Prior to the year 1850 very few Catholics lived in the Salem area. However, around 1853 with the building of the railroads from Pittsburgh to Ft. Wayne and Chicago, Irish Catholic laborers began settling in Salem and its vicinity. Sometime between 1853 and 1855 Father William O’Connor visited Salem and offered Mass in the home of Michael Derrick. It was difficult for Catholics to settle in Salem because of some prejudice. This reality discouraged any thought of organizing a permanent parish at that time. For the next thirteen or fourteen years, the few Catholic families living in Salem attended Mass either in Alliance or Leetonia. Fathers Striker, Welsh, Prendergast, Ludwick, Moes, Peter, who served in Dungannon, and Father Mulcahey, a professor at Louisville College, occasionally provided Mass for the Catholics in Salem.
It was 1868 that Father Eli W.J. Lindesmith, resident pastor of Alliance, who also conducted services in Leetonia, took charge of the Salem Mission. The first record of Father Lindesmith offering Mass in Salem was on January 22, 1869 in the home of John Shannon. He continued to offer Mass once a month on a weekday in one of their homes and four times a year on Sunday at the Town Hall, whenever there were five Sundays in a month.
On October 27, 1869 Father Lindesmith offered Mass in the home of Mrs. Ann O’Connor and announced to those assembled that he had chosen Saint Paul as the name and patron of the new mission, appointing January 25, Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, as the patronal feast of the new mission.
On May 24, 1872 Father Lindesmith was transferred from the Alliance parish to be the new pastor of Saint Patrick Parish in Leetonia, from which place he continued to serve the mission in Salem. In March of 1873 Father had purchased church lots for $800 on East Main Street (now State Street), and the Easter collection of March 30, 1873, which amounted to $51.45, was used as a down payment on the lots.
On July 10, 1880 Father Lindesmith resigned his pastorate to join the United States Cavalry as a chaplain in the Indian Wars, which were raging in the West at that time. Father Lindesmith served as chaplain in the Army for eleven years and later died at the age of ninety-four, and was buried in Dungannon, Ohio, where a large memorial marks his grave
In July of 1880 Father Clement Treiber arrived as the first resident pastor of Saint Paul Parish in Salem. He found fifteen Catholic families residing in the city and ten in the countryside. With this small group, he began plans for the erection of a permanent church. He celebrated Mass for one year in the Town Hall. A frame church was erected and the cornerstone laid in early 1881. This church was built and completely furnished at a total cost of $3,600. The compleited edifice was dedicated by the Most Reverend Richard Gilmour, Bishop of the Cleveland Diocese, on November 28, 1886.
An account of the dedication in one of the Salem newspapers noted how pleased the Bishop was with the appearance of things in Salem and the future prospects of the parish. The evening after the dedication Bishop Gilmour conducted a special lecture in the town’s Concert Hall to a large assembly, many of whom were not Catholics. His address was well received and was the means of dispelling much of the prejudice that prevailed against the Catholic Church at that time.
In the Spring of 1887 Father Treiber added an addition of 26 x 50 ft. to the church, almost as large as the original structure, in order to accommodate the increasing membership of the parish. The addition cost $1,000 and provided an enlarged sanctuary an two sacristies. The construction was still underway when Father Treiver was transferred to Crestline, Ohio, and succeeded by Father Finucan in July of 1887. However, the latter was obliged to resign in a short time because of ill health and seek a milder climate.
Father Senner was the newly appointed pastor in 1888 and served in that capacity till September 15, 1897, when he was transferred to Louisville, Ohio. Under his prudent and careful management the parish debt was paid off and the first rectory built adjoining the church at a cost of $1,200. The erection of a parish house caused some surprise and amazement in the community, since only one other church in town was able to provide a rectory for its pastor., Also, during Father Senners’s pastorate the interior of the church was remodeled , the walls frescoed , and the floors covered with carpets and mats, At that time the parish numbered about one hundered families. Father Senner was succeeded by Fathers Schonemann, Conlon, Lentsch, Moran, Gerhardstein, Hanrahan, and Manning.
The first School was built in 1904, while Father Thomas F. Conlon was pastor, at a cost of $12,000. Three Sisters of the Humility of Mary served the parish, two as teachers, Sister Clementina Foley and Sister Teresa McCarthy and Sister DeChantal Lanigan, as housekeeper to the nuns.
