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Roots of faith go back 150 years
By LINDA M. LINONIS
STRUTHERS
Christ Our Savior Parish is celebrating 150 years of Catholicism in the Struthers community.
Holy Trinity Church, 250 N. Bridge St., and St. Nicholas Church, 764 Fifth St., merged in 2010 as part of the Diocese of Youngstown reconfiguration plan. St. Nicholas’ roots date to 1865, when a mission from Villa Maria, Pa., was established in Struthers to serve families. Holy Trinity was founded in 1907 and is of Slovak heritage.
Bishop George V. Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown will officiate at a Mass at 10 a.m. Nov. 22 at St. Nicholas. A time capsule with various parish items including memorabilia from Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States will be buried. A reception will follow in the Great Hall.
Recently, the Rev. Bonnot, pastor; Dorothy Wagner, president of Infant of Jesus Prague at Holy Trinity; Jaclyn Blake, member of the pastoral and liturgy committees; Rosemary Hollen, leader of prayer and member of liturgy committee; and Alvera Bell, director of spiritual growth, discussed the parish.
Father Bonnot, installed as pastor of St. Nicholas in 2007, also had served as administrator of Holy Trinity. A directory that features the churches’ history, staff, ministries, activities and listing of members was published for the observance. It notes the parish serves about 2,033 households accounting for some 4,100 members. So far this year, the parish has had 32 baptisms, 26 First Communions, 33 Confirmations, 12 weddings, 100 funerals and educated 126 students at St. Nicholas School and 158 in Confraternity of Christine Doctrine classes.
“We wanted to recognize the history and events that inspired the parishes,” Father Bonnot said. “It was the seed planted.”
Father Bonnot said the parish is governed by one council, pastoral team, finance council and ministries council. From 2012-14, there was a capital campaign that raised about $300,000. Funds went for the installation of an elevator at St. Nicholas, roof repair and painting at both churches and the school and new electronic signs at both sites. In the Great Hall, the Holy Name Society helped with the painting project and the Knights of Columbus, acoustics.
The pastor said the parish decided to have a yearlong reflection on the Catholic presence in the community. Activities included a mission this fall, “Past, Present and Future;” highlights of activities and note of the anniversary in weekly bulletins; and at the summer festival.
The two church sites both have a rich history. Wagner said Infant Jesus of Prague remains a devotion at Holy Trinity, where members meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays for Mass and prayer. Wagner also noted Holy Trinity has sponsored pirogi sales on Fridays for more than 40 years and she’s volunteered during that time. “We have a faithful group who patronize the sales,” she said. “It’s the love that goes in,” Blake said of the ethnic dish, whose proceeds have included buying the church a new furnace. The church offers popular stuffed cabbage dinners in the fall and spring.
Muscle Club at Holy Trinity beautify and maintain the church and grounds. Wagner said church members also regularly pray the rosary at the outdoor shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at Holy Trinity and during October, it is a daily. Holy Trinity choir sometimes sings hymns in Slovak. “The choir usually does a prelude on Christmas Eve,” Blake said.
Father Bonnot said Knights of Columbus Council 3813 at Holy Trinity and K. of C. 4471 at St. Nicholas benefit the parishes.
Bell said the church began a monthly community outreach dinner two years ago and has met with success, attracting attendees from churches and community.
At St. Nicholas School with 145 kindergarten- through eighth-grade students, on or near St. Nicholas Feast Day Day, Dec. 6, children continue a tradition of putting their shoes outside classrooms for treats.
Hollen is among lay leaders of prayer. “We can do prayer services and other services as needed,” Hollen said. Other liturgical ministries in the parish are children’s liturgy, Eucharistic ministers, gift bearers, greeters, lectors, musicians and choirs, sacristans, servers and ushers. Contemplative prayer, a deeper form of praying, is at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays at St. Nicholas and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays.