About St. Patrick · Leetonia, Ohio
St. Patrick Parish in Leetonia, Ohio, was established in 1861 as a Roman Catholic community in Columbiana County, originally part of the Diocese of Cleveland and then the Diocese of Youngstown after its creation in 1943. The parish has long been linked with neighboring St. Paul Parish in Salem, sharing pastoral leadership, a joint bulletin, and a shared faith-formation program. In 2010 the parishes were formally yoked under a single pastor/administrator arrangement; that collaboration continued until St. Patrick was merged on January 1, 2026 with St. Jude Parish in Columbiana (primary worship site) and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in East Palestine to form the new St. Carlo Acutis Parish, with Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F., as pastor.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Youngstown
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers a small, tight-knit Catholic community in the Leetonia area, where parishioners know one another and the Mass intentions, prayer chains, and parish ministries are part of everyday life. The parish joins its neighbors in faith formation (coordinated across the linked parishes) and reaches out to the sick and homebound through a dedicated pastoral minister. Worship is enriched by a parish choir under a Music Director, devotions such as the St. Patrick Prayer Warriors and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and an active Pastoral and Finance Council. As of 2026 the parish is united as part of St. Carlo Acutis Parish, so members now share resources, faith-formation programs, and pastoral care across Columbiana, East Palestine, and Leetonia while keeping St. Patrick Church as a continuing place of worship for its titular feast and sacramental life.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday after 9:00 AM Mass (St. Patrick, pre-2026)
- Sunday after 11:00 AM Mass (St. Patrick, pre-2026)
- By appointment (call the parish office)
- Thursday 9:00 AM (St. Patrick, under merged St. Carlo Acutis Parish, 2026)
Adoration times
- Holy Day: see bulletin
Parish Identity & History
St. Patrick Parish was established in 1861 in Leetonia, Ohio, a small Columbiana County village founded in the heyday of the region's coal and iron industry. The parish has been a worshiping Catholic presence in the community for more than 160 years, and is one of the older parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. The parish was originally part of the Diocese of Cleveland, and was reassigned to the newly created Diocese of Youngstown when it was erected in May 1943. The historic St. Patrick Church building remains at 167 Main Street.
- Established 1861
- Diocese of Youngstown (since 1943); originally Diocese of Cleveland
- Deanery of Columbiana
- Located at 167 Main St., Leetonia, OH 44431
Merger into St. Carlo Acutis Parish (2026)
On November 29, 2025, Bishop David J. Bonnar of the Diocese of Youngstown issued a formal decree merging St. Jude Parish (Columbiana), Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (East Palestine), and St. Patrick Parish (Leetonia) in an extinctive union, effective January 1, 2026. The newly created merged parish is named St. Carlo Acutis Parish (parish code 301), with the St. Jude church in Columbiana serving as the parochial church and St. Patrick retained as a secondary worship site. The decree cited a decline in active membership, with funerals exceeding baptisms, falling offertory, and reduced Mass attendance in recent years, as the canonical 'just cause' for the merger.
- Decree issued November 29, 2025; effective January 1, 2026
- New name: St. Carlo Acutis Parish (Parish Code 301)
- Primary worship site & parish office: St. Jude Church, 180 Seventh St., Columbiana, OH 44408
- St. Patrick retained for its titular feast, baptisms, marriages, funerals, and one weekday Mass per week
- Parish email: [email protected]
Pastoral Leadership
St. Patrick has been served in modern decades by a succession of priests in dual assignments with St. Paul Parish in Salem and, since 2025, in a three-parish grouping with St. Jude (Columbiana) and Our Lady of Lourdes (East Palestine). The most recent pastor assignments reflect the Diocese of Youngstown's effort to make the best use of clergy across the Columbiana Deanery.
- Rev. Robert Edwards — Pastor of St. Paul and Administrator of St. Patrick, October 2010 – February 28, 2022; now Pastor Emeritus; ordained 1981.
- Monsignor Peter Polando — Pastor of St. Paul and Administrator of St. Patrick, effective March 1, 2022.
- Rev. Joseph Ruggieri — Pastor of St. Paul and St. Patrick; reassigned April 27, 2025 to St. George, Lisbon, and St. Philip Neri, Dungannon.
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F. — Pastor of St. Patrick, Leetonia (since April 27, 2025), in addition to St. Jude, Columbiana, and Our Lady of Lourdes, East Palestine; now pastor of the merged St. Carlo Acutis Parish.
