Founding the Parish
In the 1920s, Euclid Village was a quiet farming community that was poised to become one of Cleveland's fastest growing suburbs. Property along Lake Shore Blvd was advertised as a park-like retreat with stately shade trees; gracious, inviting lawns; a winding creek for children to play in; and wide, sandy beaches. Lots in this waterfront paradise could be purchased for as little as $590. Who could resist? Families began streaming into the new subdivisions that were being developed all along the lakeshore from Nottingham Road to the Lake County line.
To meet the spiritual needs of the growing Catholic population in the area, Bishop Joseph Schrembs established Holy Cross Parish on September 19, 1924. The only other parish in Euclid at that time was St. Paul, which had been founded in 1860, and had for many years been the only Catholic church between Collinwood and Mentor.
Our founding pastor was the Reverend Dr. Thomas A. Kirby. He was born on September 12, 1885, attended St. Ignatius High School and College (forerunner of John Carroll University), and was ordained on September 23, 1911 in Rome, where he had earned a doctorate in sacred theology. Before coming to Holy Cross, Dr. Kirby, as he preferred to be addressed, had been an associate pastor at St. Columbkille Church on Superior Avenue, Chaplain of the Warrensville City Farm Colony, and pastor of St. Paul Church in Akron.
The First Mass
On Sunday September 21, Dr. Kirby celebrated the first Masses in the newly formed parish at 8 and 10 AM. Several hundred people made their way to the house at the corner of Lake Shore Blvd and East 201st Street that is now the Knights of Columbus Hall. For some of them it was a long journey. Originally the parish was more than twice the size it is now; it contained within its boundaries the present-day parishes of both St. Robert and St. William.
Once they arrived, they crowded into the three rooms on the first floor of the house that were being used for seating. The space was simple but adequate; a temporary altar was set up in the parlor and each room was adorned with only a single vase of flowers. The cramped quarters and humble surrounding did not in any way dampen the excitement in the air that morning. A Catholic Universe Bulletin reporter covering the occasion commented that "the spirit of devotion was real and fervent".
The task of forming a new parish is daunting at first, and Dr Kirby was greatly encouraged by the eagerness of the assembled crowd. In his sermon that morning, he said:
Every beginning has a difficulty, but I think this will be a cheerful difficulty when I view the enthusiasm of the presence of so many people here who have come long distances in many cases and have not minded the inconvenience of the trip nor the discomfort incidental to the arrangement of the house. It must be of course plain that it is our intention to erect a church as soon as possible. Not an expensive edifice but something comfortable and which will accommodate us and be the center of the spiritual life of the parish. Of course you know that alongside every church there should be the school. I believe you will make every effort and sacrifice to start the school, and when it is ready you will find that the parish will grow by leaps and bounds. I wish of course to tell you that I am willing and anxious to spend all my energy in this work and I know you will give me your hearty cooperation. In all our efforts we must not forget that anything we do is not for the priest but for the glory of God. No matter what the sacrifice, God will reward us hundredfold in this life and eternal life hereafter.
Dr. Kirby collected the names and addresses of all who were present so he could begin the work of taking a census of the parish, and invited everyone to a meeting to be held the following Thursday at the home of Mrs. J.C. Koenigshoff at Edgecliff and East 209th Street. At this meeting six men were elected to the parish council. Fifty families were initially registered in the parish. On October 19, John Carroll Clines was the first baby baptized at Holy Cross. Interestingly, he grew up to become a priest and was ordained in 1950.
The rectory was in a house at 170 East 191st Street that the parish rented from Dr. Kirby's brother. Holy Day Masses were held there. For the first several years Masses were also held in parishioners' homes. Mayor Charles Ely's at 19620 Edgecliff, the Koenigshoff's at Edgecliff and East 209th, and Ambrose Dowd's farmhouse on Lake Shore Boulevard between East 197th and East 199th were some of the favorite meeting places. As the parish grew in size, they rented the auditorium at Shore High School (now Shore Cultural Center). The Euclid Civic Association kindly donated the use of its club rooms and dance hall to the members of the parish for their social activities.
A Site for the Parish
The location of the parish property was not settled until early 1925. Prior to that, the diocese had been negotiating with local realtors for a suitable site. In the profitable Euclid real estate market, competition for the sale of property along Lake Shore Boulevard was fierce. Knowing that a church in the neighborhood would be a powerful draw for prospective home buyers, the two prominent realty companies in the area went head to head, each trying to win the privilege of being able to house the new parish in their own territory. The offer that was initially accepted was that of the Knickerbocker Land Company, who intended for the parish property to be the centerpiece of its new Beach Homelands subdivision between Lake Shore Blvd and Priday Ave. They donated a parcel of land south of the Boulevard at East 204th Street and set aside 150 lots surrounding the parish property to be reserved for Catholic home-buyers. This location was advertised as the home of the new parish when the founding was first announced, and Dr. Kirby had told the parishioners about the donation of the property in his talk at the first Mass.
Unfortunately, the deal fell apart within a few months. A drainage problem in a swampy ravine area would have made construction on the site very difficult. In addition, Knickerbocker was having serious legal problems that forced them to switch the contract to a related group, the Parkland Development Company. That prompted the diocese to reject the offer in favor of a proposal put forth by the S.H. Kleinman Realty Company, who controlled the property north of the Boulevard in the Utopia Beach Club subdivisions. Kleinman agreed to sell the parish the present property between East 200th and East 201st at half of its appraised value. The decision to locate the parish here was finalized in May of 1925. The announcement was an unpleasant shock to the eager parishioners who had already built their houses near East 204th Street in order to be as close as possible to the school.
