About Holy Angels · Chagrin Falls, Ohio
The Church of the Holy Angels is a Roman Catholic parish in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, part of the Diocese of Cleveland. It was founded in 1977 as a mission outreach of St. Rita Parish in Solon and grew rapidly from 61 founding families to more than 2,475 registered families today (approximately 9,000 parishioners). The parish celebrates Mass in English seven days a week, offers Saturday confessions, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, and a family-centered faith formation program called 'Family First' for children in grades K–8, alongside the HAYgroup high school youth ministry. Current pastor is Fr. G. Max Cole, the parish's fourth pastor, installed in September 2022.
- Established
- 1977
- Patron
- Holy Angels (Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael)
- Rector
- Fr. G. Max Cole
- Diocese
- Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
Holy Angels is a large, vibrant eastern-suburban parish of the Diocese of Cleveland that draws roughly 9,000 parishioners from across Bainbridge, Chagrin Falls, and surrounding communities. It offers daily and Sunday Masses in English, weekly Saturday confessions, weekly Eucharistic Adoration (Monday evenings and Friday Lenten hours), a family-centered Faith Formation program (Family First K–8 and the HAYgroup 9–12 youth ministry), the OCIA process for adults entering the Church, three age-segmented adult ministries (Growing Wings for young adults, Higher Grounds for working-age adults, and The Next Chapter for the 50+ community), and youth retreats at Camp Burton. As a clustered parish with neighboring St. Joan of Arc in Chagrin Falls, it is actively engaged in strengthening Catholic presence and outreach in the eastern Cleveland suburbs.
Mass times at Holy Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Adoration times
- Monday 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM — Evening Eucharistic Adoration weekly on Mondays
- Monday 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM — Weekly on Mondays in the Summer
- Friday 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM — Lenten Eucharistic Adoration weekly on Fridays during Lent
Parish History
Holy Angels was formally established by Bishop James A. Hickey on December 3, 1977 as a mission outreach of St. Rita Parish in Solon, with Fr. John McNally celebrating the first Mass the next day at Bainbridge Town Hall for 61 families. Over the following four decades the community grew steadily: religious education classes began in 1985, a multi-purpose worship building opened at 18046 Chillicothe Road in December 1986, and the parish was canonically erected as the 238th parish of the Diocese of Cleveland on September 29, 1995. Continued growth led to acquisition of 60 acres for the current church, groundbreaking in June 1998, and Solemn Dedication on the Feast of the Holy Angels, September 29, 1999.
- 1977 — Established as a mission of St. Rita Parish, Solon
- 1986 — Ground broken July 27; first Mass in new building December 21
- 1987 — Solemn blessing by Auxiliary Bishop A. Edward Pevec, March 15
- 1995 — Canonically erected as 238th parish of the Diocese of Cleveland on September 29
- 1999 — Solemn Dedication of present church on September 29 by Abbot Roger Gries, OSB
- 2007 — Clustered with St. Joan of Arc, Chagrin Falls
- 2022 — Fr. Max Cole installed as fourth pastor on September 29 by Bishop Edward Malesic
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by its fourth pastor, Fr. G. Max Cole, with Fr. George M. Smiga serving as Weekend Assistant/Retired (formerly Senior Parochial Vicar) and Dc. Greg Leisure assisting as Deacon. A dedicated lay staff supports family faith formation, liturgy, communications, business operations, and parish maintenance.
- Fr. G. Max Cole — Pastor
- Fr. George M. Smiga — Weekend Assistant / Retired
- Dc. Greg Leisure — Deacon
- Melissa DiFini — Pastoral Associate
- Julie Karpowicz — Family First Coordinator
- Allyson Vickers — K-12 Family First Assistant
- Cathy Lamanna — Administrative Assistant
- Don Maar — Business Manager
- Pam McKnight — Liturgy Coordinator
- Jennifer Hudson — Communications
- Jeff Taylor — Office Support / Virtus
- Karen Kowalewski — Maintenance Support
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Holy Angels has reorganized its catechetical programs around the family. 'Family First' is the umbrella for K–8 faith formation, offering both in-person classroom sessions and a home-school track, while the HAYgroup (Holy Angels Youth) carries teens from 9th through 12th grade. Sacramental preparation for Confirmation is offered for 9th and 10th graders in the Worship Space.
