Quite a few of my relatives attended St. Gabriel School in Glendale for elementary education and…read morestill attend the church, so I have visited this parish on a number of occasions for confirmations, graduations, and weddings. I enjoying attending mass at "St. Gabe's" because of the parish's traditional feel, (members still genuflect...at many of Cincinnati's larger churches this tradition has been lost) and beautiful stained glass and architecture. Were it not for the church's small size (right around 200 seating capacity), I would definitely peg St. Gabriel's as a possible choice for my future wedding's location. This is a family parish; most of the children that attend the church also attend the school it is affiliated with. You'll witness this connection when you see school kids passing out programs and taking their turns as alter servers. Weekend masses are 5:00 PM on Saturdays, 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:30 AM on Sundays. There is also a 7:00 AM mass daily.

The people at this church are truly welcoming. I came here about ten years ago from a narrow-minded…read moreLutheran church. The pastoral staff all voice the LOVE that is the message. There are many aspects to LOVE, including patience and discipline. The message is given in a straightforward but gentle manner. Topics that can be sensitive, like money, divorce and being gay are all discussed openly, by adults with adults. These are real world issues and are discussed, not judged. I'm gay and I felt comfortable right away. In Adult Forum (Sunday School) I did talk about experiences as a gay person and others were receptive to hearing from me. If people disapproved, they didn't say anything to me. Due to health issues, I can't be in crowds now, but I can worship online. It's convenient but I miss the connection to the people.

A wonderful welcoming service conducted in memory and celebration of my Marathon Walking Club…read morefriend Lee Hardy. She planned all the details before ending her life cycle so it was a wonderful experience.

Visited St. Francis Seraph in the heart of Over-the-Rhine today and was so enamored with the entire…read moreexperience. First of all, as we were walking up the front of the outside of the church we were greeted by Friar Brother Tim. What an amazing personality! He is great with names and was able to say hello to parishioners he already knew. Asked about us, told us a little about the church, welcomed us to the church and extended an invitation to the coffee and donuts served after mass. The church itself was very pretty, but if you read some of the history and see photos of it in earlier years, you can see that it was magnificent! They couldn't keep up with maintaining some of the intricate painting on the walls and just were painted over. There is still much to see. Their music ministry amazed us. The pianist is from CCM and as a matter of fact was to be conducting the opera tonight! You can tell he loves what he does and in fact they all do. There was a friar playing guitar as well as a few others, someone playing the trumpet and I'm told that there is normally someone who plays the clarinet, too. Even though they are a smaller group of singers, they sing with enthusiasm. The priest talked in a very down to earth way that seemed to resonate with everyone, including me. I listened intently to every word. Giving the sign of peace was also unique in that everyone got up and gave the sign of peace to pretty much everyone else in the church - loved that! Then those who walked up to the same level where they were preparing the eucharist. We stood/sat in open rooms to the side. That's something we had never done before. Also, there was the most resplendent autumn garnitures at that level. Not surprisingly, Friar Tim announced by name those who were returning from school or different homes in other cities/states to be in attendance. Introduced us by name and thanked those on parish council. What a lovely personal touch! Once mass was over, Brother Tim found us and walked us to where the coffee and donuts were being served where we passed windows looking into a beautiful courtyard garden. While getting refreshments, Father David came over and talked with me which was nice. Afterwards, Brother Tim brought us outside to see the courtyard which he helped get back into shape. There were hydrangeas, brick paths, a koi pond and a firepit which people were sitting around while visiting each other. We sat with them for awhile and felt very comfortable with them all before we were given a short tour before being led to another courtyard where there will be a live nativity in December. Brother Tim showed us a poster of the amazing Advent Wreath that actually hangs over your head! Also, the church is lent space by Christian Moerlein where there will be lots to see near Christmas. It's so extensive that they will start setting up in November! We know for sure we will be going back in the month of December and are truly looking forward to it. They have ministries such as a soup kitchen, too. Please take the time to visit this wonderful church and you might find yourself a regular.

