Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, the cradle of Canton Catholicism, turns 200

CANTON − For 200 years, she has been a graceful presence at the northwest corner of what is now McKinley Avenue and Sixth Street NW.

On Nov. 5, the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist at 627 McKinley Ave. NW will celebrate its 200th anniversary with a special Mass at 10:30 a.m., followed by a dinner at the Brookside Country Club in Jackson Township.

Bishop David Bonnar, head of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, will be the chief celebrant.

"From its humble beginnings celebrating Mass at Shorb Farm, to the beauty of Saint John Basilica today, the mission and activity of this parish family for the past 200 years has originated from the sacred liturgy which is the source and summit of our faith," Bonnar said. "What we celebrate today is a greatness that transcends the beauty and architecture of this dwelling.

"We celebrate the service of God’s people, clergy, religious and faithful, the living stones who have lived out the faith in this portion of the Lord’s vineyard for 200 years. They have been missionary disciples coming here so that they can go forth to be humble servants and proclaimers of God’s word."

What's the history of the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist?

Thomas Jefferson was president when the Shorbs, Canton's first Catholic family, arrived in 1807 a year after the the city was founded. In 1817, the Rev. Edward Fenwick celebrated the first Mass for Canton's 15 Catholic families beneath an oak tree on land belonging to John Shorb.

Wood from that tree was later fashioned into a chair and presented to the parish by Ellen Shorb Moore in 1909. It remains on display to this day.

In 1823, Fenwick, who became Ohio's first Catholic bishop, granted the Cantonians permission to establish a parish and build the first Saint John on five acres of land donated by Shorb, a German immigrant.

Unfortunately, John Shorb died from an accident on the construction site before the original Saint John could be completed in 1824.

In time, the parish outgrew its original structure. Construction on the present Gothic-style church began in 1870. It was designed by Renwick & Kiely, the same architectural firm that designed St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, which was being built at the same time.

Saint John was dedicated on Dec. 29, 1872. In recognition of its 150th anniversary, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

In 2012, the landmark parish was elevated to "minor basilica" status by the Vatican, to recognize its historical and architectural value and its service and contributions to the wider community. As a minor basilica, Saint John can display a pope's personal coat of arms, as well as its own, which identifies it as a "Cathedral Church of the Pope."

Rev. David Misbrener: 'I love the outreach the parish provides to the poor in the area.'

The Rev. David Misbrener was appointed pastor of St. John and neighboring St. Peter parish in September.

"What makes it special, in my opinion is, I love the outreach the parish provides to the poor in the area," he said. "It's also the liturgy and the music and the reverence that is here; the faithfulness of the people, who come here from every part of the city and even outside of the city. I feel right at home."

Prior to St. John and St. Peter, Misbrener served parishes in Columbiana, East Palestine and at St. Peter of the Fields in Rootstown for 14 years.

Despite the challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic — and the dearth of available priests — Misbrener said both parishes are doing well.

"I tell people that 50 years ago, these two parishes had seven priests between them; St. John had four, and St. Peter's had three," he said. "Today, I don't know if there's seven in the city proper."

Robert Sullivan: 'It's just a friendly place.'

Robert "Bobby" Sullivan has been St. John director of music and liturgy for 27 years. He also serves St. Peter.

At St. John, Sullivan can be found playing a pipe organ built and installed by Kegg Pipe Organ Builders of Hartville in 2004. It features 78 ranks, wood carvings and 5,000 gold facade pipes.

"It's just a friendly place," he said. "People drive here from as far away as New Philadelphia. Father Ronald Klingler was good friend of mine and easy to work for. So was Father (John) Sheridan."

Klingler, a Canton native who died in 2020, served St. John and the Basilica for 29 years. Sheridan recently was reassigned to serve in Massillon.

Sullivan said the music for Sunday's anniversary Mass will feature a brass quintet, strings and a choir combined from the two parishes.

"The music here is different; we don't have guitars," he said.

The interior of the Basilica illustrates the story of the parish's long history. The wooden pews, which "squeak and squawk," Sullivan said, are the originals installed in 1870.

Its iconic white marble altar was donated by parishioner Joseph Dick. The terra cotta Stations of the Cross were made in Bavaria and donated by Mrs. W.A. McCrea in honor of her parents, who were wed in the original St. John in 1838.

