About Prince of Peace · Barberton, Ohio
Prince of Peace Parish is a Roman Catholic community serving the Barberton–Norton area of Summit County, Ohio, in the Diocese of Cleveland. The parish was established in 2002 through the merger of two historic Barberton parishes — St. Mary (Polish) and Sacred Heart of Jesus (Slovene) — and worships at 1263 Shannon Avenue on the Norton–Barberton border. Today the parish shares a pastor with neighboring St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Norton and offers weekend and daily Mass, faith formation for youth, music ministry, a St. Vincent de Paul Society conference, and outreach to local neighbors in need.
- Established
- 2002
- Rector
- Rev. Louis H. Thomas
- Diocese
- Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
Prince of Peace is a welcoming Catholic community rooted in the merged heritage of Polish and Slovene Catholic families of Barberton, now drawing worshippers from across the Norton–Barberton area. Parishioners can join daily and weekend Mass, bring children to the faith-formation program, sing in the music ministry, or serve neighbors in need through the on-site St. Vincent de Paul Society conference (which provides utility-payment assistance and other aid). Sharing a pastor and joint activities with neighboring St. Andrew Parish also makes it easy for newcomers to plug into multiple communities at once.
Mass times at Prince of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM (some sources list 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM)
Our Story: From Two Ethnic Parishes to Prince of Peace
Prince of Peace was created on July 1, 2002, by the Diocese of Cleveland through the merger of St. Mary Parish (a Polish-heritage community founded in 1912) and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (a Slovene-heritage community). It was the first diocesan merger in which the resulting parish took an entirely new name rather than retaining one of the predecessors'. The merged community worships at the former Sacred Heart property on Shannon Avenue, on the Norton side of the Norton–Barberton line, and shortly after the merger completed a physical expansion of the church. The parish is listed in the diocese's parish directory under Summit County – South.
- St. Mary (Polish) founded 1912
- Sacred Heart of Jesus (Slovene) merged with St. Mary, July 1, 2002
- Renamed Prince of Peace at the time of merger
- Listed as established 2002 in the Diocese of Cleveland directory
- Early church expansion completed shortly after the merger
Pastoral Leadership
The parish's first pastor was the Rev. Richard A. Arko, who had administered St. Mary from 1994 and Sacred Heart from 2001 before becoming pastor of Prince of Peace in March 2003. He was succeeded by Father Bob Jackson (present at the 2019 bishop's visit), and the parish is currently led by the Rev. Louis H. Thomas. As part of a Cleveland-diocese clustering, Fr. Thomas also serves as pastor of neighboring St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Norton, and the two parishes share an online home at nortonohcatholic.org.
- Rev. Richard A. Arko — first pastor (2002/03–2004)
- Father Bob Jackson — subsequent pastor
- Rev. Louis H. Thomas — current pastor (also pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle, Norton)
- Deacon Robert A. Youngblood — currently assigned deacon
Parish Staff
In addition to the pastor and deacon, the parish maintains a small lay staff supporting liturgy, faith formation, and parish operations. Staff listings surfaced through the parish's directory listings identify the following roles:
- Lisa Covington — Pastoral Minister
- Jenny Roth — Office Manager
- Elizabeth Ockunzzi — Youth Minister
- Veronic Oravec — Music Ministry
- Deacon Bob — assigned deacon
Mass & Sacramental Schedule
Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday evening at 4:00 PM and on Sunday at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM. Weekday Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Saturday afternoons. The parish shares some Mass and ministry resources with St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Norton, including a Saturday 5:30 PM Mass at St. Andrew's.
- Saturday Vigil Mass — 4:00 PM (English)
- Sunday Masses — 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM (English)
- Weekday Masses — Monday–Friday 8:00 AM
- Confessions — Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM (some listings show 2:30–3:30 PM)
- Holy Day Mass — 7:30 AM (per diocesan listings)
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
The parish's religious-education program (CCD) was already enrolling roughly 105 students by the mid-2000s and continues today under a dedicated Youth Minister. The program prepares children for the sacraments and culminates each year with a Confirmation class that meets the bishop during his pastoral visit; in 2019 Bishop Nelson Perez visited the parish on February 24, toured the confirmation projects, and returned to confirm the class on May 5.
- CCD / religious education for parish children
- Youth Ministry coordinated by Elizabeth Ockunzzi
- Annual Confirmation class (2019 confirmed by Bishop Nelson Perez)
- Parish ministry fair showcasing lay ministries and confirmation service projects
Music Ministry
Liturgical music at Prince of Peace is coordinated by Music Minister Veronic Oravec. The parish supports choirs and cantors for weekend and holy-day liturgies; contact the parish office to volunteer.
- Music Ministry led by Veronic Oravec
- Choir and cantors for Sunday Mass
- Volunteer opportunities through the parish office
Outreach: St. Vincent de Paul Society
The parish hosts a St. Vincent de Paul Society conference that serves local residents in need. According to Summit County social-services directories, the conference provides utility-payment assistance and other direct aid, and serves clients of all ages — seniors, adults, teens, and children. Its mission statement echoes the national SVdP vision: 'a network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.'
- Utility-payment assistance and direct aid
- Serves seniors, adults, teens, and children
- Parish-based conference (1263 Shannon Ave.)
- Contact: [email protected] / (330) 825-9543
Pastoral Care
Pastoral Minister Lisa Covington coordinates the parish's pastoral-care outreach, including visits to the homebound, Communion calls, and anointing-of-the-sick requests. Parishioners may contact the parish office to arrange a visit or to request the sacraments for a sick or dying family member.
- Pastoral Minister: Lisa Covington
- Visits to the homebound and hospitalized
- Communion calls for the sick and shut-in
- Anointing of the Sick on request
Sharing a Pastor with St. Andrew the Apostle
Under a Cleveland-diocese clustering arrangement, Prince of Peace Parish shares its pastor with St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Norton (4022 Johnson Road). The two parishes cooperate on sacramental preparation, faith formation, and online communications, and have a shared web presence at nortonohcatholic.org.
- St. Andrew the Apostle Parish — 4022 Johnson Road, Norton, OH 44203
- Same pastor: Rev. Louis H. Thomas
- Shared website: nortonohcatholic.org
- Saturday 5:30 PM Mass celebrated at St. Andrew's
Visit Us
Prince of Peace Parish welcomes visitors and new parishioners at 1263 Shannon Avenue on the Norton–Barberton border. The parish office can be reached at (330) 825-9543 or [email protected]. Parking is available in the parish hall lot on the Barberton side of the campus.
- Address: 1263 Shannon Ave., Barberton (Norton), OH 44203
- Phone: (330) 825-9543
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: princeofpeaceparish.org
- Shared online hub: nortonohcatholic.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard A. Arko2002–2004 (administrator of St. Mary 1994–2002 and Sacred Heart 2001–2002; became pastor of Prince of Peace in March 2003)
First pastor of the merged parish; placed on leave of absence in January 2003/2004 following his arrest at the rectory. The parish grew and a CCD program of ~105 students was established under his leadership.
- Father Bob Jacksonserved as pastor (present at Feb. 2019 bishop's visit)
- Rev. Louis H. Thomascurrent pastor
Currently shares pastoral care of Prince of Peace with neighboring St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Norton under the Diocese of Cleveland's clustered-parish arrangement.