After months of closed doors and quiet questions in the neighborhood, Grace Episcopal Church in College Hill quietly reopened to parishioners in February. The congregation had been under a diocesan suspension that followed a review of how church leaders handled an alleged sexual assault between two minors on church property. According to church leaders, the building issues flagged by the diocese have now been addressed, and a new vicar is in place.
The low-key reopening surfaced in recent local coverage. WKRC Local 12 reports the bishop said "major building concerns" were resolved and confirmed that a new vicar has been named. WKRC Local 12 also notes that church leaders cooperated with investigators and provided timely information to authorities.
Why the diocese stepped in
In a Nov. 7 message posted on the Diocese of Southern Ohio website, Bishop Kristin Uffelman White said diocesan staff learned in September 2025 that an alleged assault had occurred on church property in April 2025, and that parish leadership had not reported the incident to the diocesan office for months. A diocesan review found failures to follow Safe Church policies, and the bishop directed the Church Foundation to secure and manage the buildings during the suspension, according to the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Hoodline published earlier coverage when operations were halted last fall.
Parishioners say community programs were at risk
Members of the College Hill neighborhood told FOX19 the church hosts food distribution, AA and NA meetings, and other support programs that were disrupted by the suspension. Parishioners quoted in that reporting said they were stunned by the delay in notifying the diocese and worried about what the shutdown meant for the programs the congregation runs for vulnerable neighbors.
Police response and oversight steps
Cincinnati police responded to a report of a possible sexual assault on church property on April 9, 2025, and at the time of earlier coverage, no criminal charges had been filed, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The diocese says it designated Grace a "congregation at risk" in 2019 and has been working with the parish to restore oversight and services while conversations with the worshipping community continue.
Parish leaders and neighbors say they hope the completed repairs and the arrival of the new vicar will stabilize the small congregation and allow its community programs to resume fully. Local reporting indicates the reopening was intentionally kept low-key, with diocesan oversight still in place as the parish works to rebuild trust.