Father Henry Gerhardstein succeeded Father Conlon in 1906 and remained as pastor till 1913. Father Thomas A. Hanrahan then took over the direction of the parish till 1918. During this time at Saint Paul Parish he assisted in the organization and building of the Salem City Hospital.
The Sisters’ Convent was built in 1925 by Father Alfred J. Manning, who served as pastor from 1918 to 1928, when he was transferred to Alliance. Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Cleveland then appointed Father Maurice J. Casey pastor of Saint Paul Parish in July of 1928. Father Casey arrived to find a substantial building fund already on hand in anticipation of a new and larger church. Father Vincent Jones was appointed assistant to Father Casey on April 25, 1929. After months of careful study and thought, a decision was finally reached and ground broken for the new church in August of 1930.
Additional property had to be purchased. The rectory, once located where the convent now stands on State Street, was moved to a point south of the new church on Ohio Avenue, so that the church building might occupy a commanding position at the corner of State Street and Ohio Avenue. On the afternoon of October 5, 1930, Msgr. Clement Treiber laid the cornerstone for the new church. He was the parish’s first pastor and he represented Bishop Schrembs at the ceremony.
It cost slightly more than $100,000 to build the church and bell tower. The total parish properties were valued at approximately $300,000 at that time.
In June 1931 Bishop Joseph Schrembs, accompanied by dozens of priests from the Cleveland Diocese, dedicated the new church. Father William S. Nash preached the dedication homily and the choir on this occasion was directed by Miss Helen Redinger.
Father Casey was succeeded by Father Joseph Mahan in January of 1938. However, Father Mahan’s untimely death, August 7, 1942 left the pastorate vacant until Father J. Richard Gaffney was appointed in January of 1943. By 1948 the church debt was cleared, making way for a refurbishing of the interior, including all new chandeliers in time for Christmas 1950.
In May of 1954 the present new school was begun by Father Gaffney, the first section being ready for classes after the Easter holydays in 1955, when the demolition of the old school began. The four rooms in the section were ready for class by the end of January 1956.
In July of 1968 Father Albert J. Rzendarski succeeded Father Gaffney, who had retired, and after one year was himself succeeded by Father George Popovich. After three years Father Popovich was transferred to Youngstown and in June of 1972, Father Blaine F. Pierce, arrived from Conneaut, Ohio to assume charge of the parish.
Early in March of 1975, Father Blaine Pierce organized a Finance Committee to discuss plans to completely renovate the church structure in response to the liturgical changes that Vatican II initiated. The Council called for greater involvement of the laity at Mass. So that the people could participate more fully in the sacred liturgy, the Mass was to be celebrated facing the people. The prayers were to be spoken in the vernacular language instead of Latin.
In the sanctuary the eleven-foot altar and baldachino were disassembled. The altar was placed in the center of the sanctuary in order that the Mass could be celebrated facing the people. The altar was then rebuilt to its present size of seven feet, six inches (7′ 6″), The remaining three feet six inches of the old altar was used to create a Eucharistic shrine for the tabernacle in the southwest of the sanctuary. The stone Communion Rail and the three feet high stone wall or riser behind it were removed and open steps built out from the sanctuary towards the pews. A credence table was made from pieces of the Communion Rail and placed in the southeast corner of the sanctuary. The Paschal Lamb, frontispiece of the old altar, was imbedded in the sanctuary wall above the credence table. The massive stone pulpit was cut down to proportionate size and relocated a bit closer to the altar. The baptismal font was moved near the sanctuary according to new liturgical norms.
All chandeliers were refitted and new covers were designed and built for the wall radiators. The interior was then completely painted, except for the ceiling beams, which were merely washed to preserve their original state.
Also in line with the documents of Vatican II there was a growing emphasis on the role of the laity in the ministry of the church. At this time Father Pierce hired Donna Dermotta to coordinate the C.C.D. Program for the parish. Father William Kraynak began the R.C.I.A. program. Father Pierce retired from active ministry in 1984 and remained the Pastor Emeritus of Saint Paul Parish until his death in 2005.
In 1984 Father Joseph Malik was appointed as pastor by Bishop James W. Malone, the Bishop of Youngstown. Father Malik encouraged greater cooperation between the school and the parish C.C.D. Program. During the five years that he served as pastor, he increased the staff by hiring Eileen Novotny to coordinate the R.C.I.A.
