St. Aloysius sits on a large flat parcel of land in a quiet section of Butler County, Morgan Township to be exact, and it's pretty much what I expected. I can't recall the exact date on the cornerstone, but I think it's something in the 1980's. I was surprised to see additional information above that cornerstone indicating that the parish had originated in 1878. I can't imagine that many Catholic folks in that area of town back then, but then, I can't imagine that many folks, period, in that area of town back then.
St. Aloysius is a surprisingly large church and a particularly wide one. There is a lot going on there but without a common denominator. There are a few stained glass windows and a few clear paned windows, the clear windows notable because they are on either side of the altar, which provided us with a nice view of the gathering rain clouds outside. A fairly large wooden cross is perched on a rock fountain from which water gurgles and flows. A painting of Mary, rather than a statue, is surrounded by votive candles. Couldn't find Joseph. A large projection screen, thankfully rolled up, hangs to the side of the altar at the ready. This particular weekend, everything was draped in metallic fabric - the crucifix, the altar, the pulpit, a nod to the Easter season, I presume.
What was most noticeable though was the overriding choice of color, GREEN . . . sea foam green. Not sure why you would choose sea foam green for the walls of a church or any walls for that matter, just as I'm not sure why the tabernacle area off to the side was an even more vivid shade of green . . . lime green. Wow.
The young man leading the hymns and playing piano seems like a nice guy, but he might be trying a tad too hard. His vocals were so loud that they were often muffled in the sound system. Take it down a notch, buddy, both in volume and enthusiasm. This isn't a revival.
Now to the good stuff. This was definitely an interesting drive, the highlight being the discovery of what could easily have been the set for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." No, seriously. . . it looked exactly like it. A desolate intersection a mile or so down the road - another locale that had definitely appeared in a horror flick or two - didn't ease our nerves. Turns out, while we had, in fact, stumbled across a creepy intersection, more importantly, we had also discovered an abandoned Shaker village. Situated on Oxford Road, we passed a Shaker cemetery, two lone Shaker dwellings situated in the middle of nowhere, and additional Shaker buildings farther down the road. It all went by so fast on our way to St. Aloysius that, on the way back, we made a point of slowing down and even stopping to take it all in - along with a few photos!
I came home and immediately started researching. What I found was an abundance of information on the White Water Shaker Village of southwestern Ohio, existing from 1824 - 1916. Today, a faithful group of volunteers are working to restore the buildings, with the intent to offer docent-led tours to the public someday. Apparently, more than twenty original Shaker buildings are still standing in the area. I had no idea that Shakers ever lived in this area, and now, I'm fascinated. Check out www.whitewatervillage.org for more information and additional photos.
Was it creepy? Well, although a random tumbleweed or circling vulture would have really been the icing on the cake, I do remember, at some point, saying, "We . . . aregonnadie," and the overcast skies and subtle breeze definitely set the mood for Blair Witch. But was it fascinating? Without a doubt. With the history of the village now understood, we are even planning a return trip . . . but I think we'll bring Dad along next time.
ATTENDANCE: Almost half full
DURATION: One hour
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