Holy Spirit's 40th Anniversary

Our Holy Spirit Stories

Robert and Bernice Manofsky - Charter Members

How good it is, how pleasant, where the people dwell as one!

Psalm 133:1

Our Journey......when we moved to Uniontown in 1974, we were surprised and somewhat disappointed to find that Catholic churches were so far away. We joined St. Paul Church in North Canton. Eventually, we approached Fr. John Murray for the need of a church in the Uniointown-Hartville area. On 9-11-77 a Mission was started. We celebrated mass in a bank, funeral home, school cafeteria. Also, some masses were said in homes. We were filled with the "Holy Spirit!" We were asked to do things that we hadn't done before, proclaimers, servers and anything else Fr. Murray asked us to do. After reading at mass my second time, one of our sons said, "Mom, "your legs didn't shake as bad this time." One of our sons received his first Holy Communion in the elementary school cafeteria. Our daughter and other girls asked if they could serve at mass, and were given permission to do so. They were possibly the first to do so in the Catholic Church. CCD classes were taught in homes. A youth group was started. After mass serving cookies, to promote community, was a must. A steering committee was formed and eagerly started searching for property. The buildings on the property purchased were formerly a Boy's Club and were in need of a lot of repair. Members spent a lot of time cleaning, repairing and stripping woodwork. They jokingly called themselves "the Holy Spirit Strippers." Occasionally, a curious "masked visitor," a raccoon, surprised us at the house. In the evening after working on the building we roasted hot dogs in the hallow where the parking lot is now. We worked, but we also had a lot of fun. Community continued to be formed. Our parish continues to grow and has been an asset to the Uniontown-Hartville area. We, personally, have been blessed to have been involved in the formation of this parish community.
Thanks be to God.

Mark Violand - Member Since 1980

I have memories of sitting at the intersection of 619 and Cleveland Avenue when I was a teenager. I am sitting at the light, in my ‘66’ Chevelle, which is full of friends and saying, “this would be a cool place to live”. As they say, the rest is history. My late wife Maggie and I joined Holy Spirit Church in August of 1980, the month and year we were married. We raised our three daughters Jessica, Claire (Hobbs), and Alyssa (Bauman) there. Some of my earliest memories are of Cheri Schulz playing the home type organ donated to the church by Fr. Ed’s parents. Either Maggie or I led the congregation in music at many of the Masses we attended. What is now Anne Weeks office was the first cry room in the church. What are now the offices and small meeting room was the Sacristy. The first cry room was in the basement of Fr. Ed’s home, where I spent a number of Masses watching my girls while Maggie sang. I was watching other people’s children as well. Fr. Ed’s home, if you can picture, was where the peace pole is. You could walk out the side door of what is now the large meeting, cross the sidewalk that is still there, and walk directly into the side door of his home. We out grew the “church-of-the-folding-chairs” pretty quickly. And then what joy and what a celebration the day we moved into our new church. Great memories and still making them.