Parish Happenings

- Get the latest news about St. Joseph Parish, its ministries and organizations, events and happenings, and local community involvement.
- Our weekly bulletin provides our primary way we use to communicate with you.
- Consult our Google Calendar for a year-long schedule.
- Like us on Facebook (StJosephMantua & StJosephOxRoastFair).
- Annual events are featured on their own pages including our famous Ox Roast Fair.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Please use our search feature or contact the Webmaster or Parish Office (330-274-2253).
Meetings and Event Planning
The Parish Community of St. Joseph is a very busy place with dozens of groups using the facilities year round. Please check with the Parish Office to confirm a date whenever you are planning a meeting, event, fundraiser, etc. Don’t assume that a space or date is available before you check the master calendar through the Parish Office staff (330-274-2253 or ktrares@stjosephmantua.com). They should always know what is going on throughout the buildings and on the grounds not only for organizational purposes but also for safety and security concerns. As pastor, Fr. Ed has final approval on everything. He should be contacted in person or by phone, 330-575-9105 (not by text or email please). We also take pride in accurately publicizing the many activities in the bulletin and on the parish website and Facebook pages. We appreciate your assistance in help to keep the parish running smoothly and efficiently by following good rules of communication: clear, concise, complete, correct, and courteous.

First Communion
On Sunday, May 6, our parish’s First Communion celebration was held at the 11:15 a.m. Mass. May this be the beginning of a long and happy life around the Table of the Lord. Congratulations to Evan Eacott, Christopher Fejes, Bailey Jaeger, Daphne Kline Julia Loughney, Joseph Olesh, Hailey Pesarchick, Evan Rhodes, Luca Sindelar, and William Sustar.

Our First Communion class participated
in our May Crowning on Sunday, May 13.

Morning Retreat With Mary
A nice crowd enjoyed a Morning Retreat With Mary - Mary, Woman of Hope on Saturday, December 9. Thank you to Sr. Mary Dion Horrigan, SND, who guided us through Mary’s Annunciation and My Life, Mary: Hope and Advent Light, and Being HOPE in our world.

Live Nativity
A beautiful presentation of the Live Nativity was held December 9 & 10. Thank you to the Women’s Auxiliary of the Mantua Knights of Columbus #3766 for helping us celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We appreciate all of those who played the parts, the carolers, set-up/take-down crew, collection & cocoa workers, costumers, and all those who helped in any way.

"I loved the kids reaction . . . Upon approaching Mason started yelling "I see him, I see him, I see baby Jesus". They were collecting canned goods for the 4C's so I let each kiddo pick 2 items to add to the bag, they were so proud of their full bag!!"

   - Jennifer Hirsch

"What a beautiful Live Nativity this evening. So proud of my nephew Jake, niece Jen and her boyfriend Dylan for being involved! To all the others involved and all of the choir!!! Thanks to all who came out in the cold to catch a glimpse of this awesome event!!! "   - Jeanine Maczko

Blessing of the Backpacks
There was a Blessing of Backpacks at Masses August 26/27. Thank you to Deacon Gerry Scopilliti for facilitating this special ritual for our students.We pray as well for the teachers and administrators in our schools. May they also be sustained by your blessing. May they be reminded that this congregation embraces their call to teaching and learning and surrounds them with love and care as well.

Mass at the Cathedral for St. Joseph Parish
There was a very nice turn out for the August 6 Mass at St. Columba Cathedral in Youngstown for the parishioners of St. Joseph. Msgr. Peter Polando welcomed the group saying it was the biggest group that has come so far to these Masses acknowledging each parish in the diocese (part of the Pastoral Plan for Evangelization for the Diocese of Youngstown goal of including parishes in the life of the Cathedral itself). Those attending: Bill Bash, Bob Zamrzla, Michelle Ward-Clayton, Mike Minor, Barb Colin, Jay & Greg D’Aurelio, Lonn, Dan & Lonna Safko, Marianne Berzinskas, Mary Ann Feddor, Marty Hura, Jerry Land, Amy Powers, George & Kathi Trares, Cindy & Ron Clark, Kay Brezovec, Diane Sanderson, Abe, Jessica, Isaac & Izabel Szoka, Marlene Hornyak & Jackie Pender.

Fr. James-Peter Trares, O.P. Celebrates Mass of Thanksgiving
The Parish Community of St. Joseph was honored to celebrate a beautiful Mass with the newly ordained Fr. James-Peter on Sunday, June 4, 2017, at the 8:30 a.m. liturgy. Our pastor, Fr. Ed Stafford, welcomed our parish son as he concelebrated this Mass of Thanksgiving on the Feast of Pentecost. The chalice used was a gift to Fr. James-Peter from Bernice Heritage on behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council #3766 in memory of her late husband, Austin, a 4th Degree member with the Knights of Columbus (the Mass intention happened to be for him as well).
Many thanks to Fr. Ed, Deacon Gerry Scopilitti, Bill Davies, Director of Music, our Music Ministry, the Worship Committee, the Women's Auxiliary of the Mantua Knights of Columbus Council #3766, and the Parish Staff for their help, guidance, and support. Click here for more photos from the day.

Fr. James-Peter graduated from Crestwood High School in Mantua in 2006, then earned a Bachelor of Music in Liturgical Music and a minor in Theology from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, in 2010. He entered the novitiate for the Province of St. Albert the Great (Central Province) in Denver in 2010 and made his first profession of vows in August, 2011. He received a dual Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO, on May 12. We congratulate Fr. James-Peter who was ordained a Catholic priest on May 20, at St. Pius V Catholic Church in St. Louis, MO.
Fr. James-Peter will be assigned as a campus minister and theology professor at the University of St. Thomas based in the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN. He’ll reside with ten other Dominicans at St. Albert the Great Priory, 2833 32^nd Ave., South, Minneapolis, MN 55406.