A cusp of change in America

An altar honoring the Virgin Mary was donated in 1906 in memory of Frances A. Alexander. A second altar, devoted to St. Joseph, was given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Alexander, also in 1906. The stained-glass windows which illustrate Jesus' life as told through the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary were installed in 1909.

The origins of a wood-carved, near life-sized replica of Michelangelo's "Pieta" remain a mystery, Sullivan said, adding that it was displayed over the main altar for decades until the 1980s when the sanctuary was remodeled. It now sits at the rear on the church.

The parish also is a testament to religious freedom in a country where Catholics were not always welcome. St. John was founded on donated land because while city founder Bezaleel Wells designated land for Protestant churches, he made no such arrangement for Catholics.

"The 1820s were on a cusp of change in America," said Joan Lawson, chancellor and archivist for the Diocese of Youngstown. "In the early days of the republic, many citizens of the new United States took seriously the premise of a freedom of religious belief. While the cultural and legal discrimination that Catholics had experienced in the Colonial period had not completely disappeared, at least there was more civility accorded them and their right to their religious expression was recognized."

Lawson pointed out that the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the congressional plan for governing the Ohio territory, stipulated that "No person demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship, or religious sentiments in the said territory."

"That is the spirit in which itinerant priests traveled Ohio in the 1810s, when Catholics in Canton were enough in number to attract missionaries to preside at Mass," she said.

"Bishop Edward Fenwick (1768-1832), who ministered to the Catholics in Canton during his travels, noted sometimes that Protestants would attend his Masses, happy to have any kind of religious service in areas of low population. Thus, there was here and there, some mixing among the people. However, despite the ideals of the early republic, and the sometimes mixing, it is not surprising that Catholics would be treated differently from Protestants when it came to apportioning land for a church."

However, as the percentage of Catholic immigrants increased, so did anti-Catholicism.

"After the 1840s, there would be more blatant anti-Catholicism in the air as Protestants looked on the heavy influx especially of the Irish as a threat," Lawson said. "Their expressed concern was usually that a Catholic would be more loyal to the Pope than to the Constitution."

The graves of Shorb and his wife, Catharine, can be found on the Basilica's grounds, remnants of a cemetery which occupied part of the land. It was moved north, to 1918 Walden Ave. NW in 1905, Sullivan said.

The church's park-like grounds still serve as an oasis in a struggling neighborhood.

"We've had some vandalism, but most people are respectful because they know we feed them," Sullivan said, referring to the Samaritan's Table, the parish's hot-meal ministry which serves 600 people a week, and conducts grocery giveaways. "It's a church that reaches out to everyone. We have very rich people here and very poor people here, which is unusual."

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In 2008, clocks in the church's steeple were updated and illuminated, along with a new control system that automates the tower's four bells installed in 1923. The tower, part of a 180-foot high steeple, also contains the church's original 1,000-pound bell.

Symbols of of elevated status

Because St. John is a basilica, always present in the sanctuary are a set of papal processional bells known as "Tintinnabulum," and the "Ombrellino," a symbolic umbrella, which is decorated with the coat of arms of the late Pope Benedict VXI, the late diocesan Bishop George V. Murry, and the Basilica's. It always remains half-open.

Art historian M.J. "Al" Albacete assisted St. John with its application to the Vatican.

"I was called upon to provide a brief description of the building that had to accompany the documentation for ecclesiastical approval," he said. "I derived a lot of fun telling some friends that my report had to be written completely in Latin, and how much trouble I had doing that. Of course, as a good Catholic kid, I explained that I was only kidding."

Pamela Pope has been a member of neighboring St. Peter parish for 34 years, but she serves as parish activities coordinator for both churches.

"What makes the Basilica so special? The people, we are like a big family," she said. "The architecture inside the Basilica, the music, we have a fantastic organist and beautiful voices with our cantors and choir, all lead by our music director, Robert Sullivan."

In its 200 years, five former pastors and one native son went on to become bishops. The parish also has produced 27 priests and 92 nuns.

Misbrener, who has a doctorate in church history, said he appreciates St. John's legacy.

"We're 200 years old and we're still here," he said. "This is a good place."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Catholic Church Basilica of Saint John the Baptist marks 200 years