The church family's focus the past year has been on building a new worship space to keep up with growth in western Hamilton County. The dedication of the 9,000-square-foot worship space is 2:30 p.m. Sunday, with Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk expected to participate.

The new space adjoins the old church, which will be used as a gathering place for other activities. The new worship space features stained-glass windows handmade in Germany more than two centuries ago, and an altar and furniture made from a gingko tree that stood on the property.

Long an anchor of Catholic worship in this community, the parish serves Addyston, North Bend, Cleves and other communities, some in Indiana. Nearly 550 families belong to the church.

The Rev. Michael Savino, St. Joseph's pastor, rallied the effort to help raise money for the expansion with the slogan "Preserving a Proud Tradition." Parishioners donated, pledged or raised most of the $2.2 million for the project.

Fund-raising included work at Cincinnati Reds concession stands and from families and friends signing up for Kroger gift card purchases. When income from this year's summer festival was down because of bad weather, ushers formed a "bucket brigade" at the church exits to collect contributions from people attending Mass.

Such fund-raising efforts are a St. Joseph tradition, dating to the church's beginning.

Meanwhile, retired businessman Daniel Leonhardt has been busy researching the church's history. Nineteenth-century church documents were discovered during the demolition of the rectory last year.

The church's roots are in the mid-19th century, when Irish Catholics arrived in this area to work on the Baltimore & Ohio railroads and the Miami Whitewater Canal. The Irish, joined by German immigrants, started meeting in local homes - sometimes without a priest.

For more information, visit www.stjosephnorthbend.com or call (513) 941-3661