We Remember:

Rev. Otto J. Herrmann

September 1, 1895 - December 14, 1960

Pius Herrmann was born in in Celne, Eastern Bohemia, 1854. His wife, Theresia, (Teresa)

from the same area, was born in 1863 (died in 1946). Her parents were Frank and Marianna WanSchura, (buried in Celne, Eastern Bohemia 1826-1913). Pius and Teresa married in

Celne on October 21, 1884 and lived at Property #74 until they immigrated to Cincinnati,

OH in 1886. The Cincinnati, Ohio Directory of 1890-91 records Pius Herrmann employed as a “saddler” at the southeast Corner of Hopple and Massachusetts.

In 1910 the Herrmann family resided at 4275 Colerain Avenue in Cumminsville, a couple

blocks south of St. Boniface Elementary School. Pius Herrmann was again listed as a “saddler”. Their first daughter, Mary, was born 1886 - married Stenger; their first son, Hugo, was born in 1888, and worked in a local shop as a machinist. Louis, their second son, was born in 1891 and was a laborer in a safe manufacturing company. Their fourth child was a daughter, Clara, born 1893 - married Obert. Otto was their fifth child, born 1895, followed by three girls: Alma born 1899 - married Tepe; Helen born 1901 - married Paffe;

and Irene born 1904. (Hugo and Irene were deceased at the time of Fr. Herrmann’s death in 1960.)

Otto and his siblings attended St. Boniface Elementary School at the corner of Chase and Pitts. Otto attended high school at St. Xavier, then on to Mt. St. Mary‘s and St. Gregory Seminaries. He was ordained March 11, 1922 at the age of 27.

A few thoughts from Rev. Roland (Rollie) Hautz:

As you know, Fr. Herrmann's first name was Otto. He said the only advantage in that was

that it came out the same no matter which way you spelled it.

Shortly after he arrived at St. Andrew's he decided to build a new school. Of course he had to

get permission from the diocese. When the Bishop asked him how he was going to pay for it,

he simply said: "By check." Not many priests could get away with that, but Fr. Herrmann could.

Fr. Herrmann had a shrill whistle that would carry a long distance. My Dad was very handy at

fixing things. At the time, my Dad was only running the "Family" Theater, so he was relatively free during the day. Fr. Herrmann spent a lot of time outside. So much so that

every time my Dad drove past the church, Fr. Herrmann would whistle him down because he had some project he wanted my Dad to do. It got so my Dad would never take Main Street if

he had to go into town, but would follow back roads so Fr. Herrmann would not see him and

whistle him down.

One time when I was in the seminary, Fr. Herrmann decided to have a Solemn High Mass for

Christmas. He got two Jesuits to come over to be Deacon and Sub-deacon. Fr. Herrmann

even bought a set of gold vestments for Celebrant, Deacon and Sub-deacons. They were very beautiful but very expensive. Since I was a lowly seminarian, but sharp on things liturgical, I

got the job of Emcee. After it was all over he asked a parishioner what he thought of the first Solemn High Mass they ever had at St. Andrew. He was probably expecting some praise, or at

least a comment on how beautiful the vestments were. But all the guy said was: "Your Emcee sure has big hands." (which is true.)

Fr. Rollie Hautz, Pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Gate City, VA - Ordained 1953

Father

Herrmann with the first

class to graduate from

the new St.

Andrew School in June, 1949.

l to r - First Row: Alvina Benzinger, Russell Hodges, Carl Carpenter,

Ron Meyers, Patricia Westerkamm

2nd Row: Rosemary Clancy, Eileen Schill, Barbara Chandler,

Nancy Long

Some recollections from Sister Terry Thorman, SC.

Father Herrmann never missed a Friday

teaching in our classrooms. He would enter and we would stand saying with one voice

"Good afternoon, Father!" He would then

address us in French saying what meant "Be seated, please." We were primed to answer

in French "Merci beau coup." (something like that) and to sit down. His classes were

VERY interesting and they prepared us for

his Sunday reinforcement of the very same lesson at the 9:30 Children's Mass. With

whole classes sitting together (We didn't sit with our parents. They sat in the back of

Church.), and our teachers sitting behind us and keeping perfect order, we answered

Father Herrmann's questions. If we

remembered the answers we had just learned on Friday, and if we had the courage

to stand before our whole class and the whole rest of the church and speak the

answer, we received for our effort a "holy

card" from Father, usually a picture of a saint. I had quite a good holy card

collection!

