HUBBARD, Ohio - The Mass to celebrate the reopening of St. Patrick’s Church in Hubbard following a devasting fire three years ago will include a relic from the saint for whom the church is named.

According to a news release from the Diocese of Youngstown, a relic of St. Patrick, encased in a jewel-encrusted gold enclosure, will be carried by a deacon in the entrance procession and set in a place of honor during the Mass. The relic is on loan from the Diocese of Cleveland.

A relic is an object, such as part of the body or clothing, that remains as a memorial of a departed saint.  A relic can either consist of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint.

Bishop David Bonnar will celebrate a Mass to bless the church at 357 North Main Street in Hubbard, on Sunday, March 17, at 3:00 p.m.  A reception for parishioners, family, and friends will follow Mass at St. Patrick’s parish center.

“Catholics honor relics of saints as a way of connecting to the reality of the saints’ lives on earth in the past and their present closeness with God in eternity,” says Joan Lawson, the Diocese of Youngstown Chancellor & Archivist. “Stories of St. Patrick have circulated for centuries, along with the faithful asking for his prayers. In the Diocese of Youngstown, six parishes have carried his name.”

Bishop Bonnar will bless the faithful with the relic.

Sunday’s Mass will be the first at St. Patrick since a fire closed the church on January 18, 2021, causing millions in damages to the interior and exterior of the building. The parish, which dates back more than 150 years, had been celebrating Mass in the parish center.

The entire building has been rebuilt from the floor to the roof. The sanctuary floor was so severely damaged, it caved in and needed to be reconstructed. The sanctuary’s back wall was rebuilt. All electrical wiring had to be pulled and replaced.

The heating and cooling, boiler system, and kitchen had to be brought up to code and replaced.

The marble on the floors and walls had to be replaced. The pews, altar, and baptismal font were all replaced or repaired.

A new metal roof, ceiling, insulation as well as wooden doors were replaced.

In addition to the replacement of an elevator, a new Steinway piano and pipe organ had to be cleaned and rebuilt.

Parishioners from St. Patrick’s and other churches made donations, and some helped clean, restore, construct, and move items back into the church.