St. Christine was born out of the post-World War II economic and population boom. Upon returning home from the war, many veterans settled on the southwest side of Youngstown to raise their families. The population grew so quickly that in 1954, the diocese established a parish in the area. The first Mass was Easter Sunday of that year, with over 300 people in attendance at Mill Creek Park’s Pioneer Pavilion. Later Masses were held at Idora Park and at Princeton Junior High School. Six weeks after the first Mass, the fledgling congregation initiated a capital campaign to fund a permanent church.
Fred Shutrump, a local contractor and business owner, donated a seven-acre plot for the location of the church building. Bishop Emmet Walsh gratefully accepted the gift and chose the name of Saint Christine—a virgin martyr of the third century—in honor of the patron saint of Shutrump’s mother. The capital campaign quickly garnered over $100,000 worth of pledges from the parishioners, and on March 28, 1954 ground was broken for the church building, a social hall and ten school classrooms. In the interim, Mass was held in Gutman hall.
The church would take over ten years to complete, but the parish saw a rapid growth in the years between. The school was completed first in 1955, with four Daughters of Charity Sisters teaching the students. A second building drive was needed to build four new classrooms after the school’s enrollment had doubled by 1957. An additional eight rooms were built in 1960, with enrollment reaching 1,500 students. The Daughters of Charity would teach at St. Christine’s until 1988. Finally, after the school had been sufficiently expanded, the community could focus on the worship site. St. Christine’s church was consecrated on November 1, 1964 by Bishop Walsh. It received updates over the years, with a new organ installed in 1976 and the construction of a parish center connecting the church and rectory in the 1990s. More enhancements came in the 2010s, including the building of a grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the rebuilding of the church bell tower.
Today, the parish maintains a robust youth ministry program that works hand-in-hand with the parish school, as well as an active Saint Vincent de Paul conference. The community donates meals and financial support to the Dorothy Day House.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
