Bishop Earl Fernandes and five diocesan priests concelebrated the closing Mass for Heath St. Leonard Church on Sunday, Feb. 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
The bishop had announced the closing of the parish in a decree issued Jan. 15 that said its boundaries would be added to those of Newark St. Francis de Sales Church.
In his homily on the closing, the bishop said, “Today, although it is a sad day, a difficult day for many of you, I understand, it is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the many blessings and graces He has poured out in this temple, which was built for His glory, built as a place for Him to encounter His people.
“We give thanks to God for the PIME Fathers who built this parish and whose first staff included some of the diocesan priests here present who have helped to bring the sacraments, Christ’s presence, to the holy people of God.
“We give thanks to God for the new life He gave through the waters of baptism, for those couples who witnessed to true love by getting married in this church, the young people who were confirmed here, who received Christ in Holy Communion.
“God has chosen this place for a particular period and time to pour out grace upon grace upon grace; for His people to see what Simeon saw: salvation; to experience mercy and tenderness in the confessional, or through the Sacrament of the Sick. This, then, is an opportunity to say ‘thank you.’”
“Now certainly, St. Leonard’s will be combined with St. Francis de Sales and we hope that many of you go and participate in the life of the parish. … We hope that the Holy Spirit, if you are open to it, will lead you to that place where you need to be so that you tell others about Jesus and what He has done for you.”
Celebrating the Mass with the bishop were Father David Sizemore, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church; Fathers Michael Gentry and PeterClaver Kasasa Kiviiri, parochial vicars there; Msgr. Paul Enke and Father Charles Cotton.
The parish was given the name St. Leonard in honor of the Leonardo DiGiandomenico family, which donated the land for it in 1962 so there would be a parish to serve Heath.
That community borders Newark and was expanding rapidly at the time because of the growth of suburban shopping areas and the presence of Newark Air Force Base, established in 1953 for equipment storage, repairs and calibration. The base was closed in 1996 and is now an industrial park known as the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center.
The church building was dedicated in 1964 and a new church and religious education classrooms were dedicated in 1989.
Its pastors have been Father Edwin McNulty; Father Charles Sala, PIME; Father Dávid Petry; Father Harry Schneider; Father Michael Reis; Father William Ferguson and Father William Hritsko. Fathers Schneider (1983-1998) and Reis (1998-2013) had the longest pastoral tenures of 15 years each. The PIME Missionary Fathers provided assistance for many years because their former seminary, later the Sts. Peter and Paul Retreat Center, was located nearby.