About St. Frances Cabrini · Colerain, Ohio
St. Frances Cabrini is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural Belmont County community of Colerain, Ohio, in the Upper Ohio Valley. It is part of the Diocese of Steubenville and was established as a parish in 1960. The church building sits along US Route 250 north of Colerain, and the parish offers a modest weekly Mass schedule centered on a Saturday Vigil, a Wednesday evening Mass, and a First Friday morning Mass. It is named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917), the Italian-American religious sister who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was the first naturalized U.S. citizen to be canonized.
- Established
- 1960
- Patron
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini, 1850–1917), Italian-American foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and patron saint of immigrants; first American citizen to be canonized
- Diocese
- Diocese of Steubenville
Why belong here
St. Frances Cabrini is a small, traditional parish where members know one another by name, in the heart of Belmont County's rolling hills and along the Ohio River valley. It offers the full Catholic liturgy three times a week — a Saturday Vigil, a Wednesday evening Mass, and a First Friday morning Mass — plus Saturday confessions before the Vigil, making it a faithful spiritual home for Catholics in the Colerain, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry, and Dillonvale area who want to keep the rhythm of weekly Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation at the center of their lives.
Mass times at St. Frances Cabrini
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (one half hour before the Vigil Mass, or by appointment)
Parish Identity & Patron Saint
The parish is named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917), the Italian-born religious sister who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, served immigrants across the Americas, and in 1946 became the first naturalized U.S. citizen to be canonized. She is the universal patron saint of immigrants, a fitting patron for a parish whose founding families were largely Italian, Irish, and Eastern European immigrants who came to work in the coal mines, steel mills, and potteries of the Upper Ohio Valley.
- Patron: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)
- Feast day: November 22
- Foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC)
- First American citizen to be canonized (canonized 1946)
History of St. Frances Cabrini, Colerain
St. Frances Cabrini was established as a parish in 1960 to serve the Catholic families of Colerain Township and the surrounding hill country of Belmont County in eastern Ohio. The parish grew out of the post-war expansion of the Diocese of Steubenville into the small farming and mining communities of the upper Ohio Valley. The current church building was consecrated in 1994. Over the decades the parish has remained a small, close-knit mission church, with clergy and faithful drawn from across Belmont County towns including Colerain, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry, Dillonvale, and Adena.
- Parish established: 1960
- Church consecrated: 1994
- Located in Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio
- Part of the Diocese of Steubenville
Clergy & Pastoral Care
Parish records and local funeral Masses give a partial picture of the priests who have served the community. Monsignor David Reasbeck, a son of Martins Ferry, was closely associated with the parish for decades and frequently celebrated funeral Masses there. In more recent years, Father Tim McGuire and Father Mathew Gossett have served the community, officiating at funeral liturgies for longtime parishioners. The current pastor is not publicly listed in the online directories we reviewed.
- Monsignor David Reasbeck – long-serving priest associated with the parish from its early decades
- Father Tim McGuire – celebrant at parish funeral liturgies through at least 2014
- Father Mathew Gossett – officiated at funeral Masses through at least 2019
Parish Community & Local Connections
St. Frances Cabrini sits in a region with deep Catholic roots. Its members have included families prominent in the life of the Upper Ohio Valley — among them Vincent Colaianni of nearby Dillonvale, a co-founder of the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival who was a member of the parish until his death in 2014. The parish's address, 72581 US Route 250, places it in rural Colerain Township, and its members travel from towns across Belmont County and across the Ohio River from West Virginia.
- Member families drawn from Colerain, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry, Dillonvale, and Adena
- Longtime parishioner Vincent Colaianni (d. 2014) – co-founder of the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival
- Parish plays a regular role in funeral and memorial liturgies for Catholic families of the Ohio Valley
Diocese of Steubenville
St. Frances Cabrini is one of many small parishes served by the Diocese of Steubenville, which covers the eastern Ohio counties along the Ohio River and into the Appalachian foothills. The diocese lists the parish in its online Parish Finder, and the parish falls within a rural deanery that includes other country-mission parishes such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua (Chesapeake), and St. Adalbert (Hopedale).
- Diocese: Steubenville
- Rite: Roman (Latin) Rite
- Language: English
- Listed in the diocesan Parish Finder alongside neighboring country-mission parishes
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor David Reasbeck
Long-serving priest strongly associated with the parish from its early decades; son of Martins Ferry, celebrated funerals at the parish over many years.
- Father Tim McGuire
Served as celebrant at parish funeral Masses including the 2014 Mass for Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival founder Vincent Colaianni.
- Father Mathew Gossettthrough at least 2019
Officiated at the March 2019 funeral Mass for parishioner Thomas Gandy.