[3] At this time, large numbers of German Catholics were taking up residence in the plains of western Ohio near St. Marys, and priests of the Society of the Precious Blood became established in Minster,[4]: 7  about 10 miles (16 km) to the south of St.

[5]: 45, 55  For twenty years, the community's Catholics often travelled to Minster for Mass;[2] this situation ended with the erection of Holy Rosary parish in 1852.

[5]: 45 By 1854, the parishioners built their first church, a log structure, and the parish's property was expanded with the purchase of land for a cemetery and a small rectory in 1861.

By this time, growth in membership rendered the church too small for the numbers of worshippers, but the parish was too poor to erect a replacement.

[3] Designed by Minster architect Anton Goehr, the new church was a simple rectangular brick structure with a bell tower,[4]: 2  supported by a stone foundation.

Increased wealth among the parishioners and growing anti-Catholic sentiment in the region resulted in the foundation of a parish school in 1902.