When I was in eighth grade Father was

busy building Elizabeth Seton school which was opened the next fall (1960). He would

take a group of us up to water the tiny new

evergreen trees which surrounded the property. He would drive us around on a

tractor with a piece dragging along the back. We would sit with buckets of water.

Every time he stopped we got out and watered. Children loved being in his

company.

When Fr. Herrmann came out on the

playground at noon (often) he would be immediately surrounded by a large circle of

children who would "capture" him in the middle of the circle. He could not escape

until the bell rang. He faked distress.

Fr. Herrmann on school playground

Every March 19 the whole school gave a

program to celebrate his feast day, St.

Joseph Day. (I don't think he liked his name

Otto...said he would not baptize a baby with that name.) At the end of the school

program (which was prepared for weeks in advance) he would give us a free day the next day if he was pleased. He was always

pleased.

Sr. Terry Thorman, SC St. Andrew Class of ‘60 -----------------------------------------------

Fr. Herrmann’s Feast Day Celebration

March 19, 1959 - Class of 1959

Memories from the Schreibers

As I was a server during my grade school days at St. Andrew, I was scheduled to

serve on a particular Sunday morning. However, neither my mother nor I remembered which Mass. So, at 2:00 a.m. on this Sunday morning she phoned Fr. Herrmann to find

out. Needless to say, I'm sure Fr. Herman was "so happy" she phoned at that particular time.

This is a story from Barb's memory. Barb didn't attend St. Andrew at all, since she

didn't move to Milford until the end of the 8th grade in 1952. She did attend high school CCD classes with Father Herrmann, though, walking over to St. A's from MHS

which, in those days, was located at Milford Main. The story, however, concerns her sister, Ginny. Ginny had contracted rheumatic fever after graduating from the 8th

grade at St. A's, and was confined to bed rest the entire three months of summer

vacation to recover. One evening Fr. Herrmann brought his entire collection of sunset slides (which were taken from atop his property out on Route 50) and showed them

to her, and the rest of their family. Barb recalls the individual beauty of each one and how impressed the whole family was that Father took the time to show them.

Ed & Barb (Gaetz) Schreiber - St. Andrew Class of ‘52

“The Father Herrmann Look”

Fr. Herrmann (far right) at the dedication of the new St Andrew School, August, 1948, with Rev. Edward J. Creager, Archbishop Joseph Albers, and Ray Riehle, Sr.

Memories from Charlene Bernert Hinners

Everyone saw him in a different way because he truly was a many-sided personality for

that time. He was such an authority figure and yet, he had a soft side. He loved the woods at his retreat on Rt. 50, but he was larger than life to us in grade school - THE

authority figure. I remember one time one of my girl classmates and I were cleaning in the church, and (it sounds so silly) but we jumped over the backs of some pews in the

back of church and, of course, someone squealed on us. (Squealing was an art-form in

those days!). We had to go see FR. HERRMANN, and we were scared to death. He looked down at the two of us and just gave us a few words of caution about being a

good example, etc. and let us go. I remember we must have looked terrified and were holding hands. We were sure he was going to lower the boom. He probably couldn't

help laughing afterward, because I remember thinking even then, that he had a twinkle

in his eye! (I think my confederate was Gwen Kennedy!

He certainly was one of a kind and I can still to this day remember bits of his sermons!!! That's saying a lot!!

Charlene Bernert Hinners - St. Andrew Class of ‘52

Memories of a long-time parishioner

In 1949 when we moved into our house on Guinea Pike. Father Herrmann immediately

arranged for Hap Bergmann to come with a mower to cut the tall grass around our place. He loved to walk in our woods and taught the children Latin names for wild

flowers and weeds he found along the way - Prunella vulgaris, Asclepias tuberosa, etc.

He spent many afternoons sitting on our front porch with my Father and Mother. He often talked about the potato pancakes and homemade applesauce his Mother used to

make. When a cistern we were having dug was about completed, he climbed to the bottom to inspect it.

One day he took our son on a tour of St. Gregory Seminary, hoping to get him

interested in a vocation.

After my Mother’s stroke he came regularly to bring her Communion, and when he traveled, he always remembered to send her a post card. We enjoyed having him come to our house.

Catherine Moorman - Parishioner since 1949

Fr. Herrmann with First Communion Class November 13, 1960 Vera Moorman was honored to be Fr Herrmann's feminine side-kick in the front row.

Thinking about Fr. Herrmann…..