"I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you" (Philippians 1:3). These words from St. Paul sum up beautifully what I want to say to you all. Being back home and celebrating Mass at the parish in which I grew up was a great blessing. When people ask what it was like, I say that it just felt right.

I would like to thank all of you for your constant prayers and encouragement. The faith and dedication of the parish community is so vital to all of us fulfilling our vocations, whatever they may be. Thank you especially to Fr. Ed for his warm welcome and hospitality. The parish is blessed to have him. Thank you to my parents for working so hard to prepare for the celebration. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus Women's Auxiliary for putting together such a great brunch at the reception. It was a delight to visit with everyone--parishioners, family, and guests. Thank you also to all who gave cards and gifts. I have read through each of them, and will be remembering each of you in prayer over the coming weeks.

Let's keep in touch and keep praying for each other. I hope to see many of you when I return to Ohio in a few weeks.

God Bless,
Fr. James-Peter

Beautiful Parish Additions
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, a new crucifix was added to our altar space on March 11, 2017. Due to the crumbling condition of our Blessed Mary, a new statue was added as a gift from the Kotkowski family. It was given in memory of Rita Kotkowski because of her devotion to the Rosary.

Both the Crucifix and Blessed Mother statue were obtained from the warehouse of Henninger’s in Cleveland (authorized agent for the disposition of items from closed parishes in the Cleveland, Youngstown, Toledo and Steubenville Dioceses).

The Crucifix came from St. Hedwig Church in Toledo (the original Polish church of the Toledo Diocese) and was a “Mission Crucifix”. Details from the 1975 History of Saint Hedwig Church (parishioners wrote this book in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Parish):

“To the left of the pulpit, on the west wall from the Church is the very large Crucifix known as the ‘Mission Crucifix’. It is an integral part of the parish church décor as it is a reminder of the establishment of the parish as a place designated for the preaching and living of the Gospel of Christ Crucified. A gift of the Redemptorist Order, it contains a written record of the Parish Missions from 1893 to 1927. This legend is found in an arch type window at the foot of the Cross; it reads:

          Pamiątki In Remembrance [of]
          Misyi Sw.   Parish Missions

od 5=12 Lutego 1893    5-12 February 1893 (would’ve been in the old church)
od 15=23 Lutego 1902                             15-23 February 1902 (first Mission in new church)
od 11=26 Lutego 1911                              11-26 February 1911
od 24 Lutego do 11 go Marca 1917    24 February to 11 March 1917
od 18 Listopada do 3 go Grudnia 1922    18 November to 3 December 1922
1-16 Pazdziernika 1927 1-6 October 1927”

The Mission Crucifix is believed to be from the original church which was located down the street from the “new” church. St. Hedwig Church closed September 2012 and merged with St. Adalbert Church now known as the parish of Saints Adalbert & Hedwig. St. Hedwig Church was not used for any purposes since July 1, 2014 and became a maintenance burden. The church lost its consecration (no longer used for sacred or liturgical events) on August 25, 2016. You can go to http://www.stadalbertsthedwig.org/parish_history.aspx and scroll down to bottom for St. Hedwig Building Virtual Tour.

The newly acquired Blessed Mother statue came from St. Stanislaus Church in Maynard, Ohio, (near Wheeling, West Virginia) in the Steubenville Diocese (Founded: 1888; Completed: 1904; New Church: 1963; Closed 1/2/2015). It was one of four parishes in that area that closed in a short time span. St. Mary’s in St. Clairsville, Ohio was responsible for finding homes for items and Henniger’s became owners through them. We thank the Kotkowski family for their generosity for their donation to St. Joseph's.

We appreciate the time and talent of Deacon Gerry Scopilliti, John Kruis, Frank Scopilliti, and Bill Curtin who installed the new item and moved the Risen Christ to its new location above the Narthex doors.

Likewise, our Saint Joseph statue is deteriorating and will be replaced. Rick Cermak, a local artist and member of St. Joe's, is currently carving a new piece that will be placed in the corner where the tabernacle used to be located.

Stewardship In Action!
The Hughes Hall ceiling project is completed thanks to the hard work of our volunteers. It began with a donation of gently used ceiling tiles (Dave O’Donnell’s workplace replaced theirs) and a Saturday, January 7 work day with members of the K of C, Boy Scouts, and other volunteers. Available volunteers continued on weekdays through February 8.

The rails were repainted, additional support was fabricated and installed, and the tiles were cut and installed. A big thank you to all who had a part in beautifying our Hall including: Bill Cleary, Bill Curtin, Bill Custer, Kyle Gregel, John Kruis, Marvin Litz, Mel Romanello, Dan Nuti, Connor Rowe, Jake Rowe, Mike Rowe, George Trares, Jack Wilk, Richard Wilk, and Steve Zwolinski.



Planning for Our Future
Wonder what the activity is in the woods on St. Joseph Church property? We're having some logging done to raise some much needed funds for the parish. With this revenue and through additional donations, our hope is to fix the leaking church roof this spring. Those who wish to contribute toward this effort may do so by donating to our Building & Grounds Maintenance Fund either through the collection or our WeShare Online Giving site. This is the first step in making future improvements to our church interior.

St. Joseph Church, Mantua, OH YouTube Channel
Did you know that St. Joe's now has a YouTube Channel? Our first endeavor is a video of "The Sights & Sounds of Ox Roast Fair 2016". Check it out!

Father Ed's Installation
We like to thank Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, for being at St. Joseph's on Sunday, April 10, 2016 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass to officially install Fr. Ed Stafford as pastor of St. Joseph Church. It was a beautiful celebration and reception. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so special. Click here for more photos.

Parish Happenings

Photo Albums

Find us on Facebook