A census of religions among the residents of Springfield Township, Mahoning County, in 1948 determined that there were 90 Catholic families in the area, according to church records. The four census-takers approached then-Bishop James McFadden, Bishop of Youngstown, about establishing a church, but it was decided that these Springfield Township Catholics should worship with those in nearby Poland.
In 1950, another canvas of the two municipalities revealed that there were 300 families living in Poland and Springfield townships. Bishop Emmet Walsh agreed to establish a new church. He created St. Paul the Apostle Parish—encompassing Springfield Township, New Springfield, New Middletown and Petersburg—and named Father G. J. Pawlewicz as pastor.
The first Masses were held on Springfield Local Board of Education property in New Middletown on July 6, 1952, while the parish planned for the building of its church.
Through fundraising efforts, the parish bought three parcels of land on Route 90 (now Route 170), and the groundbreaking took place in April 1953. Masses were held in the church auditorium for a time, with the first Mass in the church proper celebrated on Christmas 1953, at the Midnight Mass. The church was officially dedicated November 21, 1954.
Father Pawlewicz died in January 1965 and was succeeded by Father Francis J. Haidet, who, with Bishop James Malone, planned and oversaw construction of the parish’s Religious Education Center. Father I. Bissler was appointed pastor in August 1967, and he, too, oversaw construction of the CCD Center, which opened in October 1969. By 1971, the parish was about 400 families strong.
In 1987, a group of parish men built the St. Paul Pavilion, and the parish’s tradition of outdoor Masses began in the summer of 1989.
In late 1995, Parish Council approved construction of a new church, and, in the same year, the parish chapter of the Knights of Columbus was established. Groundbreaking for the new church began in April 1997, when Parish Council buried the time capsule that was opened in 2022. The first Mass in the new church took place May 16, 1998, with Bishop Thomas Tobin dedicating the building in October 1998.
Over the next several decades, the parish would build a Memorial to the Born and Unborn, install a new tabernacle and undertake several other improvements to the grounds and church proper.
In March 2017, Bishop George Murry, S.J., dedicated the church hall in honor of former pastor Father Nicholas Shori, who served from 1993 to 2010.
At press time, the parish was still planning activities to mark its 70th anniversary. Please call St. Paul the Apostle Parish at 330-542-3466 or visit their website, stpaulnewmiddletown.org, for more up-to-date information.
