The church was organized in 1840 by German immigrants, at a time of dramatic growth in the city's population.

Designed in the Greek Revival style by Franz Ignatz Erd,[2] it is the second-oldest German-Catholic parish in the city and the oldest standing church in Cincinnati.

Many of the men donated their own labor to build the church, making the bricks by hand.

A parish school was opened in 1844 and in 1846 the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to teach.

The term "Old" was added to the name of this church in 1904 after St. Mary's in Hyde Park (Cincinnati) was founded.

[6] The three buildings of the Old St. Mary's parish complex were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Father Albers' first appointment was in Cincinnati as an assistant pastor at Old St. Mary's Church, School.

[10][11][12][13] The parish practices a full range of the rich liturgical, musical, and cultural heritages of the Roman Catholic tradition.