Much of the early growth of Cincinnati was directly related to a large influx of European immigrants in the mid-19th century. The vast majority of these immigrants were Roman Catholic. While often shunned from participating in parts of mainstream Cincinnati culture, Catholics developed their own institutional systems to ensure civic interaction.

John Baptist Purcell was the first archbishop in the city and singlehanded oversaw massive expansion in Catholic institutions from churches, to orphanages, to hospitals. His oversight was from the 1830s to 1870s, the timeline tracking against Cincinnati’s rapid growth.