On September 30, 1900 the Parish of St. John the Baptist was formally established to serve the Croatian, German, Hungarian, Irish and Slovenian Catholics who had settled in the south side of Lorain. It was known as “The Steel Mill Church”.
In the fall of 1906, the Slovenian community took over the property and renamed it SS. Cyril & Methodius. St. John Parish moved to the corner of E. 30th and Clinton Avenue.
By the fall of 1922, the Croatian community had grown enough to establish St. Vitus Parish. St. John’s purchased 18 acres on the corner of Grove and E. 36th Street in 1951, eventually building a school, rectory, convent, garage and church.
On March 6, 2010 the Parish of St. Frances Cabrini was established on this site. The Cleveland Diocesan consolidation of SS. Cyril & Methodius, St. John and St. Vitus brought these parishes full circle. Many other ethnic parishes have been closed and a warm welcome is extended to all looking to find a new parish.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is a member of a Diocesan cluster that includes the Parishes of St. Vincent De Paul in Elyria Township and Sacred Heart in Lorain.