Current Staff & Contact Information
Pastor:  Reverend Robert J. Jasany
216-641-8444
Volunteer Parish Nurse: Mrs. Heidi Madsen
440-346-7420
Parish Bookkeeper  Mrs. Pauline Kowalski
216-641-8444
Office Manager:        Sandra Yody
216-641-8444
Sacristan: Ms. Susan McDonough
216-271-5347
 

A Brief History of Our Church Building

On January 23, 1898, the history of St. John Nepomucene Parish began at a meeting of 200 Czech Catholics in the Fleet Avenue area.  Motivated by concern for the safety of their children and worried that children who were now attending public school may lose their faith and forget their mother tongue; they assembled with the intent to organize a new area Catholic parish.  This section of Southeastern Cleveland was referred to as “Karolin” after one of the suburbs of Prague, Bohemia (Czechoslovakia after World War I).  It was a common practice among immigrants with the same language and culture to designate their particular community.

The Cleveland Catholic Diocese recognized the sincerity and need of the Czech Catholics and assigned Reverend Frances J. Hroch to help them establish a parish.  He soon approved plans for a combination church & school.  The prayers, work and sacrifices of the people resulted in the breaking of ground for the new building on
August 16, 1902.  The building process went forward quickly, and on October 12, 1902, the cornerstone was laid.  On that day, Saint John Nepomucene Parish was formally established, and Reverend Hroch was assigned to be our first pastor.

More building began in 1903 and within two years the parish rectory and the sisters’ home were built.  On April 8, 1913, the mortgage was burned on the property and buildings that had been purchased and built, up to that time.

In a few years, there was a need to build a new and permanent church.  Reverend Hroch laid the first red Bokhara brick on August 2, 1917.  As was customary, the ground plan was laid in the form of a cross and Romanesque architecture rose from and around it.  The current St. John Nepomucene Church building, with a seating capacity to accommodate 800 people was completed and dedicated in 1920.

In October, 1983 discussion began about the lighting of the church bell tower and the lighting took place in August, 1984.  The Slavic Village Association paid for the lighting until January 1, 1995.  A campaign to renovate the church interior and replace the roof began in 1991.

The latest renovations were completed during this century.  Our first new organ, not a previously owned one, was purchased and installed in 2002 and paid for by parishioners’ donations.  In 2003, the interior was painted, the artwork restored, and new lighting, new doors and a sound system were installed. 

Seating was reduced to accommodate 450 and the side pews were replaced by seating that is more flexible.  The church was refitted for air conditioning, making our parish the only church building in Slavic Village with air conditioning.

In the summer of 2013, our church chandeliers were refurbished and new LED lighting, which was more energy efficient was installed.