In the early 1980's the Cleveland Deanery of the Diocese of the Midwest began looking to establish a new mission parish in western part of Cuyahoga County. Fr Basil Stoyka, who was Dean at the time, along with Fr Thomas Mueller, who was serving at St Nicholas Church, Mentor, guided the effort. They wanted to establish a parish where services would be held in English, where all Orthodox – regardless of ethnic background – could practice the Faith together, and where non-Orthodox would be welcome. A meeting was held on 21 September 1983, which a number of Orthodox Christians attended, and plans for the new mission were laid out.
Services began in October, 1983, a biweekly Vespers service meeting in the community room at Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted. Over the next few months, the founding members established committees to seek further growth and direction for the new mission. During this time, Fr Basil Stoyka named St Innocent, Evangelizer of the Aleuts and Apostle to America, as the patron of the new mission.
On 20 February 1984, His Grace, Boris, Bishop of Chicago, formally blessed the establishment of the new mission under the patronage of St Innocent. He mandated that the mission offer all its services in English and to reach out, in pan-Orthodox fashion, to all. His mandate reflected the aims of the mission from the beginning: to establish an English-language, pan-Orthodox parish which would provide a full liturgical life and emphasize ongoing mission in the area.
On 11 March 1984, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the mission moved into a rented chapel on Hilliard Blvd in Westlake. These facilities were to be St Innocent's home for the next eleven years. A church school program for both children and adults was promptly set up. During Great Lent of that year, Frs Basil Stoyka, Thomas Mueller, and Lawrence Cassati served a regular cycle of Presanctified Liturgies and Holy Week services. At the Paschal service, both the Greek practice of distributing red eggs and the Russian practice of blessing Pascha baskets were honored (to this day, St Innocent's strives to enrich itself with the practices of many ethnic traditions).
A number of core values for the community began to emerge. The congregation decided to do what it could for those less fortunate. We began regular support for St Herman's Hospitality, providing food and clothing, and serving meals to the people who look to them for help. We take a collection on the second Sunday of every month for a designated charitable cause, and every Christmas we support several families in our community. Participation in the services is held in high regard, and the choir lends support to full congregational singing. We strive to support the work of St Innocent's, not through external fund-raising, but through the generous giving of our own time, talent, and treasure.
In its earliest years, Fr Peter Lipovan served the mission most often, with the help of a retired Priest, Fr Radovan Milkovich. Fr Steven Bobulsky was the first regularly-assigned Priest, though he was with us only briefly. The retired Fr Vasile Hategan then served the parish until Bp Boris ordained Fr Thomas Brown at St Innocent's to serve us. Fr Thomas was with for us three years. After he was transferred out of state, Fr Vasile Hategan again took care of the mission until Fr John Zdiank was assigned.
Fr John served St Innocent's for seven years. He improved the liturgical life of the mission and oversaw a lot of growth in its membership. Much that is good at St Innocent's is a result of Fr John's careful pastorate. During his time, we were compelled to leave our rented chapel, and the congregation decided that it was time to look for a permanent home. A plot of land was found in Olmsted Township, where we built our new temple in 1995. It was consecrated two years later. The mission had become a parish!
In 1999 Fr John was transferred to St Theodosius Cathedral in Cleveland. Fr Elias Khoury served the parish for nine months, when Fr Michael Butler was brought from Michigan to serve St Innocent's. He began his pastorate in March, 2000, and continues to serve us today.
In the last few years, St Innocent's has continued to grow spiritually, numerically and physically. We have sent eleven of our members to the mission field in Albania. Michael Timko was ordained to the Diaconate to serve the parish. We have become more actively involved in our community. Membership has increased, with newer members offering their time and gifts to the work of the church. We have built a new hall for the parish.
When our patron, St Innocent, lay dying, he asked that a simple sermon be preached at his funeral on the verse from the Psalms, "The Lord guides a man in the way he should go." May the good Lord, Who has guided us and blessed us so abundantly in the first 25 years of our life together, continue to guide us in all good things, for the glory of His Name and for the salvation of all.
