The rural community of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Summitville began its journey toward becoming a parish in 1839, when a priest from Steubenville purchased a one-acre piece of land with a log cabin to serve Catholics in the area. Six years later, two acres were purchased across the street and construction on a brick church and cemetery began. The cornerstone of the church was placed in 1846, and it was dedicated by Bishop John Purcell of the Diocese of Cincinnati, which was serving the area at the time.
Despite its remote location and the prediction of several Church officials that the parish would become obsolete, the area continued to grow with an influx of young families throughout the early 1900s. In the 1930s, a turkey dinner on the third Sunday in October was established as a community outreach event, open to anyone in the community. Parish volunteers continue to prepare all foods from scratch to this day.
The community of St. John includes a vibrant youth program with ties to the 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Parishioners are also active in the Altar and Rosary Society, St. Rita Society, Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul Society.
The parish cemetery still serves the community today, having recently undergone an expansion funded by the lumber harvested on the land. For more than a decade, parishioners of Saint John have collaborated in various ways with St. George Parish in Lisbon, St. Agatha Mission and St. Philip Neri Parish in Dungannon.
Saint John the Evangelist was a Gospel writer, an Apostle and is considered one of the three Pillars of the Church, helping to establish the Church after the death of Jesus. The parish’s dedication to him is fitting for one of the oldest parishes in the diocese to sow the seeds of the faith in Northeastern Ohio.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
