St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Youngstown was formed on January 1, 2026 with the merging of the Catholic communities of St. Christine, St. Brendan, and Our Lady of Sorrows, all in Youngstown.
Our Lady of Sorrows was itself founded in 2012 as a merger of SS. Cyril and Methodius, St. Matthias, and Holy Name of Jesus. Our Lady of Sorrows’ history began in 1896 when Cleveland’s Bishop Horstmann approved the creation of SS. Cyril and Methodius, a Slovak community. Parishioners attended Mass in Slovak until the church was completed in 1901. Holy Name of Jesus and St. Matthias, both Slovak parishes, were founded in 1914 and 1916, respectively. All three parishes opened schools and were staffed by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, with St. Matthias’ school later being staffed by Vincentian Sisters of Charity of Pittsburgh as well, though all three were closed by 2006. In 2012, the three Slovak communities decided to merge.
To serve the growing Catholic population on Youngstown’s west side, the Diocese of Cleveland established St. Brendan in 1923. The parish immediately began planning for a church and school, with the first Mass held on September 13, 1925. Classes began a week later, taught by the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary. Shortly after its founding, St. James in North Jackson and St. Catherine in Lake Milton were established as missions of St. Brendan. St. Brendan School faithfully served students until its closure in 2005.
The community of St. Christine was founded out of the post-WWII population boom. Many veterans settled on the southwest side of Youngstown after returning home to start and raise families. By 1954, the population had grown so much that the diocese established a parish to serve the young community which celebrated its first Mass on Easter Sunday of that year. Masses were held at Idora Park and Princeton Junior High until Fred Shutrump, a local contractor and business owner, donated seven acres to serve as the location for a dedicated church. Bishop Emmet Walsh gratefully accepted the gift and chose the name of St. Christine’s for the parish in honor of the patron saint of Shutrump’s mother. Construction on the church began in 1954 but would take over ten years to complete, while the parish continued to grow. The school was completed in 1955 with Daughters of Charity sisters teaching, and in 1957 and 1960, the school was expanded to house over 1500 students and is still operating today. After the work on the school was complete, the community finally finished its church building. Bishop Walsh consecrated the worship site on November 1, 1964 with a parish center added in the 1990s and a grotto dedicated to the Blessed Virgin in the 2010s.
As of January 1, 2026, the three communities were merged to form St. Mary Magdalene Parish with Saint Christine Church as the primary worship site.
Description derived from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo, updated in 2026. All rights reserved.
