St. John to close Oct. 31, other neighbors in 2010

One of St. Paul's neighboring churches, St. John the Baptist, will celebrate its final Mass on October 31 at 4 p.m,. Two other neighbors, Sacred Heart of Jesus on Grant Street and St. Mary at 750 S. Main St. will not close until next year.

A Beacon Journal article by religion writer Colette M. Jenkins on page B1 today provides a summary of the closings. The story is headlined “Countiong down the days” and features a photo at SS Cyril and Methodius Church, Barberton’s Slovak parish, which will be the first to close with a final Mass on June 14.

An overline notes that it is “A time to break down, and a time to build up.”

Inside are photos of nine churches that are closing with capsule histories of each. Our neighborning parishes are:


ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (merging with Annunciation) 1034 Brown St.
PopulatIon: 250 households
History: Established in 1907 when Mass was celebrated for the first time with members of Akron's Slovak and Polish Catholic communities. In June 1908, the two communities, under the su~rvision of the pastor at SS Cyril & Methodius (a Slovak community in Barberton) purchased the former St. Bemard Church at Broadway and Center streets and renamed it St. John the Baptist Mission Church. The Polish and Slovak immigrants continued to celebrate Mass together until 1912, when the Polish community founded St. Hedwig. A new church at the current site was dedicated, debt-free, on Dec. 21, 1941

SACRED HEART OF JESUS, 734 Grant St., Akron
Population: 185 households
History: Founded in 1915 by Hungarian Catholics who wanted to establish a new parish calld Patronia Hungaronium Parish. The new community was named Sacred Heart of Jesus and the community initially celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Bemard Church in Akron and weekday Masses at the church rectory. Nearty 3,000 people attended a service to bless the comerstone of the church on Nov. 23, 1924. The church building was dedicated on Sept. 13, 1925.

ST. MARY (merging with St. Bernard) 750 S. Main St.
PopuIaIion: 608 Households
History: Established as a territorial parish in 1887 to serve Catholics living on the south end of town. The community celebrated its first Mass on Nov. 27, 1887. A new church, built at Coburn and Thornton streets, was dedicated on Oct. 21, 1914. The parish high school merged with the high school at St. Vincent's in 1971 to form St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

Click on the headline to read the Beacon Journal article.