About St. Patrick (West Park) · Cleveland, Ohio
St. Patrick Parish is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood, established on March 17, 1848, when Irish and German farmers gathered for the first Mass in a farmhouse in what was then Rockport Township. One of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland, St. Patrick's sits at the corner of Rocky River Drive and Puritas Avenue (4427 Rocky River Dr.) and shares a pastor with neighboring St. Vincent de Paul Parish under the umbrella 'Two Parishes, One Faith.' The parish is known for its 1895–96 church (designed by architect Henry J. Harks, now a Cleveland City Landmark), its rare in-city cemetery dating to 1861, and a long legacy of priestly and religious vocations.
- Established
- 1848
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. John M. Pfeifer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers Sunday Mass at 4:30 PM (Saturday Vigil) and 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM Sunday, plus a full weekday Mass schedule shared with St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The parish maintains an active Religious Education program directed by Alice Haught, a liturgical music program under Music Director Bob Varga, regular Confession and Eucharistic Adoration, and a visible tradition of parish charity — from feeding neighbors through the Depression to the present day. As one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland and home to a rare 1861 in-city cemetery, joining St. Patrick means becoming part of a 175+ year West Park community rooted in faith, family, and service.
Mass times at St. Patrick (West Park)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM (First Tuesday of the Month) at St. Patrick Parish
- Saturday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM at St. Patrick Parish
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration offered; check parish bulletin for current schedule
Parish History
St. Patrick Parish was organized on March 17, 1848 — St. Patrick's Day — when Irish and German farmers gathered in a farmhouse in Rockport Township (later West Park Township) for the first Mass, having petitioned Bishop Amadeus Rappe, the first bishop of Cleveland. About thirty families, mostly Irish with some German, made up the original community. Mass was said in homes until a frame church was built in 1854 on what is now the cemetery site; a parish school was added in 1864. The parish's 1895–96 church, designed by architect Henry J. Harks, had its first Mass on Christmas Day 1898, was expanded in 1953, and is now a Cleveland City Landmark together with the school, cemetery, and accessory building. The parish celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2024 with Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost preaching at the vigil Mass on March 9.
- 1848 — Parish organized; first Mass in a Rockport Township farmhouse
- 1854 — First frame church built on the current cemetery site
- 1861 — Parish cemetery established; first burial
- 1864 — Parish school added
- 1895–96 — Current church designed by Henry J. Harks
- 1898 (Christmas Day) — First Mass in the current church
- 1953 — Original 1895–96 church expanded
- 1949 — Parishioners defeat diocesan plan to move cemetery to Holy Cross
- 2022 — Daughter parishes St. Vincent de Paul and Our Lady of Angels celebrate centennials
- March 2024 — 175th anniversary celebration closes with vigil Mass and Bishop Michael Woost
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Patrick Parish is directed by Alice Haught, the parish Director of Religious Education, and forms part of the broader 'Two Parishes, One Faith' collaboration with neighboring St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The parish prepares children and adults for the sacraments and supports ongoing catechesis for parishioners of all ages.
- Director of Religious Education: Alice Haught
Liturgy & Music
Music at St. Patrick is directed by Music Director Bob Varga, who oversees the parish's liturgical music ministry and supports the sung prayer of the assembly at weekend and weekday Masses.
- Music Director: Bob Varga
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
St. Patrick Parish shares its pastor with St. Vincent de Paul Parish under the joint 'Two Parishes, One Faith' pastoral team. Rev. John M. Pfeifer serves as Pastor of both parishes, with Rev. Robert Tumwekwase, AJ, as Parochial Vicar. The lay staff supports religious education, music, business, maintenance, and administration for St. Patrick.
- Pastor: Rev. John M. Pfeifer
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Robert Tumwekwase, AJ
- Director of Religious Education: Alice Haught
- Music Director: Bob Varga
- Business Manager: Paul Wilms
- Director of Maintenance: Carl Bush
- Administrative Assistant: Ann McKenzie
Architecture & Landmark Status
The St. Patrick of West Park Church, School, Cemetery and Accessory Building (4395–4455 Rocky River Road) is a designated City of Cleveland Landmark. The church was designed by Henry J. Harks and built in 1895–96; Harks was a prolific Catholic-church architect in Cleveland who also designed St. Stephen School, St. Thomas Aquinas Church and School, and St. Vincent Hospital, and served as Cleveland's building inspector and on the city's building code commission. The 1895–96 church, expanded in 1953, remains the worship home of the parish.
- Architect: Henry J. Harks
- Date built: 1895–96
- First Mass in current church: Christmas Day 1898
- Expanded: 1953
- Cleveland Landmark address range: 4395–4455 Rocky River Road
Parish Cemetery
The parish cemetery at the northeast corner of Rocky River Drive and Puritas Avenue was established in 1861 and is the burial site of many early Rockport Township pioneers. With 211 plots, it is one of the few intact urban Catholic cemeteries still on church grounds in Cleveland — in 1949 the diocese attempted to relocate graves to its section of Holy Cross Cemetery on Brookpark Road, but parishioners insisted the cemetery remain in place.
- Established: 1861
- Plots: 211
- First burial: 1861
- Location: northeast corner of Rocky River Drive and Puritas Avenue
175th Anniversary (2023–2024)
St. Patrick Parish marked 175 years of continuous Catholic witness in West Park during the 2023–2024 anniversary year, closing the celebration on March 9, 2024, with a vigil Mass concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost on behalf of Bishop Edward Malesic. Bishop Woost, who grew up in West Park and was baptized at neighboring St. Vincent de Paul Parish, praised the parish's Depression-era charity and ongoing commitment to building up the Body of Christ.
- Founded March 17, 1848
- 175th anniversary year closed March 9, 2024
- Celebrant: Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost
- On behalf of Bishop Edward Malesic, Diocese of Cleveland
Two Parishes, One Faith
St. Patrick Parish collaborates with neighboring St. Vincent de Paul Parish under the 'Two Parishes, One Faith' banner, sharing clergy and ministry staff while preserving each parish's own identity, Mass schedule, and community life. The collaboration is centered at the joint website 2parishes1faithcle.org, where the combined pastoral staff is published.
- Joint website: 2parishes1faithcle.org
- Shared Pastor: Rev. John M. Pfeifer
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Robert Tumwekwase, AJ
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Patrick Parish by phone at (216) 251-1200 or by email at [email protected]. The parish mailing address is 4427 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland, OH 44135-2551. The parish is listed in the Diocese of Cleveland directory and maintains an official Facebook presence.
- Phone: (216) 251-1200
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 4427 Rocky River Drive, Cleveland, OH 44135-2551
- Website: stpatrickwp.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/stpatrickwp/