A Beacon on Lakeshore Boulevard
St. Jerome Catholic Church has stood at 15000 Lakeshore Boulevard in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood for more than a century, and parishioners still call it the Beacon on the Boulevard. The Catholic parish and its K-8 school share one campus a short walk from Lake Erie, and together they form one of the most enduring Catholic presences on Cleveland's east side.
The parish belongs to the Diocese of Cleveland and is led by Fr. Anthony Simone as pastor and administrator, with Deacon Peter Travalik assisting. Marguerite DiPenti serves as Director of Religious Education. The parish office, in the rectory at the same Lakeshore address, is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and can be reached at 216-481-8200 or office@stjeromecleveland.org.
Mass and Confession
The weekly Mass schedule centers on four celebrations, all held in the parish church. Wednesday and Friday Masses are offered at 8:30 a.m. The Saturday Vigil Mass begins at 4:00 p.m., followed on Sunday morning by a 9:00 a.m. Mass. Confessions are heard every Saturday from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m., a half hour before the vigil Mass begins.
Mass is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page, and the church bulletin is posted online for those who want to follow along at home. On the first Friday of each month, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed in the church immediately after Mass, with members of the Divine Mercy Prayer Ministry collecting the prayer intentions of the sick and suffering.
A School That Has Outlasted Generations
If any single thing defines St. Jerome, it is the school. St. Jerome Catholic School opened on September 1, 1922, built by Monsignor Leo Hammer at a cost of $100,000 within three years of the parish's founding. Two hundred and fifty pupils filled its original eleven classrooms, which were designed to accommodate up to five hundred. The Ursuline Sisters of Villa Angela were called in to staff the school, and a convent was built on the parish grounds to house them.
A four classroom wing was added to the southeast side of the building in 1937, bringing the total to fifteen classrooms. Enrollment swelled through the 1940s, reaching six hundred and fifty students, and the school continued to grow through the 1950s and 1960s. As the parish population shifted in later decades, the school gradually welcomed non-parishioners, and a kindergarten was added around 1980. The kindergarten moved from half-day morning and afternoon sessions to a full day in 1994. In recent decades, the facility has gained a new library, a computer lab, and a science lab.
In 2022, the school marked one hundred years on the boulevard. More than five thousand seven hundred students have graduated from its eighth grade over that span, with more than twenty alumni ordained to the priesthood, fifty entering religious orders as sisters, and three as brothers. Today the school serves 224 K-8 students with 35 certified teachers, all accredited and chartered by the State of Ohio. Religion teachers carry separate certification from the Diocese of Cleveland, and every employee and volunteer who works with students is screened through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. After a long-awaited capital project, the school roof has been fully replaced under Fr. Anthony's tenure.
The mission of St. Jerome School is to empower each child's intellectual, moral, social and physical development through a safe and nurturing environment, partnering with families to deliver a Catholic education rooted in faith formation, academic excellence, and service. The school is co-led by Co-Principals Mrs. Lyndsey Byrne and Mrs. Katie Coan. Ninety-five percent of graduates go on to Catholic high schools, and parents report high satisfaction with the program.
The Parish School's Mission in Practice
St. Jerome Catholic School admits students of any race, color, nationality, religion, and origin. Children entering kindergarten must turn five by August 30. In prioritizing new students, the school places parishioners first, followed by families with a sibling already enrolled, and then non-parishioners. Tours can be arranged by calling the school office at 216-486-3587.
Tuition assistance is a regular part of admissions. The school accepts both the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program (voucher) and EdChoice Scholarships, and financial aid is available for families in need. A scholarship coordinator, Mrs. Jennifer Adams, walks families through the application process.
The school day extends beyond academics. The school provides breakfast and lunch menus, an after-school care program, a counseling consent process, and a published parent and student handbook. Gym uniforms and spirit wear are ordered online and shipped to families, while the standard school uniform is available through Schoolbelles using the school's code, S0077.
Parish Groups Rooted in Catholic Tradition
The parish community gathers in several long-running groups. The oldest of them is the Holy Name Society, which began at St. Jerome in 1931, the same year the Holy Name Society started in the Diocese of Cleveland. With roughly twenty-five members, predominantly men, the society promotes respect for the Holy Name of God, sponsors the parish picnic in June and the annual clambake near the September 30 feast of St. Jerome, and assists the pastor with parish projects. Monthly meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month.
The Respect Life Ministry has been a part of St. Jerome since 1994, when Fr. Thomas Haren founded the local group the year after sending parishioners to the National Right to Life March in Washington, D.C. The ministry is dedicated to defending the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death through education, prayer, and community awareness. Members meet on the third Friday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in Hammer Parish Center and join together for Mass on the fourth Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Over the years, the group has supported BirthRight of Cleveland, Lake County Right to Life, and families in need at the parish, and has volunteered with the Cleveland Food Bank, the Cleveland Air Show, and Lenten cluster Masses.
The Divine Mercy Prayer Ministry gathers to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet after Mass on first Fridays and circulates prayer requests for the sick and suffering among parishioners. The Altar and Rosary Society is another fixture of parish life, and continues to serve the church's devotional life in ways the parish is still sharing publicly.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
For non-Catholic adults exploring the faith, St. Jerome offers the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, also known as OCIA. Fr. Anthony describes the process as a journey of faith, love, and fellowship rather than a class, walking inquirers through the steps toward full initiation into the Catholic Church. Anyone interested can contact the parish office or Fr. Anthony Simone directly at asimone@stjeromecleveland.org.
Supporting the Parish
Online giving is available through WeShare, and gifts are used both for ongoing parish operations and for capital needs such as the school roof replacement recently completed under Fr. Anthony's leadership. The church bulletin, posted online, lists the current Mass intentions, the Word of the Week reflection from Fr. Anthony, and a calendar of parish events.
Families with school-age children, lifelong parishioners, and curious newcomers alike find their way to 15000 Lakeshore Boulevard. For more than a hundred years, the Beacon on the Boulevard has been a place where Catholic faith and Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood meet, and where the same school building that opened its doors in 1922 still welcomes students each fall.