- Family First K-8 — classroom Monday or Tuesday 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM, or PSR Plus with Children's Choir 6:00–6:30 PM
- Family First Home School K-7 — 'Alive in Christ' textbooks and syllabus
- HAYgroup 9th-12th — Sundays after 11:00 AM Mass, 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM, twice per month
- Confirmation Preparation — 9th and 10th grades meet in the Worship Space
OCIA — Becoming Catholic
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) welcomes anyone curious about the Catholic faith: the unbaptized, Christians baptized in another tradition, and Catholics baptized but not yet fully initiated through Eucharist and Confirmation. The parish invites inquirers to contact Fr. Max Cole in the Parish Office at 440-708-0000.
- Open to the unbaptized, baptized Christians from other traditions, and Catholics seeking Eucharist and Confirmation
- OCIA Team welcomes volunteer facilitators, dismissal leaders, witnesses, and hospitality members
Youth & Young Adult Ministries
Beyond weekly gatherings, the parish runs seasonal retreats at Camp Burton in Burton, Ohio. Teens in 8th–12th grade share stories, witness talks, and the sacraments on weekend retreats such as the Spring Retreat (Feb 26–28, 2027) and Fall Retreat (Nov 6–8, 2026). The retreat cost is $100.
- HAYgroup 9–12 — twice-monthly Sunday sessions after the 11:00 AM Mass
- Youth Group Retreats at Camp Burton, 14282 Butternut Rd., Burton, OH 44021
- Flocknotes parent and teen communication distribution lists
Adult Ministries
Holy Angels segments its adult community into three age-based ministries, each designed to nurture faith, fellowship, and formation appropriate to its life stage.
- Growing Wings — young adults aged 18–29
- Higher Grounds — working-age adults aged 30–49
- The Next Chapter — adults aged 50 and over
Sacraments
Information about the seven sacraments and their preparation at Holy Angels is coordinated through the Parish Office.
- Baptism — preparation required; contact the Parish Office
- First Eucharist — preparation through Family First K-8
- Confirmation — for 9th–10th grade students
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
- Marriage — contact the Parish Office to begin preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment through the Parish Office
Cluster Partnership with St. Joan of Arc
Since 2007, with the approval of Bishop Richard Lennon, Holy Angels has been clustered with St. Joan of Arc Parish in Chagrin Falls under the Diocese of Cleveland's Vibrant Parish Life initiative. In Spring 2009, joint visions and goals were approved by Bishop Lennon, and the two parishes continue collaborating to strengthen Catholic presence and vibrancy in the eastern suburbs.
- Clustered parishes since 2007
- Joint vision and goals approved Spring 2009
- Part of the Diocese of Cleveland's Vibrant Parish Life initiative since 2002
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John McNally1977–1982
Pastor of St. Rita Church who celebrated the first Mass for the Holy Angels Mission on December 4, 1977 at Bainbridge Town Hall for 61 families.
- Fr. Robert Wendelken1982–1987
Appointed pastor of St. Rita and its Holy Angels Mission in 1982; celebrated first Mass in the new multi-purpose building on December 21, 1986.
- Fr. Joseph Labbe1988–2002
Part-time administrator from February 1988 (while Dean of Men at Borromeo College); full-time administrator June 1, 1991; first pastor when Holy Angels became the 238th parish of the Diocese of Cleveland on September 29, 1995.
- Fr. Daniel Schlegel2002–~2018
Appointed parish administrator by Bishop Anthony M. Pilla on November 25, 2002; installed as Pastor on November 25, 2010.
- Fr. G. Max Cole2018–present
Served as parish administrator for 3 years, 10 months, and 21 days; installed as fourth pastor by Bishop Edward Malesic on September 29, 2022.