About St. Mary · Mineral Ridge, Ohio
St. Mary Church is a Roman Catholic parish located at 3504 Main Street in the village of Mineral Ridge, Ohio (Trumbull County). The parish was established in 1947 and is one of two historic Catholic communities that, on January 1, 2026, merged with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in nearby McDonald to form the new Queen of Heaven Parish (Parish Code 607) in the Diocese of Youngstown's Trumbull Deanery. Today St. Mary Church serves as one of two worship sites for Queen of Heaven Parish under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Richard Murphy, with a Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m. and a Wednesday morning Mass at 8:30 a.m.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- Mary, Mother of God (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Richard Murphy
- Diocese
- Diocese of Youngstown (Trumbull Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary Church offers an intimate, traditional Catholic experience in the heart of small-town Mineral Ridge. As one of two worship sites of the newly formed Queen of Heaven Parish, it draws together longtime Ridge parishioners and new members in a faith community devoted to 'lovingly extending the mission and ministry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, through word, sacrament, and Christian service.' The parish supports active outreach through a Church Food Pantry, Altar & Rosary Society, Women's Guild, Men's Guild, and a local chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, alongside a steady calendar of social events — donut socials, a parish picnic, Christmas gatherings, and golf outings — that reflect the close-knit feel of the Trumbull County community.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Mary Church is the Mineral Ridge worship site of Queen of Heaven Parish, a Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Youngstown's Trumbull Deanery. The parish describes itself as 'a faith community of Roman Catholic Christians dedicated to lovingly extending the mission and ministry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, through word, sacrament, and Christian service to the people of McDonald and Mineral Ridge and the surrounding areas all to the Glory of God.' Their patron is Mary, honored as the mother of Christ and invoked 'through intercession, protection and maternal authority' for the joys of everlasting life.
- Patron: Mary (Mother of God)
- Parish Code: 607 (Queen of Heaven Parish)
- Deanery: Trumbull
- County: Trumbull, Ohio
History of St. Mary, Mineral Ridge
Catholic life in Mineral Ridge predates the parish by more than 75 years. According to the Diocese of Youngstown and GCatholic, Irish immigrants founded a Catholic mission in Mineral Ridge in 1870, and it remained a mission church from 1870 to 1881 — served in various decades by pastors based at St. Stephen Church in nearby Niles. The parish itself was formally established in 1947, when a new, larger church replaced an earlier small, white-frame building on Main Street with its elevated front entrance and flights of steps that longtime Ridge residents remember. The old church hosted an annual summer festival that was a fixture of parish life.
- 1870 — Mission church established by Irish immigrants
- 1870–1881 — Mission status (attached to St. Stephen, Niles and other parishes)
- 1947 — St. Mary formally established as a parish
- 2023 — St. Mary and Our Lady of Perpetual Help (McDonald) joined as a collaborative pastoral unit
- January 1, 2026 — Merger into Queen of Heaven Parish effective
Parish Staff
Queen of Heaven Parish is led by a small, dedicated staff rooted in long service to St. Mary and the surrounding communities. Fr. Richard Murphy — pastor of St. Mary since July 1995 — continues as pastor of the merged parish. Parish operations are coordinated by a parish secretary, and the religious-education and music programs are led by named lay coordinators.
- Pastor — Rev. Richard Murphy ([email protected])
- Parish Secretary — Michelle Vennetti
- CCD Coordinator — Cheryl Basista
- Music Director — Meg Daniluk
Father Richard Murphy — Pastor Since 1995
Father Richard Murphy was ordained to the priesthood on June 21, 1980. While serving as associate principal at Ursuline High School, he first came to St. Mary's to celebrate weekend Masses and serve as parish administrator in the summer of 1994. He was formally appointed pastor of St. Mary in July 1995 and has guided the parish through every subsequent diocesan restructuring, including the 2023 collaborative with Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the January 2026 merger into Queen of Heaven Parish. He has held a parallel career in Catholic education: he was named President of Notre Dame School (the K-12 consortium of John F. Kennedy Jr./Sr. High School, St. Pius X, and Blessed Sacrament in Warren) in Spring 2008, and became President of Ursuline High School in Youngstown effective August 1, 2011. He concurrently serves as Administrator of St. Stephen Parish in Niles.
Ministries & Outreach
Queen of Heaven Parish carries forward a full slate of lay ministries at both worship sites. Outreach to those in need is centered on a parish food pantry and a local chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, while parish life is sustained by an Altar & Rosary Society and separate Women's and Men's guilds. Faith formation for children is provided through the parish's CCD program.
- Church Food Pantry
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (chapter)
- Altar & Rosary Society
- Women's Guild
- Men's Guild
- CCD / Religious Education (Coordinator: Cheryl Basista)
Faith Formation & Music
Religious education for parish children is coordinated by Cheryl Basista through the parish's CCD program. Liturgical music at the parish is directed by Music Director Meg Daniluk, supporting the regular Sunday and weekday Mass schedule at the St. Mary worship site.
- CCD Coordinator — Cheryl Basista
- Music Director — Meg Daniluk
Parish Life & Festivities
Community life beyond the liturgy is an important part of the Queen of Heaven / St. Mary experience. The parish bulletin lists a recurring calendar of social and fundraising events, including donut socials after Mass, the annual parish picnic, Christmas events, and golf outings — a tradition of parish festival life that extends back to the small summer festivals on the grounds of the original St. Mary's frame church.
- Donut socials
- Parish picnic
- Christmas events
- Golf outings
Schools & Religious Orders
Although St. Mary itself did not operate a school, the merged parish's other worship site — Our Lady of Perpetual Help in McDonald — ran Our Lady of Perpetual Help School from 1949 to 1972. The school was staffed during that period by the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the religious order whose ministry the diocese credits with sustaining parish education in the area for more than two decades.
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help School — 1949 to 1972
- Served by the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart, 1949–1972
Queen of Heaven Parish — The 2026 Merger
Effective January 1, 2026, St. Mary Parish (Mineral Ridge, est. 1947) and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish (McDonald, est. 1943) merged to form Queen of Heaven Parish, parish code 607, in the Diocese of Youngstown. The new combined parish retains both church buildings as worship sites — St. Mary on Main Street in Mineral Ridge and Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Ohio Avenue in McDonald — under a single pastor (Fr. Richard Murphy) and a single parish office. The diocese announced an updated 'March of the Eucharist Continues' historical summary for the new parish is forthcoming from The Catholic Echo in summer 2026.
- Established: 2026
- Parish Code: 607
- Deanery: Trumbull
- Worship site: St. Mary Church, 3504 Main St., Mineral Ridge
- Worship site: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 618 Ohio Ave., McDonald
Visit, Contact & Facilities
St. Mary Church is located at 3504 Main Street in Mineral Ridge, Ohio — the same Main Street that anchors the village of roughly 3,000 residents. The parish office for Queen of Heaven Parish is at the same Mineral Ridge address, and the parish hall is available for rental by calling the parish office.
- Parish office & mailing address: 3504 Main St., Mineral Ridge, OH 44440-9530
- Parish phone: 330-530-1111
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Church hall rentals: Call the parish office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard Murphy1995–present (as pastor of St. Mary, Mineral Ridge; continuing through the 2026 merger into Queen of Heaven Parish)
Ordained June 21, 1980. While pastor of St. Mary, he also served as associate principal at Ursuline High School, was appointed President of Notre Dame School (K-12, Warren area) in Spring 2008, and became President of Ursuline High School in Youngstown effective August 1, 2011. He also serves as Administrator of St. Stephen in Niles.