The Rev. Stephen Popovich, center, holds hands with Jay Chine, left, and Luke Popovich during an Easter service April 16, 2017, at Windsor House in Liberty. The longtime Youngstown Diocese priest died Sunday at 69.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Stephen Popovich spent 42 years serving in various pastoral positions throughout the Mahoning Valley.

He was ordained to the diocese on June 6, 1981. His positions included priest catechist at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville, associate principal at Cardinal Mooney, and at several parishes, including St. Paul Parish in Salem, St. Lucy Parish in Campbell, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Austintown and St. Paul the Apostle Parish in New Middletown.

After a life of ministry, Popovich died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital at the age of 69.

No matter where the beloved Catholic priest found himself, he made a positive impact, according to local residents.

“Wherever Father Popovich landed, whether that be in the school or in parish pastoral ministry, there was a welcoming presence about him,” Monsignor John Zuraw, vicar general of the Diocese of Youngstown, said.

Zuraw said Popovich had a way of making everyone he encountered feel important.

“When he was talking to you, it was ultimately the attention that he gave, he wasn’t thinking about many other things, but he was thinking about how in fact that individual, who he was talking to, was the most important thing at that time,” Zuraw said.

On Nov. 12, 2013, Popovich lost control of his vehicle on an icy road while traveling from his church in New Middletown to the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, where he was doing prison ministry. After sliding on ice, Popovich’s vehicle was hit by a pick-up truck and pushed into a tree, according to newspaper archives. The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down and with reduced use of both arms.

While the accident may have hampered his body, it did not impede his ability and desire to continue ministering to others. Popovich continued to celebrate Mass in a communal room at Windsor House at Liberty Health Care Center.

The facility had an altar specially built to accommodate his motorized wheelchair.

While living at Windsor House, Popovich continued to celebrate regular Masses as minister to its residents.

“People in the residence of the nursing home were able to attend that Mass,” Annalee Hutchison, an administrator with Liberty Healthcare Center, said. “He prayed individually with residents when they were having a tough time. He visited and prayed with families when they were in end-of-life care for loved ones. He gave last rites to several of the residents here as they passed and stayed with their families.”

Hutchison, who said she has known Popovich and his family her entire life, said he was a “light in joyful occasions.”

She said whenever the facility celebrated the holidays or other positive occasions, Popovich was always right by her side, leading the commemoration.

She said Popovich also created a prayer garden at the facility that a lot of the residents and their families used regularly as a place of solace.

“He truly knew his calling and he didn’t let his injury change that,” Hutchison said. “He remained dedicated to his religion and to his patrons, the folks from the different churches, and to the community.”

Zuraw said what Popovich did in his life after the car accident was remarkable. Zuraw said Popovich’s life should stand as an example for everyone.

“He did not let the disability stop him from doing the Lord’s work,” Zuraw said. “It’s a good example for all of us that sometimes (bad) things do in fact come into our lives. We can shut down and do nothing or we can allow the Lord to work in and through us.”

Calling hours for Popovich will be at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Austintown from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday. His funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in New Middletown. Youngstown Bishop David J. Bonnar will preside at the funeral Mass and Father Edward Noga, retired Youngstown St. Patrick Church pastor, will be the homilist.

Zuraw said in the funeral liturgy, there is a prayer that articulates the concept that when someone dies, their life is changed, not ended. He said that the prayer encapsulates the life and ministry of Popovich.

“That not only happened (Sunday) upon his death, but it also happened on Nov. 12, 2013,” Zuraw said. “His life was changed, but his life was not ended. He continued to minister in a wide variety of ways.”

mcole@tribtoday.com