Bishop Hughes will return for Mooney's 50th

A reception and open house will feature historical displays and memorabilia.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bishop William A. Hughes, founding principal of Cardinal Mooney High School, is coming back to town to help the school celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Bishop Hughes, retired bishop of Covington, Ky., will attend both a Jubilee Mass and an open house and reception April 29.
The Mass, scheduled for 2 p.m. in St. Columba Cathedral, will be a special Liturgy to celebrate the many blessings the school and school community have enjoyed throughout the school's 50-year history.
The Rev. Stephen Popovich, class of 1972 and former associate principal of the school, will be the celebrant. Priest alumni of Cardinal Mooney, as well as former priest faculty members and diocesan priests, have been invited to join in the concelebration of the Mass.
Invitations have been issued to Mooney alumni and parents from throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania and to current and former faculty members.
The open house and reception will be at the school immediately after the Mass. It will feature historical displays and memorabilia highlighting the school's history and will include tours of the school highlighting changes to the school since its original construction in 1956. Refreshments will be provided and special activities will be provided for children.
Cardinal Mooney began its jubilee celebration in October with a prayer service for the student body, commemorating the anniversary of the death of Edward Cardinal Mooney, who came to Youngstown from Maryland in 1887, was ordained a priest in 1909 and later rose to the highest ranks of the church.
He died in Rome in 1958 during the conclave that elected Pope John XXIII.
In January, alumni, parents and friends of the school enjoyed a dinner dance at Antone's Banquet Centre in Boardman, and, in March, Mooney alumni joined students and faculty members in the school's spring musical -- "The Music Man."
The school also is contemplating a spring service project that will allow students, alumni, parents and friends to make a contribution to the community in recognition of the benefits the Cardinal Mooney has enjoyed over the years.