About Our Lady of Lourdes Parish · East Palestine, Ohio
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish is a Roman Catholic community serving the small Columbiana County town of East Palestine, Ohio, on the Pennsylvania state line. Originally organized in 1880 to minister to the area's Catholic coal-mining families, the parish has been linked with neighboring Saint Jude Parish in Columbiana in shared pastoral leadership since 2009. As of January 1, 2026, it became part of the newly formed Saint Carlo Acutis Parish, a collaborative grouping that also includes Saint Patrick Church in Leetonia. Today the parish continues its century-old ministry under the Diocese of Youngstown, offering weekday Mass, Wednesday Holy Hour, and administering Saint Mary Cemetery.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Youngstown
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes is a welcoming, multi-generational parish with roots stretching back to 1880, where members know one another by name. The church sustains weekday Mass, a Wednesday morning Holy Hour of adoration and confession, and a small but devoted community that has long shared pastoral care with neighboring parishes in Columbiana and Leetonia under a single pastor. The parish also faithfully administers historic Saint Mary Cemetery, continuing a ministry begun in 1881.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (during Holy Hour, Our Lady of Lourdes)
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Saint Jude)
- Saturday: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Saint Jude)
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Our Lady of Lourdes — combined Holy Hour with confession)
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Saint Jude)
- First Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Saint Jude)
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish — East Palestine, Ohio
Our Lady of Lourdes is a small, deeply rooted Roman Catholic parish in East Palestine, Columbiana County, Ohio, organized in 1880 to serve the town’s coal, sewer-tile, and pottery workers. It has been a worship site of the Diocese of Youngstown throughout its history and, since 2009, has shared pastoral leadership with Saint Jude Parish in Columbiana. As of January 1, 2026, it operates as a worship site within the newly formed Saint Carlo Acutis Parish.
- Address: 210 E. Main St., East Palestine, OH 44413
- Phone: 330-426-9346
- Web: http://www.ololstj.org/
- Diocese: Youngstown
- Current Pastor: Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.
History
The parish was organized in July 1880 by the Rev. Clement H. Treiber from a community of about twenty-five families that had previously been served from Leetonia by the Rev. E. W. J. Lindesmith since 1872. A frame church was begun in September 1880 and used for the first time on January 23, 1881; Bishop Gilmour dedicated it to Our Lady of Lourdes on June 10, 1883. In 1899 Father Edward Reagan purchased the present Main Street property, and the current church was built in 1940. Through the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries the parish grew under a succession of resident pastors before entering collaboration with Saint Jude Parish in 2009, and finally joining Saint Carlo Acutis Parish in 2026.
- 1880 — Parish organized under Rev. Clement H. Treiber
- 1881 — First Mass in the frame church (Jan. 23)
- 1883 — Formal dedication by Bishop Gilmour (June 10)
- 1899 — Main Street site purchased by Father Reagan
- 1940 — Present church building erected
- 2009 — Collaborative pastoral ministry with Saint Jude Parish begins
- 2026 — Merged into Saint Carlo Acutis Parish
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Leadership
Our Lady of Lourdes has been led jointly with neighboring parishes since 2009. The current Pastor is Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F., who was appointed by Bishop David J. Bonnar in September 2023 and now serves the three-church Saint Carlo Acutis Parish.
- Pastor — Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.
- Deacons — Christopher Evans, Lawrence Pasko
- Seminarian Intern — Arthur Bodenschatz
- Administrative Assistant — Jennifer Corvino
- Director of Liturgy & Sacred Music — Joshua Pietrowski
- Comptroller of Finances — Richard Altomare, Jr.
- Director of Faith Formation & Safe Environment Compliance Officer — Gloria Stack
- Director of Maintenance & Grounds — Christopher Hammond
Pastoral Succession
The parish has been served by more than a dozen priests across its 145-year history, beginning with mission priests from Leetonia and Salem in the 1870s–1890s and moving to resident pastors from 1898 onward. Two pastors — Rev. Edward Reagan (died 1900) and Rev. John J. Boyle (died 1900) — died in office within months of each other, while the long-succeeding Rev. Francis Senner (1888–1897) left the mission debt-free.
