In January 1954, the newly-minted Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish celebrated its first Mass as a community in the auditorium of Fitch High School, led by Monsignor Andrew Prokop. The Austintown parish was originally part of St. Brendan Parish in Youngstown—which celebrated its centennial last year—but thanks to the rapid population growth of the Austintown area, it was deemed necessary that a new parish be formed on the west side of Youngstown.
It was fitting that Immaculate Heart of Mary’s first Masses were held in a high school auditorium, as Monsignor Prokop and Bishop Emmet Walsh decided that the first church building in the new parish would be a school—not a church. Monsignor Prokop felt strongly that the best way to build a parish was to start with a foundation in education.
A 10-acre plot of land on Norquest Boulevard had been purchased in December 1953, and the parish was officially established on January 8, 1954—just over a week before the first Mass.
Since the school was the priority, the worship space was to be housed in the school’s auditorium until the church could be built. The parish campus would also house a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame, who would serve as the educators and administrators of the new school.
A fundraiser supporting the building of the school raised nearly $240,000 within eight days, running March 23 to 31.
On April 5, Bishop Walsh—with more than 2,000 people in attendance—broke ground on the building.
The first Mass was held in the partially completed church/school building on December 6, 1954, and by September of the following year, the inaugural class of 740 students—ranging from first to eighth grade—was enrolled at Immaculate Heart of Mary School.
The next major phase in the parish’s life came four years later, in April 1959, when the cornerstone of an independent church building was laid, with the former worship space in the school being converted to additional classrooms. The church took only four months to complete—in September of the same year, Bishop Walsh dedicated the new church on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
At its peak, the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary was the spiritual home to 1,400 families, with 766 students enrolled in the parish school in 1963. By 1973, however, the number of enrolled students had dropped to 320—partly due to the fact that St. Joseph Parish, established in 1966, had built its own school.
Regardless, the parish continued to flourish for the next several decades, with many additions made to the parish’s facilities over the years, including a new rectory. Father William Petrunak, the parish’s third pastor, also completed several additions to improve and further beautify the church, including the purchase of stained-glass windows and a mural, the creation of a permanent parish sign in front of the rectory and the installation of air conditioning for the church.
In 1995, Father Stephen Popovich became the fourth pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, serving for 15 years. Father Popovich, whose influence at the parish is still felt today, oversaw many of his own additions to the church—including a security system, up-to-date technology in the school library and computer labs, and the installation of energy-efficient windows. He also constructed the Monsignor Andrew A. Prokop Parish Center, a complex with facilities for large gatherings, banquets and even athletics. The parish center was completed in 2004, as part of the parish’s celebration of its 50th anniversary.
The community, however, was not immune to the population and economic decline throughout the Youngstown area, so Bishop George Murry decided to merge the St. Joseph and Immaculate Heart of Mary schools, with Father Popovich overseeing the merger. Despite this effort, the merged school closed in 2014.
Monsignor Kenneth Miller served as pastor from 2010 to 2017. He raised significant funds to make essential repairs on all buildings on the campus.
Now, in the year of its 70th anniversary, Bishop Bonnar has decided to merge the parishes of St. Joseph and Immaculate Heart of Mary, to regionalize and relieve some of the pressure from the priest shortage. The parishes are already sharing a pastor—Father Gregory Fedor.
Mary Ellen Chance, parish secretary since 1988, has hope for the future. “God will provide,” she said. “I keep telling myself that ‘if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.’ We just have to have faith that it’s gonna work out.”
Indeed, Immaculate Heart of Mary recently completed a stewardship campaign—an effort to increase parish donations, operated by Cathedral Corporation—which saw the parish’s collections increase by 18.27 percent overall.
“It worked out really well,” Chance said. “People accepted it; they understood that if they want their parish to stay open, that they have to contribute and help us maintain our responsibilities.”
Father Fedor said that the parish communities will work together to choose a new name for the combined parish and address any other issues that arise during the merger. He also said that—while parishioners may be concerned about the merger—they must maintain their faith in God.
“Since we are the People of God, the Holy Spirit will guide us,” he said. “Since neither Immaculate Heart of Mary or St. Joseph will exist as parishes once they are formally merged, the new parish will focus on how to best respect the customs of each place of worship and the family memories associated with the respective buildings.”
