DID YOU KNOW?

1852 St. Sebastian parish formed for German-speaking parishioners of St. Rose and St. John the Baptist parishes. Traveling Precious Blood Fathers celebrated Mass.

1853 Temporary church built. The name was proposed by the oldest parishioner, Sebastian Schraner.

1879 Brick church, designed by Anton DeCurtins, built.

1894 Parishioners from Chickasaw (a mile and a half away) wished to form a separate parish, built their own hall, designated it a “chapel of ease” for people who could not travel.

1903 Following years of infighting between three factions, St. Sebastian Church burned to the ground a week before its golden jubilee. Foul play suspected.

1904 Chickasaw and Montezuma split from the parish. St. Sebastian rebuilt on the original site by Andrew DeCurtins (son of the original architect) from red-pressed brick in Gothic Revival style.

1906 Three Precious Blood parishes, including St. Sebastian, are ceded to the archdiocese.

1908 Double-pipe organ, by HannWangerin Weickhardt Organ Co. of Milwaukee, dedicated. Pittsburgh industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, donated $1,000 toward the organ’s $2,500 cost.

1979 St. Sebastian Church and rectory added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with more than 30 properties associated with the Society of the Precious Blood. 1steeple, making St. Sebastian one of the many churches and related buildings in the 38.4-mile “Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches” Ohio Scenic Byway

2 hearts: The parish holds a First Friday and First Saturday Vigil of Two Hearts (the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary)

13 stained-glass windows: 12 vertical windows depict the life of Jesus and several saints, an additional window over the altar depicts St. Sebastian (additional windows are floral)

“During the daylight hours, especially when the sun is shining, five long stainedglass windows on each side are the most beautiful colors and the light inside the church is incredible.” – Deacon Steven Broering

Did you know St. Sebastian Church in Celina (according to parish legend) was built on the spot where boys found a piece of wood from a felled tree that reminded them of the outlines of a church? Their father, farmer Albert Stammen, is supposed to have said, “If Almighty God wants a church here, He will see to it that it gets built.”

ST. SEBASTIAN Devotion to St. Sebastian was well-known by the mid-300s. According to legend he was a deacon who joined the Roman army to serve martyrs in secret, but when found out, he was tied to a tree and shot by Mauretanian archers. St. Irene healed him; however, he then rebuked Emperor Diocletian, who had him clubbed to death. People sought his intercession against the plague in the middle ages. More recently he has been claimed as a patron of athletes because he is frequently depicted as young and fit (but shot through with arrows).