Our parish was broken off from St. Mary's in 1963.   Monsignor Winel had broken off St. Mary's in 1960.   Monsignor secured the purchase of 23 ½ acres through the diocese.   Founding Pastor Bernard Jones dedicated the parish to its patron St. Bernadette Soubirous.   This French peasant was gifted with an ecstatic series of visions of the Blessed Mother in 1858 near Lourdes, France.   This site became a famous healing shrine visited by 3 million pilgrims annually.   Our new grotto (1996) honors our Blessed Mother under the title "Immaculate Conception."

The parish school began in 1965 and has been served by Franciscan and Dominican sisters and now by a dedicated lay staff (read more of Building the Kingdom).   Previous pastors include: Joseph Ehwald, John Dittoe and Robert Noon.   Adorations of the Blessed Sacrament was started in 1987.   A new playground was built in 1988.   The parish hall was built in 1990, the outdoor grotto in 1996.   In 1999 a new storage shed was added.   The parish office was completed in 2003 along with the outdoor Stations of the Cross and devotional area behind the new building.

The existing Church was built in a multi-purpose building at the end of the school building.   A large open space on Wheeling Road allows for a free standing permanent Church or worship space at a later time.

In the more recent years, we have developed a relationship with our sister parish, St. John the Baptist in Nahuizalco, El Salvador.   A group of parishioners visited in early 2001 to bring earthquake relief.   We continue to give and receive from this partnership.

The parish now has two Deacons Mark Scarpitti and Paul Deshaies to share in the Pastoral Ministry of the Parish.

We regularly plan parish missions to help us realize our parish vision.   Our vision encourages faith sharing and building Small Faith Communities.   These groups help us connect our lives with our faith and reach out in service.