Nov 28, 2018

St. Sebastian Parish hosted a gala on Nov. 10 to celebrate the parish’s 90th anniversary. The gala, which drew a crowd of 180 people, took place at St. Sebastian’s Zwisler Hall, which is the same site where the parish celebrated Mass in its early years until the current church was constructed in 1960. 

The gala is part of a year of 90th anniversary celebrations, which began in June with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop Nelson Perez. Also in June the parish completed a $1 million restoration of the church, a major project that involved repairing and restoring every aspect of the church, from the pews, kneelers and statues, to the floors, doors and front plaza. Other anniversary activities include a parish photo directory, the sale of commemorative items, the publication of a book of the church’s history written by the current pastor, Fr. John Valencheck, and several festivals, concerts, recitals and parish gatherings. 

The highlights of the Nov. 10 gala include a proclamation presented by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, a St. Sebastian parishioner, in honor of the parish’s anniversary as well as its role as a cornerstone of the West Akron community. After enjoying dinner, guests were treated to a video featuring footage of the extensive church restoration project. Much of the video was filmed using a drone to capture overhead images, from the soaring bell tower, which was power-washed along with the entire exterior of the church, to the massive altar mosaic containing 175,000 pieces of Venetian glass, all of which was meticulously repaired and polished. 

St. Sebastian Parish was founded on July 6, 1928, when the Rev. Hilary Zwisler was announced as pastor of a new parish. The first Mass was celebrated in rented space at the Rankin School gym on August 5, 1928. The new parish was established in response to a population boom in Akron, which from 1910-1920 experienced growth of more than two hundred percent. By 1928, Akron’s St. Vincent Church had again become too overcrowded, despite the establishment of the nearby parishes of St. Bernard, St. Mary, St. Paul and St. Martha. 

In 1929, construction began on the parish’s first building, a combined church and school. As it grew, the parish added a convent in 1950 for the Sisters of Humility who taught at the school, a gymnasium in 1952, and the current church building, which was constructed in 1960. Since then, the school has added a junior high wing (1969), a science lab (2001), a technology/computer lab (2001), a school garden (2011), and an Innovation Lab (2017). In 2001, the convent was converted into classrooms for kindergarten and preschool students. St. Sebastian Parish School has educated over 5,500 students, and St. Sebastian Parish boasts a thriving membership of more than 1,750 parishioner families.