In 1989 Father Gerald DeLucia was appointed as the 19th pastor of Saint Paul Parish. During the short time that he served as pastor he hired John Zamarelli to coordinate the music program for the parish. He also hired Aimee Raymond to serve as a pastoral minister working primarily with the bereaved. In 1990 Father Francis Hughes served as the interim pastor for one year. He had a wonderful ability in remembering people’s names.
In 1991 Bishop James W. Malone appointed Fr. James A. Clarke as the next pastor of Saint Paul Parish. This was Fr. Clarke’s first parish as a pastor. He came to the parish after working many years in the chancery for Bishop Malone. He increased and developed a very active parish staff. He hired Donna Lynn to do home visitation for the sick. He hired Rich Mattucci as the Director of Religious Education. He hired Sondra O’Donnell to be responsible part time for Youth Ministry. During his time as pastor, he air-conditioned the church and purchased a new organ. He re-painted the church. He worked closely with Parish Council to establish the parish Mission Statement. In 2000 he was appointed by Bishop Thomas Tobin as the new pastor of Saint Paul Parish in North Canton, Ohio.
Father Thomas C. Eisweirth served for fourteen years as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish. Youngstown, Ohio and he also served as the Advisor to the Priests’ Personnel Board for ten years. In 2000 Bishop Tobin appointed Father Eisweirth as the twenty-second pastor of Saint Paul Parish, Salem, Ohio. In 2003 the bishop appointed Father Thomas McCarthy as his Liaison to the Retired Clergy and the Advisor to the Priests’ Personnel Board. At that time, Father McCarthy moved to Salem and he remains a significant part of the Saint Paul Community.
Since his appointment as pastor, Father Eisweirth has emphasized the role of the laity in ministry. He worked with several committees in the parish to re-organize the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Council. Many people are involved in ministry at this time and this is truly a sign of vitality and stewardship. He has worked closely with the parish staff as new people were hired and some retired. These are the present members of the parish staff: Sister Mary McFadden, S.N.D is Pastoral Minister, Mrs. Patty Bauman is Principal of the School, Mrs. Donna Dermotta is Coordinator of Religious Education, Mr. David Markovich is Pastoral Minister & Sacristan, Mrs. Donna Lynn is Pastoral Minister to the Sick, Concetta Yeager is Bookkeeper, Mrs. Judi Allio is the Office Manager, Mrs. Theresa Fithian is the Volunteer Secretary, Mrs. Kathy Mertens is Part-time Youth Minister, Mr. Joseph McKim is the Organist.
In 2004 Saint Paul School celebrated One Hundred Years of Ministry in the City of Salem. The Humility of Mary Sisters served in the school until 2003. The last two sisters to serve in Salem were Sister Dorothea Hurray and Sister Agnes Clare Snyder. They both were very involved in the school as volunteers. They remained very active in their retirement. Sister Dorothea Hurray became ill which required her to move to the Motherhouse. Sister Mary Agnes Snyder remained in the parish for another year before deciding to also move to the Villa. The Sisters of the Humility of Mary were truly a blessing to this community. They helped to form the present spirituality of the people. The former convent is now being utilized as a Parish Center. All the parish offices have been moved out of the rectory. All the parish staff have offices in the Parish Center at 935 East State St.
During the last six years the church building has gone through a complete restoration. The sanctuary has been renovated with new columns that match the other columns in the sanctuary. The pews and floors were all refinished. The pillars were painted in such a way to draw the ceiling art into the body of the church. The crucifix was suspended over the main altar in the sanctuary and hangs in front of the window depicting the Seven Sacraments. Work was also done to refurbish all the stained glass windows and repairs were made to the tower with new interior downspouts.
Saint Paul Parish Staff has worked closely with Pastor William Wilkins of Emmanuel Lutheran and Pastor Connie Sassanella of Holy Trinity Lutheran. The three churches have coordinated prayer services and outreach projects during Advent, Lent, and other times of the year. We have celebrated together on many occasions and we gather each year for a Summer Picnic at the Saxon Club. The three Parishes worked together with the First Christian Church to initiate a project called the Banquet in Salem, which offers a shared meal one evening a week for anyone in need of food or company. Many churches and service groups in the Salem community support the Banquet in Salem at this time.
Saint Paul Parish will continue to be sign and witness of God’s love in the Salem Community for many years to come!
