About St. Stephen · Niles, Ohio
St. Stephen Catholic Church in Niles, Ohio, is a historic parish founded in 1853 by Irish immigrants in the Mahoning Valley. Its striking brick church — the second-oldest Catholic parish building in Trumbull County — was dedicated on May 8, 1892 and remains a recognizable landmark on Park Avenue. On July 1, 2024, St. Stephen merged with nearby Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish to form Saint Pope John XXIII Parish, a multi-site community in the Diocese of Youngstown. Today the parish sustains a Sunday Mass, weekday Masses, Thursday adoration, Sunday confession, a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, a youth ministry, and signature events like the Lenten fish fry and the long-running Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Summer Festival.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. Stephen the Martyr
- Rector
- Rev. Leo Wehrlin (Pastor of Saint Pope John XXIII Parish, effective with the July 1, 2024 merger)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Youngstown (Trumbull Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Stephen offers the quiet rhythm of a historic downtown Niles parish with a schedule that fits working and family life — Sunday and two weekday Masses, a weekly holy hour of adoration on Thursdays, and confessions before Sunday Mass. Rooted in 1853 and now joined with the former Our Lady of Mount Carmel community as Saint Pope John XXIII Parish, it carries on Irish and Italian Catholic traditions side-by-side, welcomes families through a youth ministry, and gathers the wider neighborhood around the Lenten fish fry and the popular Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Summer Festival. A local Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference at the parish puts the Catholic call to serve the poor into direct practice.
Mass times at St. Stephen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM (before Mass)
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Our Parish Story — From Irish Ironworkers to a Multi-Site Community
St. Stephen's roots lie in the 1853 home Masses of Irish Catholic ironworkers in Niles. Within a decade the community had built a small frame church on Park Avenue, established a cemetery, and organized a parochial school. The grand brick church that still rises over West Park Avenue today was dedicated in 1892 and has served the parish continuously since. In 2024 St. Stephen merged with the neighboring Italian-heritage parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to form Saint Pope John XXIII Parish, a single multi-site community sharing one pastor, staff, and pastoral mission.
- 1853 — first Masses in private homes by visiting priests
- 1864 — frame church built at Park Avenue & Arlington Street
- 1865 — Rev. A.R. Siddley named first resident pastor
- 1866 — five-acre cemetery established off Warren Avenue Extension
- 1868 — parochial school organized by Father Rebelled
- May 8, 1892 — present brick church dedicated by Bishop Horstmann
- June 2014 — St. Stephen School closes
- July 1, 2024 — merger with Our Lady of Mount Carmel into Saint Pope John XXIII Parish
Worship at St. Stephen Church
Within the merged Saint Pope John XXIII Parish, St. Stephen Church continues as one of two worship sites. Mass is offered on Sunday morning and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with confessions heard before Sunday Mass and a weekly holy hour on Thursday mornings after Mass. Holy Day schedules are published in the parish bulletin.
- Sunday Mass — 9:00 AM
- Tuesday Mass — 8:30 AM
- Thursday Mass — 8:30 AM
- Holy Days — consult the bulletin
- Confessions — Sunday 8:30 AM (before Mass)
- Eucharistic Adoration — Thursday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Our Priests and Staff
Saint Pope John XXIII Parish is led by Pastor Rev. Leo Wehrlin and Parish Administrator Very Rev. John-Michael Lavelle, with Father Bala Prasad Marneni serving as Parochial Vicar. The pastoral team is supported by a permanent deacon, two parish musicians, two administrative assistants, and a bookkeeper. The parish office at 381 Robbins Avenue is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:30–1:00 PM).
- Rev. Leo Wehrlin — Pastor
- Very Rev. John-Michael Lavelle — Parish Administrator
- Father Bala Prasad Marneni — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Michael Hanshaw — Permanent Deacon
- Meg Daniluk — Parish Musician
- Stephen Garchar — Parish Musician
- Christy Lanham — Administrative Assistant
- Pam Sowers — Administrative Assistant
- Pat Finn — Bookkeeper
Ministries and Outreach
The parish supports a youth ministry program and maintains a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference rooted at the St. Stephen campus, providing direct aid to neighbors in need. Parishioners also come together around signature events — most notably a Lenten Fish Fry and the beloved Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Summer Festival — that raise funds for parish operations and keep the Irish and Italian cultural heritages of the two founding communities alive side by side.
