About St. Vitus · Cleveland, Ohio
St. Vitus Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the St. Clair–Superior neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, serving about 700 families in the Diocese of Cleveland. Founded in 1893 by Slovenian immigrants — and consecrated under its current name on November 4, 1894 — it was the first American Slovenian Roman Catholic parish in Ohio. More than 130 years later, it remains a bilingual worshipping community offering Mass in both English and Slovenian every Sunday, with a deep tradition of music, Slovenian cultural life, senior outreach, and parish-based social services.
- Established
- 1893
- Patron
- St. Vitus
- Rector
- Rev. John C. Retar
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
St. Vitus is one of the oldest and most distinctive Slovenian-heritage Catholic communities in the United States, and it is still an active bilingual parish where you can hear Mass celebrated in Slovenian every Sunday. Beyond worship, parishioners find a real network of care — a senior ministry with home visits and Anointing of the Sick, a parish food bank and hot-meal program, the independent-living St. Vitus Village, and long-running choirs (including the Sunday 10:30 AM Slovenian LIRA choir and the 9 AM English choir). For anyone seeking a parish where Slovenian language, music, and Catholic tradition are still lived and passed down to the next generation, St. Vitus is the home.
Mass times at St. Vitus
Weekly Mass schedule
History & Heritage
St. Vitus traces its origins to the first wave of Slovenian immigration to Cleveland in the early 1880s. The parish was formally organized in 1893 by Rev. Vitus Hribar, the first Slovenian priest assigned to the Diocese of Cleveland, and consecrated under its current name in 1894. It is the oldest Slovenian Roman Catholic parish in Ohio. The community built a three-story brick school in 1912 and the present Lombard-Roman church in 1932. Today the parish remains a center for Slovenian Catholic life, language, and music on Cleveland's east side.
Founding & Early Years (1893–1907)
Jožef Turk, considered the first permanent Slovenian immigrant, arrived in Cleveland on October 25, 1881, and was followed by roughly 50 young men. The community grew and encouraged Vitus Hribar to complete his studies in America. He was ordained July 29, 1893, and within days was commissioned to establish a Slovenian parish. Early Masses were celebrated in the chapel of St. Peter Church on East 17th Street. Land at Norwood Road and Glass Avenue was purchased in 1894 for $6,000, and the small wooden church was consecrated November 4, 1894, with the parish named for St. Vitus — the patron saint of its founder. The church was expanded in 1902, and an elementary school staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame was opened.
Building the Present Church & School (1907–1932)
Rev. Bartholomew J. Ponikvar became the second pastor in 1907 and led the parish for 45 years. By then the community numbered about 1,000 families. In 1912 he built a three-story brick school with 18 classrooms and a basement chapel. Plans for a much larger church moved slowly until construction finally began in 1930 and was completed and consecrated on November 20, 1932.
The 1932 Church Building
Designed by architect William Jansen in the Lombard-Roman style (the parish also describes it as Byzantine-Lombard), the present St. Vitus Church seats 1,500 and features twin bell towers and three choir lofts. Its orchestral-sounding pipe organ, built by Cleveland's Holtkamp Organ Company, contains 1,500 wooden and metal pipes. Construction cost was $350,000.
20th- & 21st-Century Growth
Under later pastors the parish expanded its physical plant and outreach: a gymnasium-auditorium was added to the school in 1957, and in 2000 the parish opened St. Vitus Village, a three-story independent-living residence for seniors and the first such project in the St. Clair Avenue neighborhood since World War II. A parish food bank and hot-meal program were also begun.
Sacraments
St. Vitus celebrates Marriage and the Anointing of the Sick. Anointing of the Sick is a particular feature of the Senior Ministry, which brings the sacrament to homebound and hospitalized parishioners.
- Marriage — scheduled through the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — offered through the Senior Ministry to homebound and hospitalized parishioners
Music & Liturgy
Music is a defining feature of St. Vitus. The parish maintains two main Sunday choirs and a youth choir, plus a separate Christmas Concert Choir founded by parish staff.
