St. Mary Catholic Church (Assumption, Ohio) records

St. Mary Catholic Church began as a Station, then a Mission of other Churches in Western Lucas and Eastern Fulton Counties, Ohio. The first Diocesan records indicate that it was a Station under the care of St. Francis de Sales Church in Toledo as early as 1847. It was known as St. Mary's Corners. In later years it was under the care of Providence, Maumee, Six-Mile-Woods (now Marygrove Church), St. Mary's of Toledo, and then back to Six-Mile-Woods. In 1866, Mr. Jacob Berrens donated land for a church and cemetery. A simple frame structure was erected, but not finished for lack of money until sometime between 1868 and 1870.

In 1877, the first resident pastor was assigned, Father F. Gauthier. Forty-six families were listed as members and the simple frame church was too small for the growing congregation. Additions were made to three sides of the building. In 1880, a new priest was assigned, but only stayed one year, at which time the church was again a Mission of Six-Mile-Woods. In 1883, another priest, Father F.X. Nunan, was assigned to St. Mary, and work began to build a new and bigger church.

The new church was brick and stone, with stained glass windows and a tall, elegant spire. The cornerstone was laid in 1888 and dedicated in 1891. The old building was converted to a parish hall for the eighty-five families who belonged to the parish.

After the turn of the century, the Church experienced great growth. The church was enlarged in 1906, and a school was started in 1910 with an enrollment of fifty students. By 1913, 533 persons in 118 families were listed as members. This growth meant that a new school was needed. Construction of the school began in 1915 and completed a year later.

From 1917 through 1933, the church was served by Father Henry Waechter. Father J. Fridolin Frommherz was appointed to St. Mary in 1933 and remained for twenty-two years. Among the many accomplishments during this time were the addition of four full years of high school (as opposed to the two years that had been offered since 1922), the establishment of the St. Mary's Community Locker and Processing Plant, and numerous improvements to the buildings and grounds.

After Father Frommherz's tenure, a number of pastors served, and the church attended Missions in Swanton (St. Richard), Lyons (Our Lady of Fatima), and Fayette (Our Lady of Mercy). At the present, March 2001, Father Lawrence Varney is the pastor.

St. Mary School, which dropped the high school in 1967, has remained strong and vital. They are especially well known throughout the region for the annual school pageant. For thirty years these original productions were written and directed by Mrs. Char Kruse, a teacher in the school. The church has also sponsored a community wild game dinner that is sold out year after year.

The area was originally called St. Mary's Corners (other small settlements in the area were often simply referred to in this way, such as Scott's Corner, now Swanton, and Raab's Corners, where Marygrove Church is located). The name was changed to Caragher, and then to Assumption. Assumption is in Amboy Township, Fulton County, on St. Route 64, where there are a few homes, the meat processing plant, the Church cemetery, and the parish buildings.

Source: Lawrence Mossing. The History of the Diocese of Toledo, STD. Lesher Printing, Fremont, Ohio. 1984. Pages 87 - 90.