Diocese: Diocese of the Midwest
Deanery: Cleveland Deanery
Address
755 S Cleveland Ave
Mogadore, Ohio 44260-1584
Email:
Website: stnickoca.org
Office: 330-628-4441
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
From Interstate 76
Exit onto State Rt 532 going south. State Rt 532 becomes Cleveland Ave in the village of Mogadore. Go on through Mogadore to 755 S Cleveland Ave, just north of US Highway 224. The Church is on the left.
Schedule of Services
5:00 PM Great Vespers.
Saturday Evening
10:00 AM Divine Liturgy. (9:30 AM during summer months)
Sunday Morning
9:00 AM Sunday School.
Sunday Morning
For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the Monthly Calendar on the parish website.
Parish Background
For the most part, the Slavic immigrants who came to settle in East Akron were from the region of Galitsia and Uhor-Russia, a part of the Austrian Hungarian empire. Among these immigrants two parishes were formed, one Uniat and one Orthodox Catholic. The nucleus of the Orthodox parish were members of the St Nicholas Russian Brotherhood, which was organized in Akron in 1914.
The first Orthodox services were held in the home of a parishioner, Martin Vronick, on Roberts St. The first pastor was Fr John Hordishinsky, a newly ordained priest from Pennsylvania. Services were held in the Brotherhood’s Hall while plans were being made to build a church building on property at 399 Roberts St, which had been purchased by the newly-formed parish for $650 from the St Nicholas Brotherhood. The building was built by parishioners helping out the contractor.
At a parish meeting on March 4, 1917, St Nicholas the Wonderworker was chosen as the patron saint and heavenly protector of the parish. In the fall of 1917, the first Liturgy was served in the new church. An Iconostasis was built for the church in 1919, which continued to be used until the new one was installed in 1963.
In 1925 the church purchased cemetery grounds of approximately five acres for $1200. The new cemetery was consecrated in 1925 by Fr Athanasy Hubiak. A young, English-speaking priest was desired, and Fr Hubiak returned to Akron in June 1929 and remained the pastor until his death in 1945. In 1936, the parish authorized the use of the English language during the Divine Liturgy “where feasible”.
After Fr Hubiak’s death in 1945, Fr Peter Rozdelsky was assigned to the parish. In 1946, lots on Pardee and Sylvan Aves were purchased for a new church building. Ground was broken in August 1950, and the cornerstone was laid in November 1950. On May 4, 1952, the new church was consecrated and the first service held. In 1954, a new parish home on land adjacent to the new church was built. In December 1960, Fr Rozdelsky was transferred to a parish in Gary, Indiana.
In May 1961, Fr John Mason came to St Nicholas parish from Meriden, CT. He suggested that the parish consecrate a new Iconostasis. The new Iconostasis was completed in 1963 and consecrated in November 1963. This same Iconostasis was placed in the new church in Mogadore in 1983.
The year 1967 was a jubilee year, when the parish celebrated its Golden Anniversary. His Eminence, Metropolitan Ireney, Archbishop John of the Chicago-Minneapolis Diocese, and Fr John Mason celebrated an anniversary Divine Liturgy.
After a great deal of discussion and debate, the parish on September 15, 1968 voted to petition the Diocesan Bishop to approve the change to the “revised Julian” Calendar. Archbishop John approved the change, and it became effective on November 1, 1968.
In 1972, the first Something Russian Festival was held, and it proved to be a huge success.
The parish’s expansion into the suburbs began with the parish approving in 1974 the purchase of the 30 acre Portage County property on Route 532. The first project to be started was the building of a new rectory. This was completed in 1977. The parish broke ground for a social hall on July 30, 1978. The hall was essentially completed in 1979, and was dedicated at the annual banquet in November 1979.
The Building Committee engaged Fr Alexis Vinagradov of Wappingers Falls, New York to design the new church. Ground-breaking for the new church building was on April 7, 1983, and the first service was held on the Eve of the Nativity of our Savior, December 24, 1983. The first Divine Liturgy was held on a very cold (no heat in the church) December 25, 1983, the Nativity of Our Savior. The first Sunday Liturgy in the new church was held on January 29, 1984.
On Saturday, May 5, 1984, the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Theodosius, Bishop Boris, Bishop Christopher of the Serbian Church, Fr John Mason, and Deacon Maksimoff at a consecration Divine Liturgy. In 1985, a beautiful chandelier was purchased with monetary gifts from parishioners. The chandelier was imported from Greece and was consecrated in November 1985 by Bishop Boris, along with a renovated bell system.
Fr John Mason was transferred to Yonkers, NY in the summer of 1986. He served his last Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 27, 1986. Fr T Stephen Kopestonsky was assigned to the parish and had his first Divine Liturgy on September 21, 1986.
On Sunday, November 1, 1992, the parish gathered together to celebrate 75 years of existence. The celebration began with Saturday evening Vespers, presided over by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius. Fr Stephen Kopestonsky and Akron area priests served, along with parish “sons” Fr Michael Zahirsky and Protodeacon Basil Hubiak. At 10:00 on Sunday morning, His Beatitude presided for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
On February 10, 1996, His Grace, Bishop Job presided over a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and ordained Subdeacon Daniel Swires to the Diaconate.
St Nicholas Orthodox School began its first school year in the fall of 2000. The first teachers were Jonathan Cholcer and Zenia Kovalska.
