St. Teresa

About St. Teresa Church

St Teresa Catholic Church was established in 1937 on Franklin Street in Rockford. Fr Roman Schwieterman, C.PP. S. conceived the idea of a mission church in Rockford when he was pastor of St. Mary Church in an Irish Settlement near Geneva, Indiana. He did mission work in the northern part of Mercer County and found a need for a church. A ceremony on May 4, 1937, was held to bless the new church and the first mass was held on May 9, 1937. St Teresa became the first Catholic Church in Mercer County north of Celina.

On December 16, 2008, St. Teresa Parish purchased the former Christian Church, 4227 State Route 707, Rockford, Ohio for $105,000.00. Repairs and upgrades were made to the church originally dedicated as the Otterbein United Brethren in Christ Church in 1967. The last Mass celebration at the Franklin Street location was held Sunday, May 24, 2009. A Mass celebrating the Dedication of the Church and Altar was held on June 21, 2009. Father Thomas Brenberger, C.PP.S. invited the Most Reverend Dennis Schnurr, Coadjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati, to officiate the dedication. At this time, there were 118 families on the parish roster. On June 3, 2012, St. Teresa Church celebrated a 75th Anniversary Mass with Archbishop Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati, presiding. The celebration included a blessing of parishioners and a cornerstone plaque for the new church. 

St. Teresa remains an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On July 1, 2022, St. Teresa along with Holy Rosary(St. Marys), St. Patrick(Glynnwood), Immaculate Conception(Celina), and Our Lady of Guadalupe(Montezuma) joined to form St. Isidore the Farmer, Family of Parishes. Our Family of Parishes is led by Pastor Father Rob Muhlenkamp and Parochial Vicars Father Prashanth Bandanadham and Father Adam Berning.