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| Living and sharing faith first began when St. Rita Church was a mission of St. Joseph Church in Mantua. From 1925 to 1929 Father Edward Gracey and later Father Oldrich Mazanec would offer Mass in the Geauga Lake neighborhood - in the dance hall at Geauga Lake Park during the summer and in Mrs. Edward (Ma) Kilbane's Public House on Aurora Road during the winter. Local lore tells how a sheet was draped across the bar to serve as an altar.
Shortly after Monsignor Mazanec became pastor, he was approached by a group of men about the possibility of a Catholic Church in Solon. Monsignor Mazanec was quoted saying that a church in the Solon area would be the "beginning of Catholic life in a very vast area of the diocese that had been neglected for over 100 years."
The original church, constructed on the corner of Parkway and Baldwin Road, was a frame building with room for 200 people. The first Mass was celebrated on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1929.
The first Mass in the new brick church was celebrated February 1, 1959. Bishop John Krol, auxiliary bishop, dedicated the 500-seat church on October 11, 1959.
Only three pastors have served St. Rita Church during its 75 years. The third pastor, Father Robert Wendelken, arrived March 22, 1982 from the Tribunal where he was Vice Officialis.
The most recent growth years for the Solon church were the 1990s, Father Wendelken has said. With the explosion of growth, the brick church could no longer meet the needs of its members and a building campaign began. The first Mass in the 1,000-plus-seat church took place October 17, 1992 and it was dedicated near Thanksgiving on November 25, 1992.
Father Wendelken has commented that "… As a vibrant St. Rita Church we must not be content with our independent lives but strive to be a Christ-centered community. Weekly worship gives action to this commitment." |
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