Our Lady of Peace Church
Our Lady of Peace is another church that met in the Beechwold Theatre before their building was erected.
The new parish was decreed on January 17, 1946. In the earliest days, weekday masses were said in the apartment of the new pastor, Father George H. Foley. Sunday mass was held in the Beechwold Theatre and later, at the A.A. Schroyer funeral home (now Weir Arendt). The church purchased land on the northeast corner of Dominion Boulevard and N. High Street, which at the time contained two buildings: an old farm house that was torn down, and a second building that served as a rectory and convent. The first church consisted of a barracks (side view of which is shown above) obtained from the Army Supply Depot at Marion. Prisoners of War constructed the kneelers. A double barracks was used for the first school, which opened September 3, 1947. An old mobile voting booth was used by the nuns as a kitchenette.
It’s customary for Catholic churches to build a permanent school first, followed by the church. Cornerstone rites were held in 1951 and the school opened in 1952. The present church was built in the late 1960s. (Photo from Our Lady of Peace dedication brochure)
May 17th, 2019 at 3:50 pm
The Founding Pastor of Our Lady of Peace was Father George Herbert Foley. Father Foley was born in Roxbury, Mass. July 22, 1905, the son of George H. and Agnes Dowling Foley. He attended Boston College High School; Boston College; St. John’s Seminary in Boston; and Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He was ordained April 13, 1932 in St. Joseph Cathedral by the late Bishop James J. Hartley.
His first parish assignment was as assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s Cathedral where he served from 1932 until 1942. He then was appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Sugar Grove, Ohio from 1942 until 1946.
He was appointed Founding Pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish on February 1, 1946 and served in that capacity until his death in 1965. In addition, he also served as Chaplain to the Columbus Police and Fire Departments from 1932 until 1951.
Father George Foley died at Mt. Carmel Hospital on February 2, 1965 at the age of 59 following a long illness. He was survived by his sister, Agnes Foley of Columbus and his brother Joseph Gibson Foley of Miami, Florida.
His funeral was held at Our Lady of Peace Church on Saturday, February 6, 1965 where a Solemn Pontifical High Mass was celebrated by Bishop Edward G. Hettinger. He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.