In 1851, just three years after the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland was established, eight catholic families in and around Independence sought to create their own parish.
Bishop Amandeus Rappe commissed Reverend Nicholas Roupp to look after them.
Under Father Roupp's direction they bought a parcel of land on Rockside Road to serve as the site of a church and cemetery. And in 1852, on the feast of Corpus Christi, a small stone church was dedicated.
