About St. Edward Parish Family · Youngstown, Ohio
St. Edward Parish Family is a Roman Catholic community located at 240 Tod Lane on Youngstown's north side in the Diocese of Youngstown. Founded in 1917 and named in honor of Father Edward Mears, longtime pastor of neighboring St. Columba Parish, the parish grew up around an auditorium-style church that was intended to serve only temporarily while a larger school complex was being built. For nearly a century it was a self-sustaining parish with its own grade school staffed by the Humility of Mary Sisters, before joining St. Columba Cathedral and the former Holy Apostles parishes to form the unified Saint Columba Cathedral Parish on January 1, 2025.
- Established
- 1917
- Patron
- St. Edward
- Rector
- Very Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Siffrin (Administrator from 2005; now Rector of the merged Saint Columba Cathedral Parish)
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Youngstown (since January 1, 2025, the parish has been merged into Saint Columba Cathedral Parish)
Why belong here
St. Edward remains a tight-knit northside Youngstown Catholic community that has retained its own identity even after joining Saint Columba Cathedral Parish in 2025. The 240 Tod Lane worship site continues to offer a full schedule of daily Mass (Monday-Saturday at 8:30 a.m.), a Saturday Vigil, and a Sunday liturgy, along with weekly Saturday morning Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass. Parish life is enriched by a long-standing Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference that supports a local food pantry and dining hall, a CCD/faith-formation program shared with neighboring parishes, and an Ursuline-sponsored outreach to the homebound and hospitalized — making St. Edward a welcoming place for both founding families and newcomers.
Mass times at St. Edward Parish Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00-3:30 PM (one half hour before the Saturday Vigil)
- Saturday morning before 8:30 AM Mass
Adoration times
- Saturday morning following the 8:30 AM Mass (approximately 9:00-10:00 AM)
History of St. Edward Parish
Founded in 1917 on Youngstown's north side, St. Edward grew up around a church that architect Charles Owsley designed as a school auditorium for the Moore-Lamb Construction Company — intended only as a temporary worship space. First pastor Father Maurice Griffin opened the parish school on September 4, 1917, with 154 children taught by the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary. The parish's first marriage (Sara Sturgeon and Robert Hoellin, October 2, 1917) and first baptisms (Rosemary O'Neill and Catherine Ethel Kane, November 15, 1917) were both celebrated that same founding year. The parish boundaries originally ran along Gypsy Lane; in 1965 they were extended to Tibbets-Wick Road to serve Catholic families moving into Liberty.
- 1917 — Parish founded and school opened
- Architect: Charles Owsley; Builder: Moore-Lamb Construction Company
- Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary staffed the school from 1917 until the late 1970s
- First marriage and first baptisms both celebrated in 1917
- Parish boundary extended to Tibbets-Wick Road in 1965
- School closed in 2003
Sacraments at St. Edward
St. Edward prepares parishioners for all seven sacraments. Baptisms are scheduled through the parish office with at least four weeks' notice and a required baptismal-preparation program for parents and godparents. First Communion and Confirmation are celebrated each year with the parish's CCD and eighth-grade students. Marriage preparation must begin at least six months ahead of the wedding. Anointing of the Sick is offered communally each spring and autumn and individually on request, while pastoral staff bring Eucharist weekly to the homebound and visit the hospitalized.
- Baptism Preparation
- First Communion
- Confirmation (celebrated in spring with eighth graders)
- Reconciliation (Advent & Lent communal celebrations)
- Marriage (six-month preparation program)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders / Vocations discussions
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish's CCD program is shared with St. Angela Merici, St. Patrick, St. Columba, and Ss. Peter and Paul, and classes meet at St. Edward Church in the small one-story building behind the church from 10:10 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Pastoral Associate Sr. Regina Rogers, O.S.U., and Director of Religious Education Sr. Martha Reed (at the merged Cathedral parish) coordinate the program, including sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation.
- Shared CCD program for five parishes
- Classes held at St. Edward in the building behind the church
- Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation
Outreach: Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Edward carries on the parish's long tradition of corporal works of mercy. Parishioners staff the local food pantry (with rotating monthly collection themes such as soup and cereals in winter) and serve meals at the Mahoning County St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, which feeds an average of 200 people a day. Donations of warm gloves and socks are also collected in the elevator room of St. Edward Church during the colder months.
- Food pantry at St. Edward
- Volunteer shifts at the SVdP dining hall
- Seasonal clothing collections (gloves, socks)
Music and Liturgical Ministries
Music at St. Edward is directed by Dr. Charles Szabo, who leads the parish choir and serves as Music Director for the merged Saint Columba Cathedral Parish. Liturgical lay ministries include lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion (including those who bring the Eucharist to the sick and homebound), ushers/ministers of hospitality, sacristans, altar servers, and a finance and pastoral council that advises the pastor on parish affairs.
- Music Director: Dr. Charles Szabo
- Adult Choir
- Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, Sacristans, Altar Servers
- Finance Council and Pastoral Council
Merger into Saint Columba Cathedral Parish (2025)
On January 1, 2025, St. Edward merged with the original St. Columba Cathedral Parish and the former Holy Apostles Parish (itself a union of Ss. Peter and Paul, St. Stephen of Hungary, and Our Lady of Hungary) to form a single Saint Columba Cathedral Parish — the largest such consolidation in the Diocese of Youngstown to date. The 240 Tod Lane church continues in active use as a worship site of the cathedral parish, retaining its identity as 'St. Edward.' Monsignor Robert Siffrin serves as Rector of the merged parish, with the central offices now located at 144 W. Wood St., Youngstown.
- Effective January 1, 2025
- Combined with St. Columba Cathedral and the former Holy Apostles Parish
- St. Edward Church continues as a worship site at 240 Tod Lane
- Rector: Very Rev. Msgr. Robert Siffrin, V.F.
- Central offices: 144 W. Wood St., Youngstown, OH 44503
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Maurice Griffin1916-1933
First pastor; oversaw the 1917 opening of the parish school and church.
- Father John Maloney1933
Succeeded Father Griffin but stayed less than one year.
- Father (later Msgr.) William Nash1934-1965
Longest-serving pastor; built the 'Yellow Brick Road Building' (Edwardian Hall) with a $50,000 parishioner gift on his 50th anniversary of priesthood; died in office.
- Monsignor John J. Lettau1965-1990
Subject of a 1975 Youngstown State University Oral History interview about the parish.
- Father Frank Lehnerd1990-2005
Succeeded Monsignor Lettau; oversaw 1992 consolidation of school grades into the junior-high building.
- Monsignor Robert J. Siffrin2005-present
Appointed Administrator in 2005; led the parish into the 2025 merger forming Saint Columba Cathedral Parish.