About Holy Cross · Glouster, Ohio
Holy Cross Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Glouster, Ohio, in the Appalachian hill country of Athens County. Founded in 1892, the parish belongs to the Diocese of Steubenville and is now part of the clustered Athens Catholic Community, which is administered from Athens under the leadership of its pastor. The parish serves the faithful of northern Athens County with a Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. at its church on Republic Avenue, and is closely linked with the former St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Buchtel.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- Holy Cross
- Rector
- Currently administered by the priests of the Athens Catholic Community (under Fr. Mark Moore)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
Holy Cross offers the warmth of a small rural parish community rooted in the Appalachian hill country of Athens County. As part of the larger Athens Catholic Community, its members benefit from shared Sunday Mass celebrated at 10:00 a.m. in English, abundant faith formation and youth offerings at the Holy Family Center on Stewart Street in Athens, and a robust schedule of devotional, sacramental, and outreach ministries. It is a welcoming place for Catholics who value a family-like atmosphere, devotional life, and ongoing connection to the Ohio University area's Catholic campus ministry.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available before or after the Sunday Mass — please check the bulletin/website of the Athens Catholic Community
Adoration times
- All adoration is held at the sister parishes in the Athens Catholic Community (Christ the King, Athens: Thursdays 1:00–9:00 p.m. during the academic year; Fridays 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.; Sacred Heart, Pomeroy: Wednesdays 9:00–10:00 a.m.)
Parish Background & Identity
Holy Cross is the Catholic parish serving Glouster and northern Athens County in Appalachian southeastern Ohio. It was founded in 1892 as part of the Diocese of Steubenville, and it continues today as part of the Athens Catholic Community, a clustered group of parishes of Athens and Meigs Counties. The parish belongs to the Deanery of Nativity of Mary and shares joint ministry with the former St. Mary of the Hills Parish in nearby Buchtel. Members are encouraged to register online and to participate in community life across the four parish sites.
- Patron: Holy Cross (Feast: September 14)
- Deanery: Nativity of Mary (Diocese of Steubenville)
- Founded: 1892
History of Holy Cross
The parish was established in 1892 to serve the coal-mining communities around Glouster in northern Athens County. By 1914 it had its first documented resident pastor, Rev. James M. Ryan, who went on to lead Sacred Heart in Columbus. For much of the 20th century the parish was staffed as a mission by priests from Sacred Heart, Pomeroy, and later St. Mary of the Hills in Buchtel. Following the 1990 creation of St. Mary of the Hills (merging St. Andrew of Nelsonville with St. Patrick of Buchtel), Holy Cross and St. Mary of the Hills were linked, sharing a single pastor and joint ministry schedules. In July 2019 both rural parishes were added to the Athens Catholic Community under Fr. Mark Moore, centralizing faith formation and office operations in Athens.
- 1892 – Parish established
- 1914 – First documented resident pastor (Rev. James M. Ryan)
- 1990 – Neighboring parishes formed St. Mary of the Hills in Buchtel
- July 2019 – Holy Cross and St. Mary of the Hills added to the Athens Catholic Community
- June 30, 2022 – St. Mary of the Hills closed; Holy Cross continues as the Sunday worship site
Sacramental Life
The parish offers Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage preparation, and Anointing of the Sick. Faith formation (CCD/PSR), RCIA, and youth ministry classes are organized at the Holy Family Center on Stewart Street in Athens. Reconciliation is offered at Christ the King on Saturdays (10:00–11:00 a.m. and 4:00–4:45 p.m.) and at Sacred Heart on Sundays (8:30–9:00 a.m.) and Saturdays (3:30–4:00 p.m.). Eucharistic Adoration is offered Thursdays during the academic year at Christ the King and Wednesdays at Sacred Heart.
- Reconciliation: Saturdays at Christ the King, Sundays at Sacred Heart
- Adoration: Thursdays at Christ the King (academic year), Wednesdays at Sacred Heart
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick available on request
Ministries & Faith Formation
The SMH/HC Ministry Schedules, published at athenscatholic.org/ministry-schedules, coordinate the involvement of parishioners at Holy Cross and the former St. Mary of the Hills. Lector, Eucharistic Minister, altar server, usher, music, and hospitality roles rotate on a published schedule. The parish also shares in the Athens Catholic Community Prayer Line — an email listserv through which prayer intentions are submitted and distributed for faithful intercession. Family faith formation, youth ministry, and Bible studies are coordinated through the Holy Family Center in Athens.
- Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and altar servers
- Hospitality/refreshment after Mass
- Athens Catholic Community Prayer Line
- Joint Ministry Schedules (SMH/HC) with St. Mary of the Hills
Getting Involved
Parishioners can join the community by filling out the online Parish Registration form on the Athens Catholic Community website, choosing Holy Cross in Glouster as their parish. They can also join Flocknote (text FOMO to 845-76) to receive community communications. Pastoral needs, prayer intentions, and other parish requests are submitted through the office, where Fr. Mark Moore directs staffing and liturgy.
- Register via athenscatholic.org/parish-registration
- Text 'FOMO' to 845-76 to join Flocknote
- Submit prayer intentions through the prayer line
Diocese & Athens Catholic Community
Holy Cross is a parish in the Diocese of Steubenville, served by the Athens Catholic Community, an umbrella organization that combines five parish sites: Christ the King University Parish in Athens (founded 1965 as a parish for Catholic students at Ohio University), St. Paul Church in Athens, Sacred Heart in Pomeroy, Holy Cross in Glouster, and (until 2022) St. Mary of the Hills in Buchtel. The community's offices are located at 75 Stewart Street, Athens, and the Holy Family Center (re-opened March 20, 2015) houses the parish offices and meeting rooms for community ministry.
- Diocese of Steubenville — diosteub.org
- Athens Catholic Community office: 75 Stewart Street, Athens
- Holy Family Center (offices & community space): 75 Stewart Street, Athens
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James M. RyanJune 1914 – 1919
First pastor of Holy Cross listed in surviving diocesan records; left to serve as a WWI chaplain with the 133rd Machine Gun Battalion; later became administrator of Sacred Heart, Columbus.