The Dominican Order of Preachers founded Youngstown’s St. Dominic Parish on February 23, 1923, at the invitation of Cleveland Archbishop Joseph Schrembs. The Dominican Order was founded by Saint Dominic de Guzman in the 13th century, devoted to rekindling the waning faith of Europe, and in the centuries since have spread around the world to “praise, to bless and to preach.” The first Mass at Youngstown’s St. Dominic Parish was offered in a storeroom on Market Street.Because of the growing community, the parish erected a building which combined a church, auditorium and school in 1924. By the late 1920s, more expansion was needed, with a new wing added to the school and a separate auditorium in 1929. In the late 1930s, Dominican Sisters arrived to teach at the parish school until 1979. A new priory for the order was completed in October 1952, and plans for a new church were developed.
The current building, a limestone-and-brick Romanesque structure, was dedicated on April 28, 1957, complete with a life-size statue of Saint Dominic positioned over the entrance, welcoming parishioners into the church. A new school building with 14 classrooms, library, gymnasium and cafeteria was also completed and dedicated the following year. The school received another expansion in 1963, and in the late 1960s, the old church/auditorium building was converted into a social hall. The school was closed in 1999.
The parish, thanks to the presence of the friars, has always had a community- oriented approach to its ministry. In 1970, for example, the parish community was separated into smaller “mission” neighborhoods, with each group hosting Masses in their homes and planning other communal activities. In 2009, the parish worked with local law enforcement, city officials and neighborhood volunteers to form “Operation Redemption” in response to two shootings targeting parishioners.Operation Redemption was a collaborative effort initiated to resolve the crime plaguing the area around the parish, and, in an effort to revitalize the neighborhood, the parish sold the closed school to be reopened as a charter school in 2010. The sale enabled the parish to open a new hall in 2013 without having to take on debt.
St. Dominic maintains many community- focused ministries, including a Lay Dominican program, a Catholic Men’s Fellowship and the Parish and Family Life ministry, which helps the parish organize community building events. The parish also supports a vibrant Hispanic Ministry program, including weekly Spanish Masses.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
