Correspondent photo / Sean Barron... Longtime close friends Margaret Cole of Boardman and Karen Boros of Austintown, attend a prayer service Sunday at St. Columba Cathedral to remember St. Stanislaus Parish. , which closed in late 2021. Both women attended school at the parish that opened in 1902.

YOUNGSTOWN — Margaret Cole laughed when she recalled how, for decades, her mother had made cookies to include with her and her seven siblings’ lunches, only to have longtime friend Karen Boros claim all of the treats as her own.

“It is a family-oriented church,” Cole, of Boardman, said, referring to St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish on the South Side, where she also attended grades 5-8. She also was married there on Aug. 7, 1971.

Mixed in with Cole’s humorous recollections of being deprived of the cookies are sadness and a sense of loss related to the beloved church, which was established in 1902 and closed in 2021 largely because of changing demographics and a dwindling population.

Cole and Boros were among an estimated 120 parishioners who attended a somber and special prayer service and program Sunday afternoon at St. Columba Cathedral to remember and honor St. Stanislaus.

Despite rumors that St. Stanislaus Parish might be torn down, various options are being evaluated, with no concrete plans made, noted Justin Huyck, the Diocese’s communications director. He added that the final weekend Mass there was June 28, 2020.

FOND MEMORIES

Another beloved memory Cole carries is having met Boros in fifth grade, which provided the groundwork for their friendship to blossom and grow.

“We’re like sisters,” said Cole, whose mother worked with the parish’s priests and nuns.

“The best part about going to school (at St. Stanislaus) was that you had the same 21 kids. We made good friendships,” recalled Boros, of Austintown, who attended grades one through eight at the parish, where she also was married June 8, 1974.

Boros noted that most of the regular members returned each Sunday to sit in the same pews for Mass.

Another fond piece of childhood lore she remembered about St. Stanislaus was riding on the large buffing machine used to clean the floors, as well as how all cleaning activity ceased when someone entered the sanctuary to pray in the vicinity of its statues.

“You became one of the statues,” Boros said, adding that her parents, siblings, aunts and uncles also were married at the church, and that her own wedding is her fondest memory. Her oldest daughter, Kcey Anthony, was baptized there.

Delivering the homily at Sunday’s gathering was Youngstown Bishop David A. Bonnar, who explained that St. Stanislaus is part of a life continuum of stories that provide meaning and inspiration – some of which also are sacred.

That provided the impetus to gather in remembrance of the parish, something that also is unnatural, difficult and painful, Bonnar said. He compared the church closing and its aftermath to a parent having to bury a child.

“This is not something we expect to do,” Bonnar said about the closing. “And yet, this is something that has happened too many times in my two years here in this portion of the Lord’s vineyard.”

Sunday’s gathering also was to give thanks that many generations of parishioners were able to etch their “fingerprints and footprints” on the church’s legacy wall.

“I empathize with you, my brothers and sisters,” Bonnar said, adding, “I am so sorry for your hurt and loss.”

Even though the church’s history may have ended, Bonnar said God’s love endures and is always present.

“He will not leave us an orphan,” the bishop added.

The Scripture reading was from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, which stresses in part the importance of taking God’s forgiveness and using it toward others, allowing the peace of Jesus Christ to control one’s heart, letting the word of Christ dwell in one’s heart and doing everything in the name of Christ.

MEMORABILIA

During the program in the parish hall next to the church, numerous copies of hymnals and other items written in Polish were on hand. A video depicting St. Stanislaus’ history also was shown.

Stella Olak of Boardman, who joined St. Stanislaus more than 60 years ago at age 18, held several copies of the hymn books, titled “Oremus Cantantes.” Each was dedicated to a St. Stanislaus member, including one in memory of her late husband, Joseph Olak.

Other mementos included a table filled with bricks, on each of which was inscribed the name and memory of a deceased church member. The dark red bricks had been part of St. Stanislaus’ centennial garden planted in 2002, and were available for congregants to place in their gardens, Joan Lawson, the Diocese’s archivist, said.

Despite the church’s closing in late 2021, numerous documents, records and mementos have been saved, preserved, catalogued or donated to other parishes, she noted. Those include photographs, history books, marriage, finance and death records, resettlement papers, sacred banners, kitchen equipment, the Polish flag that had been in the cafeteria and church bulletins.

“Your memories of St. Stanislaus are precious,” Lawson added.

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