St. Mary's Catholic Church (Massillon, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Mary's Catholic Church
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Front of the church
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 206 Cherry Rd., NE, Massillon, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1876 |
| Architect | Leon Beaver |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001952 |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1979 |
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a beautiful old church building in Massillon, Ohio, United States. It was built in 1876 for a group of people who had moved to Massillon, many from Europe. Today, it is known as a historic site because of its age and special design. The church is still an active part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
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Church History
St. Mary's Church started with German and Irish families who came to Massillon many years ago. In the 1840s, they built a small church on Cherry Road. This first building was taken down in 1875 to make space for the church you see today. The current church was finished in 1876.
The person who designed the church was an architect named Leon Beaver from Dayton, Ohio. He got help from John Verment, who lived in Massillon. John Verment also helped with the stone carvings. Later, John Verment designed another church in Massillon called St. Joseph's Catholic Church.
Building Design
St. Mary's Church is built mostly from sandstone, which is a type of rock. It has a tall, grand style called Gothic Revival. The front of the church has two towers that look almost the same. The church building is shaped like a Latin cross when you look at it from above. It measures about 185 feet long and 85 feet wide.
You can see sculptures in small spaces called alcoves on the second levels of the towers. There are also sculptures at the very top of the front roof. The higher parts of the towers have windows and belfries, which are where bells are kept. The main entrance has three doors next to each other. Above these doors is a large, round window called a rose window. The strong supports on the outside walls, called buttresses, and the corners of the towers have fancy decorations called finials. A large cross sits at the very top of the front roof.
The Shrine of St. Dymphna
Besides being a regular church, St. Mary's also has a special place called a shrine. This shrine is dedicated to St. Dymphna. She was a young Irish woman from long ago who is remembered as a saint. The shrine was rebuilt after a fire in 2015.
Because of its important architecture, St. Mary's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This list includes places that are important to history. St. Mary's is one of four churches in Massillon with this special honor. The others are First Methodist Church, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and St. Timothy's Episcopal Church.
Fire and Community Help
On August 4, 2015, a fire damaged part of St. Mary's Catholic Church. The chapel that held the Shrine of St. Dymphna was destroyed, along with the church's baptistry, which is where baptisms take place.
After the fire, the nearby St. Paul's Lutheran Church offered help. They held a prayer service with leaders from both churches. St. Paul's Lutheran Church also let the people of St. Mary's use their church building while repairs were being made. This was a great example of different churches helping each other. The leader of St. Mary's, Father Ed Gretchko, said that St. Paul's generosity was a true blessing during a sad time.
A New Parish Name
In November 2022, the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown announced a change for St. Mary's. Because there were fewer priests, St. Mary's would join with two other Catholic churches in Massillon: St. Barbara and St. Joseph.
These three churches are now known together as Divine Mercy Parish. This change officially happened on January 1, 2023.
