St. Dominic Parish in Shaker Heights will host the fourth annual diocesan “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom” on June 19.
The event will begin with a livestreamed Mass at 10 a.m. celebrated by Father Tom Fanta, St. Dominic pastor. Concelebrants will include Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization; Father David Domanski, OFM Cap, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish; Father Paul Dressler, OFM Cap, pastor of St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Parish; and Father Sidney Speaks from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana, who will be the homilist. His topic will be “Fullness of Freedom,” which will examine the spiritual aspects of freedom.
The Diocesan Gospel Choir, some St. Dominic choir members and the Diocesan Youth Praise Dancers also will participate in the Mass.
“Everyone is welcome at the Juneteenth celebration,” said Sister Jane Nesmith, SBS, director of the diocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministries.
She said Juneteenth celebrates when the enslaved people in Texas learned – two years after the Civil War ended in 1865 – that they were free. “We celebrate in churches because they were always places of freedom and unity,” she added.
Parishes that serve Black Catholics in the diocese will be represented at the event, including St. Adalbert/Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Aloysius/St. Agatha, St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima and Holy Spirit. Previous Juneteenths were hosted by the other parishes, with Holy Spirit slated to be the 2027 host. In addition to St. Dominic, St. Patrick Parish and St. Malachi Oratory, both on Cleveland’s Near West Side, also will participate this year.
“St. Dominic is committed to social justice and racial equality,” Sister Nesmith said, noting Father Fanta has participated in Juneteenth in previous years and was excited to host this year’s event.
Lorna Askew, a St. Dominic parishioner and a member of the Black Catholic Ministries’ Advisory Board, said hosting Juneteenth will be beneficial to the parish. “It will help us bridge gaps. We will listen, learn and experience people of other cultures. As Father Tom (Fanta) says, ‘All are welcome at the Juneteenth celebration.’”
“It’s great when churches can come together and celebrate diversity,” Sister Nesmith said.
After Mass, all are invited to participate in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, including a documentary video about Juneteenth, freedom sign making, presentations by Jacki Boyd, an African American storyteller, freedom songs and bingo. DJ Julius will provide entertainment. Cleveland Recess Games, a game truck and events for preschoolers are also planned. Activities will run from about noon to 4 p.m.
Askew said several community resource providers, including the City of Shaker Heights, NOVA-Ohio.org, Local Initiatives Support Corp., MetroHealth, Restore Cleveland Hope Inc. (Underground Railroad) and the Urban League will offer information for attendees.
There also will be plenty of food such as chicken, pizza and watermelon provided by St. Dominic. Volunteers from Holy Spirit will grill burgers and hot dogs and other parishes will provide paper products, beverages and side dishes.
Sister Nesmith said previous Juneteenth events averaged about 400 attendees, but she’s hoping that the expected good weather will attract an even larger group.
Click here to view a welcome video for Juneteenth 2026.