A History of Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish
Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish came into being on March 23, 1923, when Fr. John Waldeisen was called upon to establish a new parish in what was then Kenmore, Ohio. During that first year, the parish family gathered for Mass in the old Boulevard Theater on Kenmore Boulevard near 13th Street.
Before long, an orchard consisting of 13 lots at 16th Street and Battles Avenue was purchased. The property included three houses, one of which became the first rectory. In November 1923, construction began on a combination church and school. The first Mass was celebrated in the basement of the newly constructed building on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924. That September, the school opened under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
In 1950, plans were made to build a dedicated church. Msgr. Edward Conry, Dean of Akron, laid the cornerstone in November 1951. Despite unforeseen construction challenges, the first Mass in the new church was celebrated at midnight on Christmas, December 25, 1952. Archbishop Edward F. Hoban officially dedicated the church and offered Mass there in April of 1953. The church, home to its beloved Risen Christ, was renovated in 1980.
The parish school expanded steadily over the following decades. A convent was added in 1962, and in 1983 parishioners combined their talents to renovate it into a parish hall and school media center, connecting the hall to the school and adding a kitchen and restrooms. In 1987, the convent garage was converted into an additional hall, which became home to the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Pantry. The elementary school closed in 2001 when operations merged with St. Augustine School, and the building was remodeled to house a preschool and childcare center, which operated until 2015.
Through each of these chapters, the parish remained a landmark of the Kenmore neighborhood and a spiritual home for generations of Akron families. Today, the main floor and basement of the old school building are home to the Kenmore Free Store, a social justice ministry operated in partnership with Park United Methodist Church. It is a fitting continuation of the mission that has always defined this community.
- 1923-1957 Rev. John Waldeisen
- 1957-1965 Rev. Frederick Hitch
- 1965-1976 Rev. Edward Maher
- 1976-1982 Rev. Michael Marvett
- 1982-1994 Rev. Thomas McCann
- 1994-1998 Rev. Arthur Snedeker
- 1998-present Rev. Michael B. Smith
