Staff photo / R. Michael Semple The Rev. Michael Swierz, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Hubbard, shows off the newly remodeled church and restored stained-glass windows in it. A fire nearly three years ago caused extensive damage to the main church building.

HUBBARD — On Jan. 18, 2021, the congregation of St. Patrick Parish was dealt a devastating blow when a fire damaged much of the church’s sanctuary.

The Rev. Michael Swierz, the church’s pastor, said originally, the goal was to reopen the 60-year-old church for Christmas, but with additional work being completed, plans now call for a late winter opening.

“It has been hard to put a date on it,” Swierz said. “The elevator is being worked on, and there are parts for the project still coming in at the end of December.”

Minor damage to the new doors, along with other parts, has held up the project, but the church is making the best of it.

For Christmas, Masses are being said in the parish center next to the church.

“The parish center has worked for parishioners for funerals, baptisms and other events,” Swierz said. “It holds 475 people. There is a closeness that comes with that building.”

Swierz said work that has been done to restore the church includes replacing the back wall of the sanctuary, including the cement block, replacing the structure that supports the roof, redoing the roof inside and outside, replacing the marble floor in the sanctuary, replacing and strengthening the beams under the floor, refinishing the pews, rebuilding and upgrading the organ, replacing heating and air conditioning, cleaning the stained glass windows, replacing the sound system, installing new lighting and bringing the building up to code.

‘When you see all the work that has been needed, you can see why it has taken so long,” Swierz said.

He said the parish had dealt with the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 by worshiping online, hosting a drive-thru for Palm Sunday and fish dinners and keeping in touch with people by phone calls.

“Our church community has not been together in the church since before COVID-19,” he said, before adding the Ohio State Fire Marshal has listed the cause of the fire as undetermined.

For 2024, Swierz said he looks forward to being back inside the church with the congregation.

“After the fire, many things came to a stop inside the church,” Swierz said. “I am looking forward to the fellowship and social activities that we can resume in the church.”

Along with events returning to the church, congregation members will return as well. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, members have gotten used to watching church from home. Then the fire happened, and members continued to stay home. But Deacon Michael Medvec sees the congregation as the people, not necessarily the building.

“There are some parishioners who have not returned because of the fire. They say once the church is open, they will be returning,” he said. “I feel you should come to church no matter where it is because it is the people who are the church. They got used to worshiping online by watching the video. They did not come back to the parish center. It will be a glorious day when we reopen and they come back.”

Medvec added that St. Patrick has seen an increase in parishioners because other churches have closed or merged in recent years.

“We are a very strong faith-filled community,” Medvec said. “We have gone through COVID. We have gone through the fire, and everybody has stayed together.”

Karen Bartos, a congregation member, is looking forward to the new year and added there are plans for the First Communion celebration in May to be in the church.

“I am looking forward to those children and their parents celebrating in the church,” she said.

Many church events at St. Patrick, such as the annual summer festival, have been outside, but Bartos is excited to see indoor events return to the church as well.

“We had many other Catholic churches open their doors for us so we can celebrate weddings in their churches with our parishioners, Swierz said. “We have received donations and prayers from people from throughout the Valley and across the country supporting us after what we went through.”

Swierz, pastor of the church and president of St. Joseph the Provider School in Youngstown, also has taken on the extra responsibility of overseeing the rebuild of the church.

‘It was a lot of additional work placed on him besides what he typically already does during his days. It has been a lot,” Medvec said of Swierz.