About

Mary, Help of Christians has a long tradition as a Christian community, dating back to 1862 when a missionary priest from the Society of Mary organized the Catholic population into a parish congregation in Fairfield, Ohio. Parishioners met in an old schoolhouse until 1868 when Father Charles Hahne helped the congregation build a permanent church about a mile away in the larger town of Osborn. It was officially dedicated as Mary, Help of Christians on August 22, 1869. That "country" church served the parish of 20 families well.

In 1918, the church celebrated the golden jubilee, but with mixed feelings, as the Miami Conservancy, formed after the 1913 flood, had designated the area as a retarding basin to check against future devastating floods. Several years later, in 1923, a new 150 seat church was erected on Pleasant Street as part of the relocated town of Osborn. The church struggled through the depression years, but by 1950, in what was now Fairborn (the merger of Fairfield and Osborn); MHC had bloomed into a parish of 500 families.

In 1956, ground was broken on what became the school. After 50 years, the school closed in 2008. The school initially served as the "new church" back in those days. It now serves as the Parish Center. In the 1960', the convent (now St. Francis Hall) and the rectory were completed. 

The current church was dedicated in 1970. It is a five-sided structure, capable of seating 1,000. In honor of the Air Force Base nearby, the aerial view of the church is shaped like a stealth airplane. The bell in the steeple is the same one which first called parishioners to services at the Osborn Church in 1868. Newly renovated in 2018, Mary, Help of Christians is ready to serve the Fairborn Community for the next hundred years.

Today, the congregation numbers approximately 815 families. There are approximately 30 parish organizations which help guide and educate the youngest to the oldest parishioners.