The earliest-established community that is part of the modern-day Our Lady of Sorrows Parish is SS. Cyril and Methodius, which was formally established in 1896, when Bishop Hortsmann of Cleveland granted permission for the creation of the Slovak parish. It was three years, however, before a priest who knew the Slovak language became available as resident pastor. The parishioners attended Mass in Slovak in the basement of St. Columba Cathedral until their church was completed in 1901.
The other Slovak communities included in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish are Holy Name of Jesus and St. Matthias. St. Matthias was founded in 1914, serving Slovaks on the southeast side of Youngstown (called Lansingville), and Holy Name became a parish in 1916, serving Slovak Catholics immigrants in the area known as “Steelton,” a West Side district close to the steel mills.
All three communities had schools: SS. Cyril and Methodius School opened in 1906 and was staffed by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown; St. Matthias School was founded in 1916 and was first staffed by the Ursuline Sisters and later staffed by the Vincentian Sisters of Charity of Pittsburgh; Holy Name of Jesus School was founded in 1922 and was staffed by the Ursuline Sisters. They closed in 1985, 1991 and 2006, respectively.In the 1990s, SS. Cyril and Methodius collaborated with the St. Stephen of Hungary community, but it was decided that the three Slovak communities would merge instead on May 31, 2012.
The new parish took the name Our Mother of Sorrows, as she is the patroness of Slovakia—a choice that also reflects the parish’s devotion to Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ and His foremost disciple. Today, Our Mother of Sorrows Parish collaborates with St. Brendan and St. Christine parishes in Youngstown. It has a strong tradition of serving the poor through its St. Vincent de Paul Society and its consistent support of the Dorothy Day House in downtown Youngstown. The parish also has a strong Catholic education program for youths and adults, inspiring the vocations of 26 priests and 55 sisters throughout its existence. In addition to many other events and fundraisers throughout the year, the parish’s Our Lady of Sorrows’ Slovak Fest draws thousands of visitors over the course of a weekend each August.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
