Regina Coeli parish officially formed in 1958 when Bishop Emmet Walsh dedicated a new church to serve the 500 Catholic families who were living in the west side of Alliance. The population of Alliance had seen substantial growth, and St. Joseph Parish and school were becoming overcrowded. The diocese purchased 52 acres, with 36 acres being dedicated to the construction of a new church and school buildings; the remainder would be used for residential lots. Construction of the school was prioritized, and the first classes for grades one through five were held in 1957, taught by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Akron.
The parish saw a huge amount of growth from the moment of its conception and well into the 1960s, with the construction of a church hall and additions to the school completed in 1960 and 1965, respectively. In 1973, Regina Coeli’s school absorbed St. Joseph’s school when the latter was closed due to declining enrollment. At around the same time, the church received remodels and was rededicated by Bishop James Malone on April 13, 1975.
The parish built a shrine to honor the Blessed Virgin in 1981, which incorporated a steel black tower that had originally adorned the top of the church. For the next two decades, the parish community continued to grow, particularly the school, with enrollment growing from 189 to 259 in the late 90s and early 2000s— three new classrooms were added to accommodate the students. The community also constructed the Holy Family Catholic Center, which housed a gym, cafeteria and room for parish gatherings and fundraisers.
The parish maintains numerous prayer and outreach ministries, including a Catholic Women’s Club, the Infant of Prague Guild and a Lay Leaders of Prayer program, among several others. The patronage of Regina Coeli, which means “Queen of Heaven” in Latin, represents a devotion to the Blessed Virgin, as well as to the traditional Catholic teaching (formally established by Pope Pius XII in 1954, but commonly held for centuries) that the Blessed Mother, upon her Assumption to Heaven, was crowned “Queen of Heaven and Earth.”
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
