About St. Philip Neri · Hanoverton, Ohio
St. Philip Neri Parish, located in the unincorporated community of Dungannon in Hanover Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, was the oldest Catholic parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown and in all of northern Ohio. Founded in 1817 as the 'St. Paul Settlement,' it began with the first Mass celebrated in the log cabin home of Daniel McAllister, when missionary priests still traveled on horseback. The parish carried its patron's name, St. Philip Neri, the 16th-century Italian 'Apostle of Rome,' celebrated for his pastoral sensitivity. In early 2026, after more than two centuries of continuous worship, the parish was formally subsumed in an extinctive union into neighboring St. George Parish in Lisbon, and its final Mass was celebrated on February 15, 2026.
- Established
- 1817
- Patron
- St. Philip Neri (16th-century Italian 'Apostle of Rome')
- Rector
- Rev. Stephen Wassie
- Diocese
- Diocese of Youngstown
Why belong here
St. Philip Neri was more than a worship site — it was a living link to the very origins of Catholicism in northern Ohio, founded in 1817 by Irish canal workers and sustained for over two centuries by immigrant families, Pioneer Sisters from Germany, and generations of horse-riding missionary priests. Worshippers came for its Saturday evening Mass, its monthly Log Cabin Mass inside the original 1817 McAllister log cabin, its historic St. Paul's Cemetery, and its tradition of warm rural fellowship. Although the parish was subsumed into St. George Parish in Lisbon in 2026, its historic grounds — including the preserved log cabin and the three bronze bells — remain a treasured site of Catholic heritage in Columbiana County.
Mass times at St. Philip Neri
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00–4:30 PM
Origins: The St. Paul Settlement of 1817
St. Philip Neri traces its roots to 1817, when Irish Catholic settlers in what is now Hanover Township — many of them bricklayers on the Sandy and Beaver Canal — gathered for the first Mass in the log cabin home of Daniel McAllister. The settlement, originally known as 'St. Paul Settlement' near Dungannon, was one of the earliest organized Catholic communities in what would become the Diocese of Youngstown, four years ahead of St. John the Baptist Parish in Canton. For roughly fifty years the community had no resident pastor; missionary priests arrived on horseback, celebrated Mass for a few days, and rode on to the next station. A plaque on the grounds honors the Pioneer Sisters of Divine Providence, who arrived from Germany in 1876 and built the parish's school and convent life.
- Founded 1817 as 'St. Paul Settlement' near Dungannon
- First Mass in Daniel McAllister's log cabin
- Early congregation included Irish canal workers and later German immigrants
- Pioneer Sisters of Divine Providence arrived from Germany in 1876
The Original Log Cabin
The McAllister log cabin — the very structure where northern Ohio's first Catholic worship took place — has been carefully preserved on the parish grounds and enclosed by a protective brick structure added in 2007. Inside it sits a simple wooden dresser once used as an altar by Father Eli Lindesmith, a prominent 19th-century Ohio missionary priest whose name is also chiseled into stone in the parish's St. Paul's Cemetery.
- Original 1817 McAllister log cabin still on parish grounds
- Brick enclosure added in 2007
- Dresser altar used by Fr. Eli Lindesmith
- Monthly Log Cabin Mass celebrated inside the cabin
Bicentennial and the Closing of a 200+ Year Chapter
The parish marked its bicentennial in 2017 with commemorative events and the release of Dr. Kelly Darney's 'St. Philip Neri Catholic Church: A Bicentennial Parish History.' In January 2026, the Parish Pastoral Council presented a letter to the Diocesan Presbyteral Council recommending an extinctive union with neighboring St. George Parish in Lisbon. The final Mass at St. Philip Neri was celebrated on February 15, 2026. Diocesan officials stated that plans were being finalized to preserve the historic log cabin and other artifacts.
- Bicentennial celebrated 2017
- Book by Dr. Kelly Darney documenting 200+ years of parish history
- Pastoral Council letter recommending extinctive union with St. George (Lisbon) — January 2026
- Final Mass celebrated February 15, 2026
- Records moved to St. Paul Parish (Salem), 935 E. State St., Salem, OH 44460, 330-332-0336
Worship Schedule
Per the Diocese of Youngstown's 2024-25 parish directory, St. Philip Neri's regular schedule was a single Saturday evening Mass at 5:00 PM, with confessions heard from 4:00 to 4:30 PM. The parish also maintained the monthly Log Cabin Mass on select Thursdays at 7:00 PM, celebrated inside the historic 1817 log cabin by retired priest Rev. James P. Lang.
- Saturday 5:00 PM — Mass
- Saturday 4:00–4:30 PM — Confessions
- Select Thursdays 7:00 PM — Log Cabin Mass (Rev. James P. Lang)
St. Paul's Cemetery
St. Paul's Cemetery has been a parish ministry since the earliest pioneer era. Hand-chiseled stones in the cemetery honor Fr. Eli Lindesmith and other 19th-century missionary priests who kept the faith alive in northern Ohio during the parish's itinerant-priest decades.
- Listed in the Diocese of Youngstown directory as a parish ministry
- Burial site of pioneer missionary priests
- Honors the legacy of 19th-century Ohio Catholic missionary activity
Clergy and Leadership
St. Philip Neri was most recently pastored by Rev. Stephen Wassie, who also served as pastor of St. George (Lisbon), St. John the Evangelist (Summitville), and St. Agatha Mission (West Point). Father Wassie retired effective July 1, 2025. The parish's heritage and monthly Log Cabin Masses were long shepherded by retired priest Rev. James P. Lang. Earlier generations were ministered to by Fr. Eli Lindesmith and other pioneer missionary priests of the 1800s.
- Rev. Stephen Wassie — Pastor (per 2024-25 directory)
- Rev. James P. Lang — retired; celebrated Log Cabin Masses
- Fr. Eli Lindesmith — 19th-century pioneer missionary
Diocese of Youngstown
St. Philip Neri belonged to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, which covers eleven counties in northeastern Ohio. Within the diocese it was assigned parish code 302 and was, by founding date, the oldest parish in the diocese — predating St. John the Baptist (Canton, 1823) and St. George (Lisbon, c. 1820).
- Parish Code 302
- Oldest parish in the Diocese of Youngstown
- Founded 1817 (4 years before Canton's St. John the Baptist)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Stephen WassiePrior to 2024-25 directory
Pastor of St. Philip Neri (Dungannon) as well as St. George (Lisbon), St. John the Evangelist (Summitville), and St. Agatha Mission (West Point). Retired effective July 1, 2025.
- Rev. James P. Lang
Retired priest of the Diocese of Youngstown; celebrated the parish's monthly Log Cabin Mass in the original McAllister log cabin.
- Fr. Eli Lindesmith19th century
Prominent Ohio missionary priest whose pioneer ministry helped sustain the parish in its early decades; honored in hand-chiseled stone in St. Paul's Cemetery.