St. Bernard Church
735 Derby Avenue
A small place where God’s love is made big.
We are a welcoming Catholic community with a strong commitment to our faith who celebrate the Eucharist in an intimate, spirit-filled setting.
We foster lay participation and leadership and share generously of our time, talent and financial support, focusing on the spiritual and material needs of all.
We work to promote justice in ourselves, our church, our community and our society based on Gospel values.
What St. Bernard is all about
St. Bernard Parish has been a vital community of faith and worship for over a century, responding to the evolving realities of Church and society in faith, hope and love.
Mass on Sunday, June 7, 2026
Recorded Mass
If you missed Sunday’s liturgy at St. Bernard, you can watch the recorded Mass here. Recordings are generally uploaded within 3 days of the Mass, and remain available for about one week.
About St. Bernard
According to our pastor & visiting priests
Fr. Bob Thesing, SJ
Fr. Tom Manahan, SJ
Fr. Henry Hoffmann
Our Parish thrives with a variety of opportunities for involvement and service.
We welcome you to review these ministries to find which ones can benefit from your talents and interests.
St. Bernard Ministries
Liturgy & Worship
-
St. Bernard's Bereavement Committee meets with the family of the deceased to plan the Mass or service and organize a luncheon when desired. They also plan the annual Remembrance Service for the families of those buried from St. Bernard during that time.
-
Many of our parishioners are not able to attend liturgy. They rely on monthly visits from adult parishioners who feel called to bring the Eucharist to them in nursing homes or as they recover from illness in their own homes.
Faith Formation
-
The Men's group started after a Christ Renews His Parish weekend in 2006. The men wanted to meet regularly and share the power of faith in their lives. They meet twice monthly on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Our time together includes shared song, personal prayer intentions, shared responses to scriptures for an upcoming Sunday liturgy and discussions on experiences of God in their lives.
-
Bible study was started by Fr. Jim Shappelle, who had a deep love for the richness of scripture. Each week this group reads the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday's liturgy, and discusses the effect of these readings on their lives. Currently, a group meets every Tuesday morning and follows the format started by Fr. Jim. A special scripture commentary is used to broaden members’ perspective.
-
A new team is formed each year and meets about three times, plus phone calls and gathering materials for the day. Besides being a service to your fellow parishioners, we find that it is a means of spiritual growth for yourself!
Outreach Ministries
-
Our work allows us to make a joyful and visible difference in people’s lives as we help them maintain stability for their families. Many of the people we serve are managing their lives reasonably well, until they are hit with an unexpected bill or crises.
-
Parishioners of St. Bernard support the efforts of KAIROS retreats at local correctional institutions.
Parish Committees
-
This committee seeks to participate in Jesus’ mission to build the Kingdom of God by fostering parish awareness and action rooted in the Gospel and in Catholic Social Teaching in response to urgent social issues (local, national, global). The committee provides prayer resources, education, and leadership for action on justice related priorities.
-
St. Bernard has a long tradition of parishioner involvement in the creation of and participation in events for both fun and fundraising. Activities such as our monthly breakfast gathering, monthly movie night, monthly card night, concerts, rummage sales, annual Lenten fish fries, chili cookoff, parish picnic, riverboat cruise, and train ride all bring parishioners and others together to share food, fellowship, and fun.
-
St. Bernard is proud to have been named by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as a Laudato Si community for our involvement in Care For Creation through our recycling efforts and our pollinators garden.
-
St. Bernard has always been known as a welcoming community. We have been blessed to enjoy a diversity of members and are especially thankful for the Hispanic families who have joined our community. We include bi-lingual songs in our liturgies and host traditional celebrations like the Posada and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Recycling Hub
Accepted items:
Aluminum cans
Aluminum pans
Foil
Styrofoam
Plastic utensils
Pill bottle containers
Straws
Oral care products/packaging
#1 and # 5 containers
And more!
All items must be clean and dry.
The St. Bernard Laudato Si’ Committee has established a recycling collection hub located behind the St. Bernard Church building. Money from aluminum recycling is donated to Haircuts From the Heart, an organization that provides haircuts for the homeless downtown. All other items are picked up once a week and taken to the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub (i.e., “The Hub”). Contact Karen with questions.