“Nine months, ago, on Dec. 8, we celebrated the Immaculate Conception,” Deacon Ken DeLuca said. “And tonight, we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
DeLuca’s remarks opened the Sept. 8 Theology on the Rocks West program, a pilgrimage to Lorain’s Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. About 150 people registered for the event, which featured a birthday party for Mary with refreshments, cake, music, a program on the parish history and night prayer. The church is one of 11 diocesan sacred sites for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Angela Bak, music director, led some choir members in two Marian hymns – one in Polish – and “Happy Birthday” to Mary.
Her husband Phil Bak, parish historian, offered historical highlights of the parish, which was established in 1898 to serve Lorain’s growing Polish population. The first Mass was Jan. 16, 1898. For a time, parishioners met in a schoolroom at St. Joseph Church, then in the basement of St. Joseph Hospital in Lorain.
Groundbreaking for the first church was July 6, 1899 at the corner of Park Street and Eighth Avenue (later named Lexington Avenue and Fifteenth Street). On Easter 1900, the congregation processed from the hospital to the new wooden combination church and school, which was dedicated on Sept. 9, 1900.
As Lorain’s Polish population grew, a new parish, St. Stanislaus, was formed to serve South Lorain. Nativity Church soon was too small for its growing congregation, so in 1914, construction began on the current yellow brick structure, with much of the labor done by parishioners. The first Mass was Nov. 14, 1915. The old building was renovated first for use as a school, but as the enrollment increased, it was necessary to build a larger school. A three-story, yellow brick building that matched the church was dedicated Nov. 12, 1922. The school closed in 1987 due to declining enrollment and increasing tuition costs, but the building now is part of the Nativity Manor residential complex, dedicated in 2004.
Bak said during the parish’s 90th year, there was a major renovation of all properties. A decade later, a yearlong celebration marked Nativity’s centennial. The church’s stained-glass windows were restored that year and new doors were installed.
Father Craig Hovanec, the current pastor, was installed on Jan. 28, 2023, during the observance of the parish’s 125th anniversary.
Nativity also houses a large collection of saints’ relics, which are displayed in the church. A Eucharistic miracles exhibit, featuring research from newly canonized (Sept. 7) St. Carlo Acutis, could be seen in the parish offices behind the church. Guests were encouraged to explore the church before and after the program.
Deacon Larry Gregg led the group in night prayer as the program concluded.
The next Theology on the Rocks West event will be Oct. 13, featuring a panel discussion on finding peace and joy in our lives. The Catholic-based discussion group for mature adults 40 and older, was established in 2018. It meets the second Monday of the month.