100 twosomes mark 100 years at St. Pat’s by renewing wedding vows

By SEAN BARRON

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

If you wanted to crunch important numbers and dates about St. Patrick Church, 100, 2,544, 1911 and 2011 might come to mind.

The church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave. on the city’s South Side, was established in 1911 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

One hundred also represents the estimated number of couples who had made their vows in the church and attended a special 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday to be recognized and honored.

Also attending were hundreds of children, grandchildren and other people.

Why is 2,544 significant? That’s the total number of years the couples have been married, noted Kathy Price, an event coordinator.

Bob and Ann Metzinger of Canfield have been married nearly 61 of those years and were among several hundred people who attended the 90-minute marriage liturgy.

Other than the absence of iron gates near the altar, the church where the couple got hitched April 29, 1950, looks much the same, observed Bob Metzinger, 83, who also recalled having met his wife when they were South High School students.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.