ST. ANDREW - Key Persons
Bishop Michael J. Ready established St. Andrew Parish on June 17, 1955. He appointed Fr. Michael Andrew "Andy" Nugent as the founding pastor. The initial parish boundaries were the Scioto River on the west, the Olentangy River on the east, Bethel Road on the north, and Swansea Drive, Ridgecliff Drive, and Zollinger Road on the south.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR, ADULT FAITH FORMATION and OCIA
Fr. Frank Lane succeeded Msgr. Schulz in July of 1992. He also received the title of Monsignor later that year, which affirmed both the quality of the parish and the distinctive leaders of the parish. Msgr. Lane was a noted scholar who was grounded in practical wisdom. By the time of his arrival, the parish had grown to 2,200 families and the demand for adequate space to serve the many activities of the parishioners was increasing.
He organized a Facilities Committee to identify and evaluate the space needs of the parish. Through his leadership, the parish embarked on the most significant event of its life - the construction of a new church. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 17, 1996. This $6.6 million venture culminated on June 7, 1998, with the dedication of a new church by Bishop James Griffin. Msgr. Lane was present for this momentous event. However, in June 1997, he relinquished the pastorate of St. Andrew to enter monastic life in Northern Ireland. Msgr. Lane returned to the Diocese of Columbus and retired as pastor of St. Margaret of Cortona Parish in Columbus. Currently, he serves as director of spiritual formation at the Athenaeum of Ohio in Cincinnati.
Msgr. J. Colby Grimes was appointed the fourth pastor of St. Andrew Parish in July of 1997. He was a native son of the parish and was ordained to the priesthood here in 1978. Although Associate Pastor Fr. Thomas Buffer remained as the immediate supervisor of the building of the new church, Msgr. Grimes did oversee this project, as well as the renovation of the former church into school classroom space. Monsignor also began to liturgically update the parish in preparation for worshipping in the new church. Having helped the parish to move into this new era, he completed his stay and in November of 1998 and was transferred to the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany.
Fr. Rodenfels, the fifth pastor, came to St. Andrew for two years. In that time, he spearheaded the parish effort in the diocesan-wide "Challenge in Changing Times" campaign. This campaign generated an additional $1.3 million in funds, half of which was returned to the parish. These funds were used for a number of parish projects and the remainder was directed toward the reduction of the parish debt, which by the end of 2000 was $1.725 million. In October 2000, Fr. Rodenfels took a leave of absence and shortly after resigned as pastor. Today, Fr. Rodenfels serves as Pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, succeeding Msgr. Grimes, who died on Good Friday 2003.
In November 2000, Bishop Griffin appointed Fr. Michael Watson, another former associate pastor, as the sixth pastor. Fr. Watson initiated significant community-building events and activities within the parish, including a parish festival and a Master Plan Committee which led to a strategic plan for the parish. He also initiated the parish-wide RENEW program.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE PASTOR
- PAROCHIAL VICAR