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It all started when George and Katherina Wingerter, owners of the Twelve Mile House on Harrison Pike, formed a committee and petitioned Archbishop John Baptist Purcell to create a new parish in Taylor Creek. Until then, St. Jacob Parish (now St. James, White Oak) was the closest Catholic church in the area. St. Jacob was the mother church of the German Catholics in western Hamilton County.

The Wingerters donated three acres of land for a new church and cemetery. That first church cost $800, and the cornerstone was laid on Nov. 21, 1867. Father George Veith, pastor of the newly formed St. Aloysius Parish in Bridgetown, was also named pastor of St. Bernard. The next year 26 children were enrolled in the parish school, located in the basement, and staffed by laymen.

In 1922, the long, hard road to financing a new church was begun. The plan called for a 40 by 90-foot building with a seating capacity of 350. It was to be constructed of native stone and finished with a handmade, flat-tile roof. The first Mass was celebrated just prior to Christmas 1935.

That same year, another building project was front and center. A basement addition was built on the site of the original church, adding two more classrooms, water storage (as city water had not yet arrived at Taylor Creek), and proper restrooms. This later served as the foundation for a 1963 addition, which added two more floors and eight classrooms.

Over the years, our parish has been blessed by the leadership of so many good and holy pastors to lead us and strengthen our faith. Today we have a beautiful church, thanks to the sacrifice and perseverance of our parish ancestors. We must build on the foundation they laid to continue to make St. Bernard the special place it has been — centered on Jesus, led by faith.