Parish History
Saint Angela Merici parish was founded in May of 1923 when founding pastor, Father Francis J. Stanton organized the first group of 80 families with their first Mass in the Fairview Village Town Hall. The original frame church and school was dedicated in June of 1924.
The frame building included four classrooms to the north. The school opened in October of 1923, with three faculty members from the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph and 58 students. Fr. Michael Stevenson was appointed as the second Pastor in June of 1937.
In 1940, Fr. Stevenson blessed the first six classrooms of the new brick schoolhouse and he presided over school additions during the next two decades. Groundbreaking for the new church building took place in July of 1947, with cornerstone ceremonies conducted on February 28, 1948.
The new church was dedicated in November of 1948 without the current sanctuary. At the point where the original brick is joined with the marble of the sanctuary, a solid brick wall extended the width and height of the structure. Temporary wooden sacristies were constructed on either side of the altar along with a wrought iron communion rail.
The two church buildings stood side-by-side until April of 1950 when the frame church was moved eastward to become the newly renovated convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph. The convent was formally dedicated in October of 1950. Eventually, in 1988, the convent was again renovated to become the present Parish Administration Center.
The Village of Fairview (established 1913) was officially declared the City of Fairview Park in September of 1951. In less than 14 years, the parish built a complete plant, with a new school, a new church, a new convent and a new rectory that was first occupied in January of 1953. Over the years, the official boundaries of the parish have expanded to include sections of the City of Rocky River. Beyond the stated boundaries, we are blessed to have parishioners from many of the western suburbs.
Monsignor Francis J. McGlynn was appointed pastor in June of 1956. The parish census that year counted 1,350 families. Monsignor McGlynn died suddenly in June of 1960 and Fr. James P. Brennan was appointed the fourth pastor in August. The new sanctuary was dedicated in June of 1960, expanding the size of the nave to provide seating for a total of 1,100 worshippers.
The parish celebrated their Golden Jubilee in May of 1973 with the new pastor, Monsignor Robert C. Wolff, who was appointed in October of 1972. He retired as pastor in January of 1989, to be followed by the sixth pastor, Fr. Richard E. Hudak.
Under the leadership of Fr. Hudak, the parish initiated a fund drive which provided for a new school addition that was dedicated in May of 1994. The addition included six classrooms, a library, a computer room, a school cafeteria and the Rini Multi-Purpose Center and Gym.
In October of 1999 Fr. Hudak accepted an assignment as pastor of St.Margaret Mary Parish in South Euclid and Fr. Douglas M. Proehl, associate pastor since 1996, became the seventh pastor later that year and remained pastor until November of 2003.
Our current pastor, Father Michael J. Lanning, was named by Bishop Anthony J. Pilla in January 2004 and took his place as pastor on February 15, 2004.