BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – Two Catholic churches in Boardman have decided on a name for a combined parish, though each church will retain its original name.
St. Charles and St. Luke will be known as St. Catherine of Siena. The change takes effect on January 1.
Monsignor John Zuraw will be the pastor overseeing the combined parish. The names of the churches of St. Charles and St. Luke will remain, as will St. Charles School.
“St. Catherine had a great love and concern for the poor,” Zuraw said. “These are qualities of the Catholic communities of Boardman.”
Zuraw said parishioners from both churches submitted 500 suggestions for the name of the combined parish. Three were given to Bishop David Bonnar, who selected St. Catherine of Siena.
The other two choices were Resurrection and Saints Martha and Mary.
According to a news release issued earlier this year, the combining of churches into regional parishes has been ongoing in the Youngstown Catholic Diocese since 2019. Churches have been combined to allow for the “sharing of priests, deacons, diocesan pastoral associates, additional personnel, Mass schedules, and various parish programs and activities.”