For 23 years, I attended the same Catholic church weekly in Florida. I guess I never really realized how great it was until I moved away and had to find another church to attend. When we moved to Northern Virginia I went to three different Catholic churches and liked none of them. They were all so stuffy, solemn, and serious. No one made eye contact, no one smiled, upbeat songs were never sung, and the homilies were always very "preachy". I ended up only going to church reluctantly on Easter and Christmas. Moved to the Dayton area in June of 2012 and had a fellow military spouse recommend St. Helen Parish to me. On my first Sunday I came to St. Helen, upon entering, I didn't feel it was as modern as I was used to in Florida, but boy did it knock my socks off!! Father Dave is just amazing. He is really something special. As one of many members of the congregation, I felt immediately connected to the church, and Father Dave's homily spoke to me in a practical way. I have only missed one Sunday since we moved; I am back to looking forward to going to church once again. Everyone is so warm and friendly, and I've met some amazing parishioners and staff. Father Satish is the priest at Immaculate Conception church and he sometimes has mass here at St. Helen. He is great too, but Father Dave is my favorite. We had our son baptized here and even though Father Dave hardly knew me at the time, he made the occasion so intimate and special for our family. I have attended the Saturday evening mass, as well as both the 8am and 10:30am masses on Sundays. The 10:30am mass (although it usually runs 10-15 minutes late) is my favorite, but the other times keep my options open in case I have a conflict. The choir at 10:30am mass is unbeatable. They sound excellent and sing a variety of songs (upbeat ones too!!), even some I remember from my church in Florida. Additionally, they have fun family events all year long; donut Sundays, fish frys, festival, etc. I am so glad I have found St. Helen Parish. If you are new to the area and looking for a Catholic church, please come to St. Helen. You will not regret it! read more