St. Mary Parish in Mineral Ridge can trace its beginnings to the early 19th century, after the discovery of coal in the area attracted coal miners from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England. The earliest Masses were celebrated in the home of James Butler, beginning in 1858, celebrated by the pastor of St. Columba in Youngstown. It was the Irish population of the community who were the first to desire a parish of their own, and land was purchased in the 1870s to be the site of a church. The first Mass for the new parish was celebrated on Christmas Day, 1870, at St. Ann Parish in Brier Hill.

The original church building was completed in 1881, but the community remained as a mission for several decades, with priests from Youngstown, Salem, Girard and Niles working together to offer Mass every other Sunday. The church was remodeled in 1899 and again in 1924 when a basement was added to function as a social hall, by which time the parish had grown to 50 families.

After petitioning Bishop James McFadden in 1947, the parish received their first resident pastor on July 4. In the mid-1960s, the community began a building fund and purchased land for a new church, as the parish had seen stable growth in the previous two decades. The project languished but was revisited in 1996 to commemorate the parish’s 50th anniversary, adding new wings to the north and south sides of the church and enlarging the sanctuary. The project was completed and the church rededicated on November 21, 2000.

In 2011, St. Mary began sharing a pastor with St. Stephen Parish in Niles. The parish maintains a strong CCD program and several other ministries, including a Women’s Guild and Men’s Club. The early immigrants from Ireland and the United Kingdom who founded the parish chose the Blessed Mother as their patron, reflecting their understanding of coming closer to Jesus, through Mary.

Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo