St. Mary's in Canton set to close; now part of new St. Francis parish

CANTON − The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown plans to close St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, a 123-year old church at 1602 Market Ave. S.

Popularly called "St. Mary’s," it is one of three buildings that make up the recently formed St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

St. Francis of Assisi parish was established in July, the result of the merger of St. Mary/St. Benedict parishes and St.Anthony/All Saints parishes.

The closure was announced on Oct. 7 and 8 at the parish’s Masses in a letter from Bishop David Bonnar to St. Francis of Assisi parishioners.

Deliberations about the future of St. Mary's and the possibility of its closure began before the July parish merger by the pastoral and finance councils of the former St. Mary/St. Benedict parish.

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In accordance with church law, the decision to close St. Mary's followed the same process as the previous parish merger and similar decisions around the diocese. After consultation at the parish level, building upon the 2019 regionalized Pastoral Plan started by the late Bishop George Murry, a formal petition was made by the parish’s pastoral and finance councils to Bonnar on Sept. 11, and considered by the diocese’s Priests Council on Sept. 25.

In their petition to Bonnar, members of the parish’s pastoral and finance councils explained that deferred maintenance costs for St. Mary Church were not financially feasible and that the cost of supporting three church buildings would have a negative impact on the ability to maintain and grow parish ministries necessary for the St. Francis of Assisi community.

The petition also noted that the global pandemic leveled a grave impact on both financial support and Mass attendance, adding that for the parish’s two priests to most effectively be present to the entire community, both at St. Francis of Assisi parish and Holy Family parish in Navarre and Brewster, an adjusted Mass schedule became necessary.

Finally, the petition expressed a hope that, though the closure of St. Mary Church would be painful, new possibilities are emerging for providing more effective religious formation for adults and children to the entire parish.

Bonnar accepted the council’s unanimous recommendation and issued a formal decree.

In his letter, Bonnar commended the Rev. Kevin Peters, who was appointed pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in July, noting that upon his arrival, Peters “led your parish’s pastoral and finance councils, and your entirecommunity, into a deepened, methodical, patient, and transparent discernment process.”

Bonnar will celebrate a closing Mass at St. Mary's at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6.

The story of St. Mary's

Immaculate Conception Church, (St. Mary’s), was established with a school in 1899 to accommodate members of St John’s and St Peter’s who were living in the southern section of Canton. The first Mass was celebrated in the basement Dec. 24, 1899, and the completed structure was dedicated on May 20, 1900, under the pastor, Rev. Thomas R. Heimann. A new addition to the school building was completed in 1949.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: St. Mary's in Canton set to close; now part of new St. Francis parish