- Permanent Deacons: Mr. Christopher Evans and Mr. Lawrence Pasko (Deacon Pasko also serves with St. Paul).
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education has been coordinated across the linked St. Paul and St. Patrick parishes for many years. The November 2025 merger decree calls for 'one joint religious education program to enhance the faith formation of the children and adults of the entire parish community' under St. Carlo Acutis Parish.
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Peggy Fitch ([email protected])
- Joint religious education program with St. Paul Parish (Salem) and now with the merged St. Carlo Acutis Parish
Music & Liturgy
Music for Masses at St. Patrick is supported by a Music Director working across the linked parishes. A volunteer corps of lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, servers, and greeters serves the Sunday 11:00 AM Mass at St. Patrick, with a published rotation appearing in the joint parish bulletin.
- Music Director: John Zamarelli ([email protected], 330-277-8772)
- Sunday 11:00 AM liturgical team: lectors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers, servers, greeters
- Shared bulletin lists weekly Mass assignments
Pastoral Care & Outreach
Pastoral care for the sick, homebound, and bereaved is a central ministry of St. Patrick. A dedicated Pastoral Minister to the Sick and Shut-Ins coordinates visits, and a lay prayer group known as the St. Patrick Prayer Warriors lifts up the intentions of parishioners.
- Pastoral Minister to the Sick and Shut-Ins: Patti Schaff (216-246-0087)
- St. Patrick Prayer Warriors: Joyce Champney (234-567-0891)
- Masses of Christian Burial celebrated at St. Patrick Church
- Parish prayer chain (shared with St. Paul) – Mary Ann Sugar, 330-718-7444
- Divine Mercy Chaplet devotion – Rosalyn Hardgrove, 234-567-1863
Parish Governance
St. Patrick has its own Pastoral Council and Finance Council whose members are named in the joint bulletin. These councils work alongside the priest and deacon to discern pastoral priorities, steward parish finances, and support parish life. Under the 2026 merger the councils of the three originating parishes are combined into the governance of St. Carlo Acutis Parish.
- St. Patrick Pastoral Council: Brian Beck, Donna Birmingham, Joyce Champney, Angela DiLudivicio, Nancy Feist, Terry George, Suzanne Tobuck; with Deacon Larry Pasko
- St. Patrick Finance Council: Jennifer Coldsnow, Sue DeJane, Danny Fire, Ray Morelli; with Deacon Larry Pasko
Records & Sacramental Archives
The November 29, 2025 merger decree specifies that all sacramental registers of St. Patrick (baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, and burials) are to be transferred to and faithfully preserved at the new merged-parish office at St. Jude Church, 180 Seventh St., Columbiana, in accordance with canon 535 §§1-5.
- Parish office (2026): St. Jude Church, 180 Seventh St., Columbiana, OH 44408-1012
- Office phone: 330-482-2351
- Parish email: [email protected]
Community Identity
St. Patrick sits in a town with deep Eastern European roots, and the parish's signature contribution to local culture is its pierogi-making tradition. In 2019 the St. Patrick cooks won the 'Best Professional Pierogies' award at the Pierogie of the Valley cook-off held at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society's Tyler History Center in Youngstown — a small but proud marker of the parish's place in Leetonia life.
- Best Professional Pierogies, Pierogie of the Valley 2019
- Sharing of pastoral ministry with St. Paul (Salem) since 2010
- Now sharing ministry across Columbiana, East Palestine, and Leetonia under St. Carlo Acutis Parish (2026)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Robert EdwardsOctober 2010 – February 28, 2022
Dual role as pastor of St. Paul, Salem, and administrator of St. Patrick, Leetonia; ordained 1981; now Pastor Emeritus.
- Monsignor Peter PolandoMarch 1, 2022 – c. 2024
Appointed pastor of St. Paul and administrator of St. Patrick, succeeding Father Edwards.
- Rev. Joseph Ruggieric. 2024 – April 27, 2025
Pastor of St. Paul and St. Patrick; reassigned to St. George, Lisbon, and St. Philip Neri, Dungannon.
- Very Rev. Chad Johnson, V.F.April 27, 2025 – present
Appointed pastor of St. Patrick in addition to St. Jude, Columbiana, and Our Lady of Lourdes, East Palestine; became pastor of the merged St. Carlo Acutis Parish effective January 1, 2026.