in an economically depressed area of the state. The goods they receive in shopping bags from the Perry County Catholic Consortium’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference might not seem like much, but they are a godsend to the patrons. 

The nine active members and nine associates who volunteer with the St. Vincent de Paul Society haven’t let the closing of the historic church stop them from fulfilling their missionary outreach to the poor.

“What amazes me with the size of this conference is what gets accomplished,” said Cathie McClary, the conference’s president, “with the client aid and being able to help with needs and the pantry and the clothing we have. We’re not a huge group, but we have a great group of volunteers.”

In October, Corning St. Bernard in the southern Perry County town of about 500 was closed as part of the Real Presence Real Future initiative. On Oct. 14, Bishop Earl Fernandes celebrated a final Mass in the church that had served the community for more than 100 years.

St. Bernard was part of the Perry County Catholic Consortium with New Lexington St. Rose of Lima Church, Junction City St. Patrick Church and Crooksville Church of the Atonement, all served by one priest, Father TJ Lehigh. 

The Church of the Atonement also was closed in October, leaving St. Rose and St. Patrick as well as two churches in Somerset as the remaining active parishes in the county.

There’s a rich Catholic history in Perry County that’s still evident today. The first Mass in Ohio was celebrated near Somerset in 1808 by Bishop Edward Fenwick. Somerset St. Joseph Church became the first Catholic church to be built in Ohio in 1818. That parish still exists today and is staffed by Dominican priests, who have maintained a presence there for 200 years.

In the Corning area, a Catholic community emerged in the 1830s. Into the late 1800s and the early 1900s, Corning not only developed a strong Catholic presence, but its population (peaking at 1,628 according to the 1920 U.S. Census) and reputation also grew with the arrival of the railroad and coal mining. 

Corning became notorious as a violent mining town that witnessed several strikes by workers and a battle with bloodshed between white and African-American miners that needed intervention from the Ohio National Guard.   

The parish grew enough to build a new church, rectory and convent in the early 1900s. In the 1940s, St. Bernard swelled to 965 parishioners and 200 children in the school, but coal mines began to suspend operations, and the convent and school were closed in 1969-70.

The mining industry has long since dried up in the state, and jobs with good wages are hard to come by nowadays. The poverty rate in Perry County is estimated at 20%, similar to most of the counties in southern Ohio.

With inflation driving up prices, the economic impact is more deeply felt in places such as Corning. That’s evident in the number of people served by the local St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The number of weekly visitors has climbed from 50-60 a year or so ago to 80 or more today. Before Thanksgiving, more than 90 individuals came to St. Bernard from various parts of Perry County for assistance.

“I think it’s just the poverty level in Perry County,” St. Vincent de Paul member Mary Dodd said.

“Food prices are just outrageous,” added McClary, a St. Patrick parishioner. “SNAP (the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) only goes so far, and then they can cut those benefits.”

Donations enable the center to continue to provide for the needs of the less fortunate. Support for the center has come from government grants, the Hunger Relief Fund from the Joe Burrow Foundation, private donations, food banks, the Bottoms Up Diaper Bank, individuals and several companies, including Dollar General.

Most of the food and meat that’s distributed comes from the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, which serves Perry, Athens and Hocking counties.

What’s unique about the St. Vincent de Paul center in Corning is that it’s open weekly. Other food banks generally are open only biweekly or once a month.

“At least here they can come every week,” said Dodd, a St. Rose parishioner.

And the operation runs smoothly. The flow of traffic is relatively steady during the three hours the center is open on Tuesdays as each vehicle’s driver patiently waits in line for his or her turn.

As cars pull up, the associates and volunteers are waiting with bags containing an assortment of goods. Some clients stay in their cars as the bags are loaded; others get out of their vehicles to choose miscellaneous offerings from boxes.

Many of the faces are familiar. Friendly hugs and greetings are often exchanged between the members and appreciative clients. 

Inside the former school, the members and associates bag and organize the products for distribution and maintain the pantry’s inventory.

On the group’s wish list is a walk-in freezer in which meats and frozen items could be stored. A grant will cover part of the cost, but more funds are needed to purchase and install a unit.

In addition to the weekly food distribution, the group provides utility and rental assistance and help with prescriptions and gasoline to about 20 people per month.

Across the driveway in the former convent next to the church, the group operates a free store that’s neatly arranged, utilizing upstairs and downstairs rooms for gently used men’s, women’s, children’s and teen clothing, shoes, some household and personal items, and even some Christmas selections.   

Member Ruth Ann Rose manages the clothing and household goods store, and Dixie Kaido volunteers at the store and helps shoppers.

Merchandise donations are accepted for the store, and patrons can make a freewill offering based on their ability to contribute.

Despite the hardships in the area and the uncertain future of St. Bernard Church, the group remains committed to its charitable efforts and the preservation of the parish.

Recently, a small group of people led by St. Vincent de Paul member Ann Cramer formed the Friends of St. Bernard Church, a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the Romanesque church built in 1915. The group hopes to raise funds for repairs and to develop educational resources that will document the parish’s rich history in Perry County and the Corning community. 

The church remains available for wedding, funerals, baptisms and special Masses. Father Pete Gideon, who retired in July as pastor at Lancaster St. Mark Church, moved into the St. Bernard rectory and had planned to offer occasional Masses there, but he was asked in November to become the administrator at the Scioto Catholic Consortium in the Portsmouth area until a replacement pastor is named.

Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul conference will serve as the face of the Church and of Christ to the hungry who show up every week needing sustenance in their time of need.   

“We’re blessed we can do it,” McClary said. “It’s truly our gift.”

Financial gifts may be made for the group’s work by sending a check to: Society of St. Vincent de Paul, P.O. Box 416, 425 Adams St., Corning, OH 43730-0416.