The Catholic community in Northeast Columbiana County began to form in 1856 when coal miners moved to the area that would become Leetonia. For the first 6 years, the coal miners and their families attended services in the nearby village of Franklin Square, with masses first celebrated by the pastors of Summitville’s St. John the Evangelist Parish, before being attended by Rev. Frederick C. Ludwig from Louisville in 1862. The first mass held in Leetonia was celebrated by Rev. Francis Moitrier in 1864.
The mission in Leetonia was formally established as a parish in 1872 and its first resident pastor was Rev. Eli Washington John Lindesmith. The original church building, dedicated to St. Barbara, was completed in the first year of his pastorate. Due to population growth, a larger church building was constructed and dedicated in 1881 to St. Patrick. Until 1924, the community used the original church as a school before it was demolished to make way for a modern school building and convent to house the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown. St Patrick School was eventually closed in 1970.
Until 1872, East Palestine’s Catholic community had to travel nearly five miles and cross the state border into Pennsylvania to attend Mass. When Cleveland’s Bishop Richard Gilmore heard of their situation, he arranged for a priest to visit the town and offer Mass in the homes of the faithful. And with that, the community of Our Lady of Lourdes was born.
The newly established mission constructed a church on West Clark Street and celebrated the first Mass there in 1881. In 1886, the parish founded St. Mary Cemetery, which it still maintains today. In 1951 they opened Our Lady of Lourdes School, staffed by the Ursuline sisters of Youngstown before its closure in the early 1970s. The school was renovated to become a community and parish center.
The community of Saint Jude in Columbiana was founded as a mission of St. Patrick Parish in 1958 under the direction of then-pastor Rev. William Maund. In early 1960, Bishop Emmet M. Walsh approved the purchase of nearly ten acres of land for the construction of a new church at the end of Seventh Street.
Dixon Elementary served as the parish’s worship site until May 2, 1970 when the first Mass in the parish’s new church building was celebrated. The church was formally dedicated by Bishop Malone on August 9 that same year. The parish continued to grow and in 1980 completed construction on the St. Jude Activity Center and later opened a parish preschool which is still in operation.
The early 2000s saw increased collaboration between Catholic communities in Columbiana County. This reconfiguration culminated in the creation of St. Carlo Acutis Parish in 2026 to bring together the Northeast Columbiana County faith community. The primary worship site and offices are located at Saint Jude Church in Columbiana.
Description derived from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo, updated in 2026. All rights reserved.
