Changing times

The 60’s were a decade of dramatic change in the Catholic church. In the early 1960’s, Vatican II meetings were taking place in Rome. St. Margaret Mary's Parish Council was formed, the Education Commission was established and principal, Sr. Julie Ann Link, began what became known as the Women’s Society to take over duties of caring for the sacristy. School enrollment had increased to its peak of 1,239 students in 1962 with 16 nuns and 15 lay teachers and once again accommodations in the school were pushed beyond their limits. The decision was made to send the first grade students to the public schools.
 
In 1968 Monsignor Piening was transferred and Fr. Leander Schweitzer became the new pastor. The CCD and Early Childhood programs were started to instruct the students who attended the public schools. There were 150 high school students and 75 grade school students with 23 teachers in the CCD program. Ninety-five children were in the early childhood program with nine teachers.
 
Sr. Madonna Ratermann, a former St. Margaret Mary student, returned to become principal in 1970, a position she would hold for the next thirteen years. By this time, a shortage of priests and nuns was threatening the future of the Catholic schools. It became necessary to begin charging tuition, having lost most of the financial support previously being provided by the government. Tuition per student that first year was $100.00. To help offset what was surely a hardship for many families, a Student Aid Fund was established and in 1981 the current Parish Festival began.
 
By 1972, North College Hill’s changing demographics began to have an effect on enrollment. Many of the original parish families no longer had children in the school. Along with the increase in tuition necessary to provide the quality education for which St. Margaret Mary had become known, enrollment declined to 750 students. The extra space that resulted allowed the parish to welcome the first graders back.
 
The Liturgy Commission (Worship Commission), and the Baptism and Marriage Ministries were established through the 60's and 70's. Women were invited to participate in the lector program and the lay distributor program was begun. These ministries were a welcome relief to the overwhelming duties of co-pastors Fr. Walter Hauser and Fr. Al Bischoff who came to St. Margaret Mary in 1974, when there were over 1700 families in the parish, resulting in the need for seven Masses to be scheduled each weekend.
 
The 1983 school year was the last to see the Precious Blood Sisters in our classrooms with the departures of Sr. Madonna and Sr. Renee. The convent was renovated and converted for a number of years into the North Hill Court, an independently run retirement facility. Today this building is our Parish Center and is also home to the Archdiocesan Cursillo Center.
 
The Friday Night Bingo was updated in 1989 with most of the proceeds going to support the school as costs continued to rise. In 1990, Little People Day Care and Kindergarten classes were begun to help provide a Christian learning environment for all children of the Parish. Along with this came the Children’s Liturgy of the Word currently celebrated at the 10:30 am Sunday Mass.
 
As the parish celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1995, changes to the interior of the church were being planned. Pastor Fr. John Wall organized plans to move the Tabernacle to a place of honor in the alcove near the Blessed Mother statue naming it "The Blessed Sacrament Chapel", intended for quiet prayer and reflection. Soon after, the baptism font was moved from its previous location at the back of church to a location adjacent to the Chapel at the foot of the alter. Later, several pews were removed from the back of church and sliding glass doors were installed creating the "Holy Family Room", which currently houses the Mary and Joseph statues preserved from the original "mission-style" Church built in 1922. This room provides a versatile space used for funeral visitations, informal fellowship gatherings, prayer groups, and bible studies.
 
In 1998, St. Margaret Mary Parish celebrated the 75th anniversary of its school with an All Alumnae Reunion. Over 1000 former students, staff and parishioners attended the Reunion that started with a filled-to-capacity Mass and a reception complete with 75 years of class photos, tributes to the alumnae guests from the current students, food, drink, music, memories and old friends. It was truly a once in a lifetime good time.