Around the year 1850, Catholics of Franklin Mills, later renamed Kent, began gathering for Mass in a home on South Water Street—the nearest Catholic parish, St. Mary in Hudson, was an eight-and-a-half-mile horse ride away. As the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad became established through the efforts of its executive and eventual president, Marvin Kent, the village of Franklin Mills grew and was renamed, “Kent.”
Among the growing population were Catholics drawn to the railroad maintenance shop and construction jobs. So, in 1862, a visiting priest began offering weekly Mass in the town hall building.
The pastor of St. Mary was appointed as mission pastor in 1864 and began plans for a church building. Construction began in 1867 and the brick and stone church was completed in 1868. Around 1881, property was acquired for a school and the parish built their first school, which was later expanded. Over the next three and-a- half decades, various priests served St. Patrick. In 1924, the parish built a brick school of eight classrooms to replace the earlier wood-frame school.
St. Patrick continued to grow. Then, in 1950, the parish, facing an overcrowded church, set out to build a new church on North DePeyster Street. Construction began in 1952 and was completed in 1953. The school was later expanded. Over the subsequent decades various pastors strived to reduce the parish debt, enhance parish facilities, address peace and social justice issues, and to help ease and heal divisions within the parish associated with the 1970 Kent State shooting and the Vietnam War. St. Patrick supported many Catholic and community organizations and continues to do so today. It also initiated a collaborative youth ministry program with the University Parish Newman Center at Kent State and the neighboring Immaculate Conception Parish in Ravenna.
In 2024, the two Kent parishes and Immaculate Conception in Ravenna were brought together as a collaborative pastoral unit and they have since come to share a pastor, to better foster collaboration. St. Patrick School serves students in grades K-8 today, and the parish also has religious education, adult formation and Bible study. It possesses a set of stained glass windows, depicting the life of its patron—Saint Patrick of Ireland—from which parishioners can be inspired by his great contributions to the Church.
Description from The March of the Eucharist, 2nd edition (2025) published by The Catholic Echo
