Rosary garden open to faithful at Ohio’s first Mass site

The Historical First Mass Site and Rosary Garden in Somerset is open to visitors for year-round prayer. The site commemorates the first Mass celebrated in Ohio in September 1808.

Heavy rainfall canceled a scheduled anniversary celebration on Friday, Sept. 25, which was intended to include a votive Mass with Bishop Earl Fernandes and a rosary procession. While the annual event was prevented by the weather, the garden remains accessible to the public.

Volunteers maintain the grounds through the spring, summer, and fall to assist with landscaping. The site serves as a place for the faithful to pray on the land where Catholics gathered for the Eucharist more than 200 years ago.