- Youth Ministry
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul — St. Stephen conference
- Parish Music Ministry
- Lenten Fish Fry
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Summer Festival (since 1933)
- Heritage celebrations honoring Irish and Italian Catholic roots
Heritage and Cultural Life
As a merger of two parishes formed originally to serve immigrant communities — St. Stephen's Irish founders of 1853 and Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Italian founders of 1906 — Saint Pope John XXIII Parish explicitly honors diverse celebrations of cultural heritage while embracing its unity in the Catholic faith. The parish's stated charism, drawn from its diocesan profile, is to imitate the holiness of Pope John XXIII in humble service to Niles and the surrounding area.
- Honoring Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council
- Italian-heritage parish festival tradition (since 1933)
- Irish-heritage roots reaching back to 1853
- Parish mission: 'a faith community…who feel called to build our lives in the image of Christ through Word, Sacrament and Christian service.'
The Church Building
The present St. Stephen Church is a Romanesque-style brick edifice whose dimensions — 100 feet long by 49 feet wide with a 175-foot-high spire — make it one of the most recognizable landmarks in Niles. Construction of foundations began in fall 1888 under Father Scullin, the cornerstone was blessed May 11, 1891, and Bishop Horstmann dedicated the completed building on Sunday, May 8, 1892. It remains the second-oldest Catholic parish church in Trumbull County, after St. Mary in Warren.
- Romanesque architectural style
- 100 ft long × 49 ft wide
- 175-foot spire
- Cornerstone blessed May 11, 1891
- Dedicated May 8, 1892 by Bishop Horstmann
- Second-oldest Catholic parish church in Trumbull County
St. Stephen Cemetery
St. Stephen Cemetery was established in February 1866 when Father A.R. Siddley, the parish's first resident pastor, purchased five acres of land near the RMI factory on the back road to Warren, Ohio. The cemetery has served as the burial ground for generations of Trumbull County Catholic families since the Civil War era.
- Established February 1866
- Five acres originally purchased
- Located off the Warren Avenue Extension near the former RMI factory
St. Stephen School (1868–2014)
St. Stephen's parochial school was organized in 1868 by Father Rebelled to provide Catholic children with religious training. Originally staffed by lay teachers and later by the Sisters of Humility, the school moved into a new brick building completed in 1900 under Father Scullin. Over more than a century it educated generations of Niles Catholic children, but falling enrollment and rising costs forced the school to close in June 2014.
- 1868 — school organized by Father Rebelled
- 1900 — new brick school completed under Father Scullin
- Staffed for many decades by the Sisters of Humility
- Closed June 2014
Becoming Part of Saint Pope John XXIII Parish (2024)
In May 2024 Bishop David J. Bonnar announced new parish merger names proposed by parishioners and taking effect July 1, 2024. St. Stephen Parish and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Niles became a single community named Saint Pope John XXIII Parish — honoring the pope who convened the Second Vatican Council. The merged parish operates across two worship sites (St. Stephen Church at 129 W. Park Avenue and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 381 Robbins Avenue), sharing clergy, staff, and ministries while continuing to celebrate the Mass and devotions of both communities.
- Merger effective July 1, 2024
- Announced by Bishop David J. Bonnar of Youngstown
- Name chosen by parishioner vote
- Multi-site parish: St. Stephen Church + Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
- Parish Code 611 in the Diocese of Youngstown
- Deanery: Trumbull
Visiting St. Stephen Church
St. Stephen Church is located at 129 W. Park Avenue in Niles, Ohio, two blocks west of the intersection of Route 46 and Park Avenue. The parish office serving both campuses is at 381 Robbins Avenue, Niles, OH 44446, and is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (closed 12:30–1:00 PM for lunch). Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed at all liturgies and parish events.
- Address: 129 W. Park Ave., Niles, OH 44446
- Parish Office: 381 Robbins Ave., Niles, OH 44446
- Phone: 330-652-5825
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (closed 12:30–1:00 PM)
- Directions: 2 blocks west of Route 46 & Park Avenue
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Stoker1853–
First priest to administer sacraments to Niles' Catholic families, traveling from Dungannon, Columbiana County.
- Rev. A.R. Siddley1865–
First resident pastor, appointed by Bishop Rappe in July 1865; built the pastoral residence and purchased land for the cemetery.
- Rev. E.J. Conway
Succeeded Father Siddley; pastorate lasted only three months.
- Rev. Rebelled1868–
Organized the parish's parochial school.
- Rev. Kelleyleft May 1871
- Rev. O'Brien1888
Began raising funds for the new (present) church.
- Rev. Desmond1888–
Continued the fundraising for the new church.
- Rev. Scullin1888–1900
Completed the foundation and oversaw construction of the new brick church (dedicated 1892) and the new brick school (1900).