Rosary, anniversary of first Mass in Ohio celebrated near Somerset

A rosary and Memorial Mass of the Virgin Mary honoring the 216th anniversary of the first Catholic Mass in Ohio took place on Saturday, Sept. 28 with Father Andre-Joseph LaCasse, O.P. and Father Donald Franks as the celebrants. 

The Mass was held near Somerset, on Stagecoach Road where Father Edward Fenwick, O.P., the first bishop of Ohio, followed the sound of an ax to find the Dittoe and Fink families to offer Holy Mass and the sacraments for them in 1808.

Historical accounts indicted that Bishop Fenwick cherished the beginning of his apostolic labors in Ohio, often with a tear in his eye. From these humble evangelistic beginnings, Fenwick established the first Catholic church in the state, St. Joseph in Somerset on land donated by Jacob Dittoe and his kinsmen. 

A soft rain did not deter the faithful from gathering Sept. 28 at the first Mass site and rosary garden that the Diocese of Columbus preserved under the direction of Bishop Emeritus James Griffin.

Following the recitation of the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary, which was prayed in conjunction with the National Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage in Washington, D.C., the St. Joseph and Holy Trinity choir sang  Marian hymns. 

The rosary originated with St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), in 1216.

The Dominicans are devoted to the prayer and encourage participation in the  Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, whose members make a lifelong promise to recite mysteries of the Rosary over the course of each week.

Bishop Fenwick was an ardent supporter of the Confraternity as was Pope Leo XIII, who in 1898 reorganized and reinforced the importance of rosary confraternities throughout the world.

Enrollment is entirely free and there are no meetings or dues. Membership in the rosary confraternity is open to all the lay faithful, priests and religious. To enroll online, visit https://rosaryconfraternity.org. 

Father LaCasse, the pastor of Somerset Holy Trinity and St. Joseph churches, encouraged all Catholics to join and reap the spiritual benefits of membership. He then announced that in early 2025 the Dominican Province of St Joseph will issue a new Confraternity Charter for the Somerset parishes. 

After the choir led the singing of the hymn This Is Holy Ground, Father La-Casse also announced the intention to make the anniversary Mass and rosary procession an annual event.