I still remember Father Herrmann with a smile. I think that he always made me feel

special, as I am sure he did everyone else. As big a man as he was, I was never

afraid of him. I just loved being around him. He used to come and see us on the farm. Mom loved it and would always make something special for him. I also used to

love it when people would sneak out of church and sometimes he would call them by name and state that the Mass was not over until the last blessing.

The days at St Andrew were calm, not like today - with everyone having to go here

and there. The churches are so big that I wonder how people even know each other. We live in a large city now (Jacksonville, FL) and everyone seems to keep to themselves when they get home from work. I dearly miss the old country-style days of Father Herrmann and St. Andrew Parish.

Mary Joyce Hodges Weber - St Andrew Class of ‘56

Things I remember……..

He had the eloquence and manner of Bishop Sheen. His homilies would reach deep down into your soul and ignite a fire. And he lived every word he taught. He was a multi-faceted personality built on rock-solid Christian faith. He was the shepherd of his flock and every one of his parishioners was precious to him. Those who knew him either loved him a lot, or not at all.

His Bohemian ancestry expressed itself in the metallic and multi-colored pattern he chose for the sanctuary walls of the church. Some of us gasped the first time we saw it, but it did keep us awake!

At the age of ten, I attended St Andrew School, my first day in fifth grade. And I handled the stress of this new situation with my usual response, a splitting

headache. Father Herrmann scooped me up, along with my brother and sisters into his big, shiny black Oldsmobile and drove us home.

When he came to our house to bring Communion to my sick grandmother, he would

place his treasured “biretta” (a round, three cornered black hat with a tuft on top worn by Catholic priests) in the care of us kids, to return to him as he was leaving.

On lighter and more carefree days he taught me how to make a “Suspension Bridge”

out of string. Or taught us the Latin names for wildflowers as we trooped through the woods and fields. Sixty years later I still remember how to make a “Suspension

Bridge” and I can spot a “prunella vulgaris” or “asclepias tuberosa” when I see one.

There were other lessons, too. In fifth grade my teacher gave me a hand-written

report (in small cursive writing) to memorize for President’s Day. It seemed like it was 28 pages long - maybe the years have distorted that recollection. But I studied

it, and I studied it, and on the day of the program, I fixed my eyes on a spot on the ceiling in the back of the room, and gave every word from memory without

hesitation. Others gave much shorter reports. And when all was said and done,

Father Herrmann asked the class who had given the best presentation. And in unison, they said my name. But then Father said, “Her report was very long, and she

did remember it very well, but did you notice that Joyce Bohl looked at the people she was talking to and spoke as if she meant what she was saying? That’s what

makes a good presentation.” (I haven’t cared much for history or memorizing since that day!)

Again it was Joyce Bohl who shone during the Sunday questions at Mass. Father Herrmann asked the school children this question: “Who is God?” Only one student could remember the correct answer. Joyce put her hand up. “God is my Creator, and I am His creature.” When Joyce came to Heaven, I’m sure Father Herrmann greeted her with the same pleased smile that he blessed her with that Sunday long ago.

Some people pass through life without making much of an impression. But not Father Herrmann. He always watched over his parish family, then and now. Just see how his eyes in his picture follow you wherever you go.

Chris Moorman Nunner - St. Andrew Class of ‘53

St. Andrew Sunday Bulletin December 18, 1960

All of us must face death, but we don’t like to. Death is a hard fact, and we don’t like hard facts. At certain times in our lives Almighty God sets hard facts before us so that

we will have to face them. Sometimes He blesses us with men who have the power to make us face up to them. One such man was Father Herrmann, your late pastor.

All of you know that he never minced words; he told the truth, God’s truth. No doubt

you occasionally winced when the hard truth struck home. Then as the light dawned, you felt the comfort of knowing that this was the real thing; and not the soft

sentiment that we sometimes use to cover the truths we find hard.

This strong man has, this past week, given you his strongest sermon. He acted out for you the last, most important duty all of us have to perform: He died manfully. All

through his life he acted out the truth he taught. You saw his words in action in his

life. This past week he gave his last lesson.

Just as perhaps you winced slightly when he put things before you in their true light,

so now you are grieved at this last bitter truth he puts before you, the truth of his death.

But see what happened when he made you look at the hard truth: a strong parish

organization; great devotion to Holy Communion; the decoration of the church, the building of two schools, of a convent and a parish house. These are some of the great victories won by the struggle with hard facts Father Herrmann made you face.

In the light of these victories won with his teaching in the past, see the victory that will be ours by heeding his lesson this past week, the victory that we will see

together in our Father’s home for all eternity.

Rest In Peace.

(Author Unknown)