Reverend William Bantz Funeral Mass

With sorrow, the Most Reverend David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown, has announced the death of Reverend William Bantz. Father Bantz died on Sunday, February 20, 2022.  He was 89 years old.  Father Bantz is survived by two sisters, Kathleen (Jack) Helmick, Christine Bantz and numerous nieces and nephews.

Father Bantz’s Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Canton with viewing in the Basilica from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

Father Bantz, a native of Massillon, attended St. Mary School and Canton Central Catholic High School.  He studied for the priesthood at St. Gregory Seminary and Mount St. Mary of the West Seminary, in Cincinnati.

He was ordained on May 28, 1960 at the Cathedral of Saint Columba by the Most Reverend Emmet Walsh.

Following ordination, Father Bantz served as associate pastor of St. Rose Parish in Girard (1960-1961), St. Louis Parish in Louisville (1961-1965), and St. Patrick Parish in Kent (1965-1968).  In 1968 he began training for the inner-city apostolate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, with a full time internship from Clergymen in Urban Ministry.  From 1969-1972, he was an associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish in Youngstown and was appointed Diocesan Consultant for Urban Ministry.  His first pastorate was St. Mary Parish in Conneaut (1972-1973).  Following a brief sick-leave he returned to ministry as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Canton.  He was appointed pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Garrettsville in 1979 where he served until his 1990 appointment as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Maximo.  Father Bantz retired in 2002.

Father Bantz taught part-time at Ursuline High School and Central Catholic High School.  He served as the coordinator for Project Equality, the Head Start Advisory Committee, the Gregorian moderator, diocesan delegate to the Catholic Conference of Ohio’s Project Evaluation committee, a board member of the Kent Welfare and Visiting Nurse Association, diocesan delegate the Ohio Council of Churches Ecumenical Commission on Church and Government, Director of Chaplains for the Third Order of St. Francis in Kent, and was a member of the Council of Priests.