We visited St James as part of our monthly pilgrimage to a different Catholic Church once a month…read more It's actually fairly close to where we live so I'm not sure why it took us so long. The church itself is a very pretty one. Although there seems to be ample parking behind the church, we did not find any signs leading us to where that parking might be. There used to be a school associated with this church, but there is no more. Because it was a snowy week-end, there were not many parishioners so we have no idea how many attend on a regular basis. It had a very different feel as it seemed a little more relaxed. For instance, towards the end of the services a little girl in the first row directly right in front of us was let down by her mother in front of the pews. The little girl began to dance along with the music which we thought was very sweet. After all, shouldn't we be moved by the hymns, if not physically, but spiritually. That would NEVER have happened at our church. There would have been tsk's, appalled looking faces and someone would have made her stop, if not her mother. I found it refreshing. The parishioners seemed to be friendly and the sermon a good one.

I love this parish. The members are very kind and welcoming, the music is outstanding, and the…read morepastors are all wonderful. Whether you are looking for a beautiful church service to attend while visiting Cincinnati or a parish to call home, I cannot recommend St. Xavier enough. I have found a vibrant community here, with many opportunities for enriching one's faith and serving others in greater Cincinnati area.

Love the architecture and history...... Mass on Saturday…read moreis larger than one expected. Check out their post on Cincinnati Refined

If you want to experiance beautiful & unusual church singing, visit this church. No instruments,…read moreorgan or piano. Hymns sung in four part harmony by the entire congregation from a hymnal.. Much as they were sung in the past. The congregation is the choir. Our Shape note singing group has visited there.

Each and every time we assemble, it's a spiritual feast from the Holy scriptures--from the…read morebeautiful singing to the powerful messages on the doctrines of grace.

This is an absolutely beautiful church with quite a few masses available. Any Sunday you can find a…read morerange of times and languages! They do offer a German mass and it is obviously pretty popular. There's a parking lot across the street! It is quite small and fills up quickly. But we've easily found free street parking. Know that in the winter time this church is cold. It just doesn't hold heat well. Also, there's no quiet room. So if you have little ones who can't make it through the whole time, be prepared to make it up. But there is a bathroom and a changing table on the left side entrance.

I had been to Old St. Mary's before to listen to a Catacoustic Concert and was mesmerized by how…read moregorgeous it was. So we added it to our monthly trek to try out a different church. Let's start with a little of it's rich history. This church is the oldest church in Cincinnati built in 1841 by German immigrants. Their 170-foot-high steeple is one of the oldest clock towers in the USA and was once used as a fire watchtower as well as by Union soldiers during the Civil War. The church bells were cast in 1843 by Levi Coffin, leader of the Underground Railroad. This church likes to hold onto tradition as they have mass in English, Latin and German depending on which service you decide to attend. The altar is still facing the back of the church and you go up to kneel on the long kneeling bench in the front of the church to take part in Communion. By looking at how beautiful the painting, ornamentation, pipe organ and stained glass, it is easy to see how well-maintained this place is. However, some things should be brought into the 21st century, specifically, their sound system! Honestly, I left feeling fairly empty as we couldn't hear most of what was being said. I checked with our friends we went with and they couldn't hear very well either. Some of the stained glass windows were able to open and were open. However, there must be a tree close by with numerous birds singing all through the hour. Nature is sweet, but in this case it was a distraction. So for the actual mass itself, it was disappointing, but I rated it so highly still because it is just that magnificent looking on the inside.

Beautiful church. Friendly volunteers…read more While I didn't attend a church service here, I did experience a great choral and organ performance by the May Festival Chorus. It was great. I arrived a little late so there was no spots in their rather large parking lot, so I parked on a side street in the cozy neighborhood that surrounds the church. The volunteers handing out programs were nice and gave me directions as to locations of available seats. Oh, my only complaint, the pews aren't padded and my bony posterior wasn't that comfortable. Oh well. The sanctuary is full of beautiful stained glass comprised mostly of rich purple and blue colors. The wooded ceiling reminds me of old European churches. Brides to be should consider this church. The acoustics are great. If you like organ music, this church has a great set of pipes that are expertly played by Heather MacPhail, the Director of Music Ministries AND the Accompanist for May Festival Chorus. Busy lady. Anyways, while much of this church seems to have been remodeled, there are plenty of charming remnants and vestiges of the past that help keep the place grounded and welcoming. I may never get a chance to attend an actual service here, but I had a great experience nonetheless.