Regina Coeli Parish was established in 1958 , to serve the needs of
the growing Catholic population
in Alliance. By the early 1950’s, it was apparent that Saint Joseph’s Parish, the mother church of
Alliance, could no longer minister
adequately to the post-war increase of families in the city. Father later monsignor, John W. Cunningham,
pastor of Saint Joseph, was
charged with establishing the new parish.
On July 11, 1952, the Coadjutor Bishop of Youngstown, Emmet M. Walsh agreed to the purchase of a 51.92
acre tract of land from Charlotte
Galano Properties. The tract was named Marine Park Allotment, with 35.18 acres being reserved for church
and school purposes, and the
balance of 16.74 acres being divided into 46 residential lots.
The new parish was dedicated to the blessed Virgin and given the name Regina Coeli, meaning Queen of
Heaven. As a first priority and in
order to relieve the crowding at Saint Joseph’s, Monsignor Cunningham began construction of the school
in 1956.
The new parish was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Emmet M. Walsh in 1958, and it numbered about 500
families. The boundaries divided
the city of Alliance at Union Avenue, with Regina Coeli serving the West side; and Saint Joseph, the
East. The Northern boundary was the
Portage-Stark County line; and the Southern, Carrol-Stark County line.
The Altar-Rosary Society, Infant of Prague Guild, Saint Ann Study Club and the Astro Booster Club were
among the earliest parish
organizations. One of the first parish councils in the Diocese was organized here in 1969 by Father John
Turk. Between 1956 and 1965,
the present church hall was completed, along with two school additions, one in 1930 and the other in
1965. The rectory was a part of the
original parish plan located on the East side of Fernwood Boulevard. The present church was remodeled,
and dedicated by Bishop James W.
Malone on April 13, 1975. A committee of parishioners, spearheaded by Father Robert Sabatino, launched a
drive to eliminate parish debt
and establish a permanent church of gothic design, originally proposed by Monsignor Cunningham in 1958.
Church members at two public
meetings and at a vote taken at two weekend mas, ses, decided to remodel the preexisting structure. Once
completed, a wing of the school
was converted to serve as the parish hall.
The shrine to honor the Blessed Virgin was constructed in 1980-1981. At the time, the black steel tower
that had originally adorned the
top of the church was placed next to the brick edifice surrounding the statue of the Madonna. A
multi-colored stained glass window
illuminated after dark, forms the background for the shrine.
The parish school began with only five grades in the fall of 1957, almost a year before a Mass was
celebrated at the new church. The
Sisters of Saint Dominic of Akron, already staffing saint Joseph’s, agreed to serve at Alliance’s second
parochial school. Sister Dennis
(Mary Fath) was the first principal, and the original faculty consisted of five sisters and Mrs. Yvonne
Welch. In 1972 Regina Coeli
School and saint Joseph School merged.
Today, Regina Coeli Parish provides a comprehensive religious education program. There are weekly
classes for children attending public
school, an active youth ministry program, as well as many adult education programs.
