Catholic Diocese: St. John and St. Peter, and St. Joan and St. Joseph in Canton will merge

The Basilica of St. John the Baptist and St. Peter Catholic Church in Canton will merge as part of a reconfiguration plan, as will the St. Joan of Arc and St. Joseph parishes, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown has announced.

Bishop David Bonnar accepted the recommendation for the mergers — which were announced Sunday at Masses — at a meeting of the Diocesan Presbyteral Council earlier this month. As a result, almost all of the diocese’s 80 parishes are now part of a collaborative unit, or exist as a multi-site parish.

The plan was introduced by the late Bishop George Murry in 2019 to address the decline in parish membership and a shortage of priests, and has continued to be developed since Bonnar's installation in 2021. It's also being driven by parish finances, population shifts within the region and the effective use of buildings.

Eugene "Trey" Wackerly III , a fifth-generation member of St. Peter noted that this time "it appears that most Catholic churches, whether in the Youngstown diocese or other dioceses around Ohio, are having to consolidate multiple churches into a parish in order to survive.

"St. Peter and the Basilica of St. John were already combining the two churches' organizations over the last several years, except for the joining of finances, to make it a parish," he said. "Father John Sheridan, our prior pastor, over the last several years, brought our two churches together into a more family unit. He did a great job in bringing a sense of togetherness between the two churches.

"Had this not occurred, it would have been more of a shock to go through this new change recently announced by the bishop of Youngstown. I would imagine the new pastor at St. Peter and the Basilica of John is trying his best to keep a sense of togetherness between the two churches and unite them into a new parish."

A fourth-degree, fourth generation member of the Knights of Columbus (Canton Council 341), Wackerly said he's still optimistic about the church's future, particularly at the local level.

"I think this is the future of all Catholic churches for survival, and with any new change, we have to adjust and get used to it," he said. "But I feel with several years of St. Peter Church and the Basilica of St. John the Baptist collaborating and with this recent development, we will become a stronger parish and as a merged Catholic family."

In addition to the Canton mergers, the diocese announced the following mergers in other counties:

• Ashtabula: St. Mary Parish in Orwell and Sacred Heart Parish in Rock Creek.

• Mahoning: Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and St. Joseph Parish in Austintown; St. Charles Parish and St. Luke Parish in Boardman; and St. Columba Cathedral Parish, St. Edward Parish and Holy Apostles Parish in Youngstown.

• Portage:St. Joseph Parish in Mogadore and St. Peter of the Fields Parish in Rootstown Township.

• Trumbull: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and St. Stephen Parish in Niles; and Blessed Sacrament Parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish in Warren.

"Sad commentary ... but necessary," one person wrote on Facebook responding to the diocese's post on the news.

Diocese of Youngstown has been merging parishes since 2021

Since 2021, there have been five mergers between parishes (where two or more parishes become one parish community) within the six-county Diocese of Youngstown. In most cases, parish mergers mean that churches maintain their identities while sharing a priest and lay leadership.

Last year, two Canton parishes, St. Anthony/All Saints and St. Benedict/St. Mary's Immaculate merged to form a new parish, St. Francis of Assisi. In the case of St. Mary, parish leaders decided to close the church at 1602 Market Ave. S.

Last Mass: Parishioners bid farewell to St. Mary in Canton

In 2022, St. Barbara, St. Joseph and St. Mary in Massillon were merged to form the Divine Mercy parish.

Bonnar has tasked the affected parishes with formulating a plan for their mergers.

“I am grateful to the Presbyteral Council for making this important recommendation, which will help ease the burden of pastors who currently need to oversee the administration of separate entities and attend multiple sets of meetings, including parish pastoral councils, finance councils, and parish staff," he said in a statement. "The time is right for these particular parishes to come together and form one community. We are better when we are together.”

Historic parish turns 200: Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, the cradle of Canton Catholicism, turns 200

The Basilica of St. John the Baptist at 627 McKinley Ave. NW celebrated its 200th anniversary last year, making it one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Ohio. The historic parish was elevated to "minor basilica" status by the Vatican in 2012.

Neighboring St. Peter's was founded by German immigrants in 1845. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Both parishes are being served by the Rev. David Misbrener and have been sharing staff for some time.

St. Joseph at 2427 Tuscarawas St. W was built in 1902. St. Joan of Arc at 166 Bordner Ave. SW was established in 1944. The Rev. Scott Kopp pastors both churches.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Catholic churches to merger, Diocese of Youngstown says