- 9 AM Choir (English Sunday Mass) — directed by Stane Kuhar since 1977
- LIRA Choir (Slovenian 10:30 AM Sunday Mass) — directed by John V. Srsen
- Youth Choir — directed by John V. Srsen
- Pevski Zbor Korotan and Fantje na Vasi — Slovenian choral ensembles directed by Stane Kuhar
- Saturday Slovenian School — music instruction
Councils & Ministries
St. Vitus runs the standard parish councils along with several long-standing lay organizations and outreach ministries.
- Pastoral Council
- Parish Finance Council (established February 1987, one of the first in the Diocese of Cleveland)
- St. Vitus Holy Name Society — once nearly 500 members; monthly Mass and meeting
- Senior Ministry (since 1985) — Sister Mary Avsec, S.N.D.
- Parish food bank and hot-meal program
Senior Ministry
Begun in 1985, the Senior Ministry assists older parishioners with medical and other paperwork, transportation when possible, and home visits that often include reception of the Eucharist. Sister Mary Avsec, S.N.D., has served as Pastoral Minister since 1990. Shut-ins receive visits, Communion, and a small gift at Christmas, and Anointing of the Sick is brought to those who request it.
Parish Staff
St. Vitus is served by a small lay staff alongside the pastor and in-residence priest. The Saturday Slovenian School meets on parish grounds, and music directors lead multiple choirs.
- Rev. John C. Retar — Pastor
- Rev. Cirilo A. Nacorda — Priest in Residence
- Sister Mary Avsec, S.N.D. — Pastoral Minister
- Joseph V. Hocevar — Business Manager
- Stane Kuhar — Parish Finance Director (since 2003)
- John V. Srsen — Choral Director, LIRA Choir; Choral Director, Youth Choir
- Mark Torres — Manager, St. Vitus Village (since May 2025)
- Joanne Celestina — Parish Secretary (since 2019)
- Marge Kuhar — Parish Secretary (since 1993)
- Betty Svekric — Saturday Secretary; food bank lead coordinator
Parish Grounds & St. Vitus Village
The St. Vitus campus includes the church, rectory, and St. Vitus Village — a three-story independent-living facility for seniors opened in 2000 and operated by the St. Vitus Development Corporation. The Village was the first concentrated new senior housing built in the St. Clair Avenue neighborhood since the end of World War II.
- St. Vitus Church
- Rectory (6019 Lausche Avenue)
- St. Vitus Village — independent living for seniors; manager Mark Torres (since May 2025); phone (216) 361-0300
Visit, Contact & Connect
The parish welcomes visitors and parishioners to Mass and to its weekday services. The rectory is open Monday–Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
- Address: 6019 Lausche Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103
- Rectory phone: (216) 361-1444
- Text the parish: (844) 715-3524
- Sacramental records: [email protected]
- St. Vitus Village: (216) 361-0300
- Website: http://saintvitus.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Vitus Hribar1893–1907
Founding pastor; born March 29, 1870 in Zgornji Tuhinj, Slovenia; ordained July 29, 1893 in Cleveland; died May 26, 1956.
- Msgr. Bartholomew J. Ponikvar1907–1952
Immigrant seminarian; led construction of the 1912 school and the 1932 church; 45-year tenure; died March 30, 1952.
- Msgr. Louis B. Baznik1952–1969
Born and baptized at St. Vitus; ordained April 23, 1935 in Cleveland; died March 7, 1993.
- Rev. Rudolph Praznik1969–1975
Born March 13, 1914 in Dolenje Jezero, Slovenia; ordained May 1940 in Cleveland; died March 3, 1975.
- Rev. A. Edward Pevec, Ph.D.1975–1979
Born April 16, 1925 in Cleveland; ordained April 29, 1950; later appointed Titular Bishop of Mercia and Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland; died December 14, 2014.
- Rev. Joseph P. Božnar1979–2021
Born March 19, 1944 in Pristava near Polhov Gradec, Slovenia; ordained May 30, 1970 in Cleveland; began the parish food bank and hot-meal programs; oversaw St. Vitus Village.
- Rev. John C. Retar2021–present
Seventh pastor; ordained May 17, 2003 in Cleveland by Bishop Anthony Pilla; installed by Bishop Edward Malesic on August 13, 2022.