History

PARISH HISTORY

In 1893 the parish of St. Agnes was established, at the corner of East 79^{th Street and Euclid Avenue, to meet the pastoral needs of the many German and Irish immigrants of the Euclid, Hough and Central neighborhoods. Rev. Gilbert Jennings was the first pastor.}

^{In 1949, Our Lady of Fatima was formed on Lexington Avenue; created from an area previous served by St. Agnes. The first parish church was the former Ball Park Movie Theater, located directly across from historic League Park, home of the Cleveland Indians until 1932. The first pastor was the Rev. Raymond Smith. By the 1950s, Our Lady of Fatima had become a Hispanic parish, and by the 1960s, St. Agnes had become a mostly African American parish.}

^{The Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, a religious order of priests and brothers, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, first assumed pastoral leadership of Our Lady of Fatima in March of 1958, and later of St. Agnes, in August of 1962. They brought to the parish extensive pastoral experience with the African American and Hispanic community.}

^{The social and demographic changes in the Hough area during the 1960s and 70s resulted in the merger of these two parish communities in 1980. It was decided to keep both names and thus St. Agnes-Our Lady of Fatima was born. The new worship site was Our Lady of Fatima, located on Lexington Avenue. As a sign of parish unity and commitment to authentically Black and truly Catholic worship, the new church and offices were built by the Diocese of Cleveland, constructed adjacent to Our Lady of Fatima, which is now Schubert parish hall. Bishop Anthony Pilla and the late Bishop James Lyke, OFM, dedicated the building on April 16, 1983.}

^{The 1990’s saw a great period of growth for St. Agnes – Our Lady of Fatima under the leadership of Father Michael K. Barth, ST. Activities increased, and the liaison with St. Thomas School reflected the parish’s commitment to education and to youth. The formation of the Wisdom Council gave recognition to the long time and respected members of the community, so much a part of African culture and heritage. In June of 2000 the new, 26, 000 sq.ft. Fatima Family Center opened and has ushered in a whole new list of opportunities and services for the parish and larger community.}

^{In 2004, the Missionary Servants requested that the pastoral care of the parish be returned to the Diocese. After consultation and prayer, and recognizing the long time commitment of a religious community’s presence, Bishop Pilla invited the Capuchin Franciscan Friars of the Province of Pittsburgh to assume the care of the parish, appointing Father Bob Marva, OFM Cap. The new pastor in August, 2004.}