Jefferson’s St. Joseph Calasanctius Parish has one of the oldest histories of any parish in the Diocese of Youngstown, dating back to 1858. The community began as a mission to many pioneering families that had moved to Jefferson from the northeast. The first Masses in Jefferson were celebrated on the Stoekel family’s apple orchard, with a chest being used as a makeshift altar.
The first church building was built between 1868 and 1870, but was burned down under suspicious circumstances after only 5 Masses. The community began raising funds for a new church, and construction began in 1876.
In August of that year, the church was dedicated to St. Joseph Calasanctius. The community received a full-time pastor in 1880, but became a mission again after a short term. It was again raised to the level of a parish in 1884 with the appointment of a new pastor. For the next several decades, the community expanded until it became clear that a new church was needed to accommodate the larger congregation.
Construction began on the new Spanish-Romanesque building on July 6, 1924, and was completed nine months later on April 2, 1925, with parishioners providing much of the interior furnishing themselves. The parish was given to the care of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate when Jefferson joined the new Diocese of Youngstown in 1943. St. Joseph Calasanctius supported mission churches at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Andover, St. Patrick Parish in Kinsman and Sacred Heart Parish in Rock Creek. The Oblates served the community of St. Joseph Calasanctius until 1980, when it was again staffed by diocesan priests. Several renovations and improvements were made to the parish throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2002, the parish began sharing a pastor with St. Andrew Bobola Parish in Sheffield.
Saint Joseph Calasanctius was a Spanish Catholic priest who was known for his work with poor children, specifically by founding free schools for them to attend, as well as the Piarists Order, which was founded in 1617 and is the oldest religious order dedicated to education.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