- Rev. C. H. Treiber — 1880 (organizing pastor)
- Rev. Francis Senner — 1888–1897 (left mission flourishing)
- Rev. Joseph J. Clarke — 1898–1899 (first resident pastor)
- Rev. Edward Reagan — 1899–1900 (purchased present site)
- Rev. Thomas Ziegler — 2009–2014 (first joint pastor with Saint Jude)
- Rev. Christopher Cicero — 2014–2020
- Rev. David Misbrenner — 2020–2023
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F. — 2023–present
Parish Life, Formation & Cemetery
Beyond liturgy, the parish sustains faith formation through the CCD program and a Safe Environment program led by Director of Faith Formation Gloria Stack. Bulletins, a parish registration page, and a vocations link keep members connected. Our Lady of Lourdes also continues to administer Saint Mary Cemetery, a two-acre property first acquired by the parish in 1881 and still serving local Catholic families today.
- CCD / Religious Education
- Parish Bulletins
- Parishioner Registration
- Vocations support
- Saint Mary Cemetery administration
- Parish Hall rental (via Saint Jude office)
Saint Carlo Acutis Parish (formed January 1, 2026)
In response to population decline and a shrinking number of active priests in the Diocese of Youngstown, Bishop David J. Bonnar merged Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (East Palestine, est. 1880), Saint Jude Parish (Columbiana, est. 1966), and Saint Patrick Parish (Leetonia, est. 1861) into a single multi-site parish on January 1, 2026, named for the young Italian blessed Carlo Acutis. The union preserves each historic worship site, including Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 210 East Main Street, under the single pastorate of Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.
- Saint Carlo Acutis Parish — Parish Code 301, Columbiana Deanery
- Effective January 1, 2026
- Worship sites: St. Jude (Columbiana), Our Lady of Lourdes (East Palestine), St. Patrick (Leetonia)
- Mailing address: 180 Seventh St, Columbiana, OH 44408-1012
- Primary parish office phone: 330-482-2351
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. E. W. J. Lindesmith1872–1880
Said Mass in private homes from Leetonia on weekdays.
- Rev. Clement H. TreiberJuly 1880 –
Organized the parish; built the first frame church; first Mass said Jan. 23, 1881.
- Rev. W. J. FinucanJune – December 1887
Short pastorate owing to ill health.
- Rev. Francis SennerJanuary 1888 – 1897
Attended at first semi-monthly, then monthly; left the mission flourishing and debt-free.
- Rev. G. C. Schoenemann (of Salem)until June 1898
Attended the mission from Salem.
- Rev. Joseph J. ClarkeJune 1898 – January 1899
First resident pastor of East Palestine.
- Rev. Edward ReaganJanuary 1899 – April 11, 1900
Died in office; purchased the present Main Street site for a future church.
- Rev. D. Shunk, C.PP.S.Winter 1899–1900
Supplied during Father Reagan's illness.
- Rev. John J. BoyleJune 1900 – December 5, 1900
Died in office.
- Rev. Joseph Barthfrom December 1900
Incumbent at the time the parish numbered ~50 families.
- Rev. Daniel Cipar, M.S.C.until 2009
Retired; entry point for collaboration with Saint Jude Parish.
- Rev. Thomas Ziegler2009 – 2014
First pastor to shepherd both Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Jude together.
- Rev. Christopher CiceroFebruary 2014 – 2020
Undertook the 2017–2019 renovation of Saint Jude Church.
- Rev. David Misbrenner2020 – 2023
Succeeded Fr. Cicero as joint pastor.
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.September 2023 – present
Appointed by Bishop David J. Bonnar; in 2024 also named Pastor of Saint Patrick in Leetonia; leads Saint Carlo Acutis Parish (formed Jan. 1, 2026).