Sacred Heart Church at 139 3rd St NE, New Philadelphia, OH 44663-3900 US - St. Stephen at Bolivar

As was mentioned earlier in this series of church history summaries, the first church of St. Stephen in Bolivar was dedicated by Bishop Watterson of Columbus on November 4, 1882. Father Walter Ross, who had been assistant priest at St. Joseph parish Canal Dover, was appointed pastor of Bolivar in 1885. He had a rectory built, and moved into Bolivar, the only resident pastor in the history of the church here until Father Robert Schneider moved into the house adjacent to the last St. Stephen church in 1993. In December of 1888, the Capuchin friars of Dover took charge of the Bolivar church. From 1910 on, the churches of Strasburg and Bolivar were served by the same friar concurrently. For the years 1895-1897 St. Stephen was under the care of Father Thaddeus O’Sullivan, the pastor of Morges. On November 22, 1896, an attempt was made to destroy St. Stephen church with dynamite. Fortunately, only a small fraction of the charge was detonated, so that the church could be repaired and used once more. On February 9, 1902 St. Stephen church was destroyed by a tornado. The new church was begun at a new location, the corner of Water Street and Lovers Alley. Cornerstone laying was June 7, 1903. Bishop Hartley of Columbus dedicated the building July 3, 1904, the day after the dedication of St. Elizabeth church, Roswell. The windows salvaged from the former church had been donated to the Roswell church, then under construction. The Capuchin friars remained in charge of the Bolivar Catholic community until the death of Father Marion Pagendarm in 1956. At that time the friars returned care of the church to the Diocese of Columbus. Bishop Ready appointed Father Bernard Jones as pastor. St. Stephen church was to be another of the casualties of the future staffing plan of the Diocese of Columbus. On July 11, 1995, St. Stephen was officially merged with St. Aloysius of Strasburg and St. Patrick of Mineral City to form the new parish of the Holy Trinity. The St. Stephen building is still in use for Sunday masses, with services alternating with the St. Patrick location, an arrangement that is to continue until the completion of the new structure outside Zoar. Present plans call for the Water Street rectory to remain in use for the future.

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