St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Canton was formed during the economic and population boom of post-World War II America. The Catholic population in the north and west sides of Canton led to the formation of the parish in 1952 to serve parishioners who had been traveling to parishes across town.
The first Mass for the 225 families of the new parish was held on July 6, 1952, in the Avondale School auditorium. Extensive facilities were planned from the beginning, with a capital campaign initiated to fund a temporary church, school, social hall and convent. The initial goal of $100,000 was surpassed by nearly thirty thousand. The school was completed on November 15, 1953, with 153 enrolled students taught by Sisters of Notre Dame. In 1955, three new classrooms and a new social hall were added, and it was decided that a new permanent place of worship was needed, as the parish enrollment was approaching 600 families. The new church was completed by September of 1958. In the early 1960s, the school received an additional ten classrooms and a cafeteria, with lay teachers joining the Notre Dame Sisters to help educate the 600 pupils. In the 1970s, the parish was renovated to implement the Vatican II directives, with a new altar and baptistry, a remodeled sanctuary, an expanded choir loft and a new belltower.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, the parish began to expand its ministry with programs that persist today, including several retreats such as a marriage-renewal program and the “Christ Renews His Parish” program and a volunteer ministry for Habitat for Humanity, among others. St. Michael’s only continued to grow—by the late ‘90s, it was clear that an even larger building was needed to house the congregation of nearly nine thousand parishioners. On November 18, 2000, Bishop Thomas Tobin dedicated the new church, which included vaulted ceilings, a baptismal font for children and adults, and the renovation of the school gym. As of the parish’s 60th anniversary in 2012, there were approximately 2300 families enrolled at St. Michael Parish, and the school is now part of the Stark County Catholic Schools system. The community takes inspiration from Saint Michael’s role as a spiritual warrior and champion for justice, with many parishioners offering donations and volunteer hours for social justice and evangelization work.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
