A Parish at the Corner of Fairmount and Coventry
St. Paul's Episcopal Church stands at 2747 Fairmount Boulevard, on the northwest corner of Fairmount and Coventry in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where the leafy streetcar suburb meets one of Cleveland's most storied commercial districts. Founded in 1846 by forty-five families who wished to seek, serve, and love God in innovative ways, the parish has been a continuous Episcopal presence in Cleveland for nearly two centuries. Today it is the largest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, with approximately 1,150 members.
The parish's motto, "Seeking. Serving. Loving. Together.," guides everything from Sunday worship to summer mission trips. Members pursue that mission through vibrant liturgy and joyful music, thoughtful education, mutual care, and outreach that stretches from the Coventry neighborhood to South Africa. As Episcopalians, the congregation cherishes both ancient and innovative worship, weaving Anglican Episcopal practice with openness to the questions that bring newcomers through the doors. The mission, in the parish's own words, is "to provide a spiritual home for all to seek, serve, and love God together," fulfilled through joyful worship, thoughtful formation, mutual care, and service to others locally and globally.
Sunday Worship and the Midweek Eucharist
Three Sunday services draw the parish together around the Holy Eucharist, with a fourth, smaller Eucharist held on Wednesdays.
- 7:45 a.m. - Holy Eucharist in St. Martin's Chapel, an intimate and contemplative gathering.
- 9:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist in the Nave, with American Sign Language interpretation.
- 11:15 a.m. - Holy Eucharist in the Nave, the principal Sunday liturgy of the week, livestreamed from the parish and shared on YouTube and Facebook.
A Wednesday Holy Eucharist is offered at 6 p.m. in St. Martin's Chapel, often observing the Lesser Feasts of the day.
The 11:15 a.m. service is the musical heart of the parish's week, with the Senior Choir and the Holtkamp and Hradetzky organs leading congregational singing. Each Sunday, the Rev'd T.J. Freeman (Rector) or the Rev'd Maureen "Mo" Major (Associate Rector) typically preaches; visiting preachers and lay preachers also fill the pulpit. Sermons are recorded each Sunday, posted to the sermon archive, and distributed through Apple's podcast directory. The sermon archive on the parish runs back several years, and each Sunday's sermon is also available as video on the parish's YouTube channel.
Worship at St. Paul's is intentionally intergenerational. Children are welcome and expected in the pews, and ushers can point families to a nursery staffed from 8:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Sunday by paid caregivers trained in health and safety. The 9 a.m. service includes a special segment for young worshippers: three- to five-year-olds enjoy supervised play, crafts, and a story before rejoining their families at the Peace. Silent pagers, comfortable chairs, changing tables, and a wide selection of books, leaflets, and activity bags in both vestibules make it easy for parents to settle in.
Christian formation for all ages meets at 10 a.m. between the morning services. Weekday classes and small groups gather throughout the week, and a yearly newcomer series called St. Paul's 101 walks newcomers through the life of the parish. Episcopal 101, offered each spring, introduces newcomers to the history, beliefs, and practices of the Episcopal Church.
Music and the Organs
The music program at St. Paul's has a reputation for excellence throughout the Episcopal Church and within the greater Cleveland community. Kevin Jones, Director of Music, leads a full staff of musicians that includes Kelsey Ferguson (Music Associate for Choristers), Lois Bell (Handbell Choir Director), Todd Wilson (Artist-in-Residence), and Jonathan Bolena (Sacred Music Intern). Together they lead congregational singing, train choristers through the Royal School of Church Music curriculum, and prepare the Senior Choir for the 11:15 a.m. Sunday liturgy, Choral Evensongs, and special services such as the annual Choral Eucharist with a major choral setting of the Mass ordinary.
The instruments at St. Paul's are treasures in their own right.
- Holtkamp Organ (1952) - Designed under the guidance of Walter Blodgett, then Organist-Choir Director of St. Paul's and Curator of Music at the Cleveland Museum of Art, this organ was pictured in Encyclopedia Britannica. Its asymmetrical layout puts Holtkamp's mature design philosophy into visible practice: "Let there be no impediment to the music."
- Hradetzky Organ (1985) - Built by Austrian organ builder Gerhard Hradetzky and placed in the rear gallery, this instrument synthesizes Austrian, German, and primarily Italian baroque styles in a single unified case.
- Slajch Positiv Organ (2002) - A five-rank baroque-style positive organ with mechanical action, built by Vladimir Slajch of the Czech Republic, with a late-rococo case finished in gold leaf.
- Griewisch Harpsichord (2005) - An Italian-model instrument with a false inner-outer case, built by Matthias Griewisch of Bammental, Germany, based on the harpsichords of Giovanni Ferrini, a pupil of Bartolomeo Cristofori.
- Carillon (1929 to present) - Installed in the 165-foot bell tower given "to the Glory of the Triune God," the carillon spans 47 bells and is one of only five concert carillons in Ohio.
The music program presents a full concert series each year, including the annual Kevin Jones organ recital, choral Evensongs, sacred concerts, and performances by guest artists.
Children, Youth, and Christian Formation
Children are a vital part of the parish community, and the church's Sunday school, youth, and formation programs reflect that commitment. Christian formation for all ages is offered at 10 a.m. between the morning liturgies.
For the youngest members of the parish, the nursery is staffed from 8:50 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each Sunday by paid caregivers who have completed the Safeguarding God's Children program offered through the Church Pension Group of The Episcopal Church. Silent pagers, comfortable chairs, changing tables, and toys are available for parents who need a quiet moment.
Three- to five-year-olds enjoy the Godly Play curriculum during the 9 a.m. service; they rejoin their families at the Peace. Older children participate in Workshop Adventures and the TotalChaos youth program. The church maintains close relationships with the Royal School of Church Music chorister training program, and young choristers sing alongside the adults in major liturgies.
Youth ministry for grades 6 through 12 is built around the Journey to Adulthood curriculum, which combines Sunday morning church school, evening Youth Group, service, music, and confirmation preparation into a flexible rhythm. Teens serve as acolytes, lay readers, ushers, and choir members, take part in mission trips, choir trips, and diocesan events, and participate in the C.A.S.T. drama program. C.A.S.T. produces an annual Advent Dessert Theater and a spring musical; recent productions have included Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and Fiddler on the Roof.
The one-year Confirmation Program for youth in grades nine and up brings teens together with clergy and staff to question and explore the foundations of the faith, the scriptures, and the Episcopal tradition. All clergy, staff members, and volunteers who work with children and youth are trained in Safeguarding God's Children.
Outreach Beyond the Parish Walls
St. Paul's involvement in the wider community runs through several long-standing partnerships.
- Reading Camp Cleveland - a summer reading-enrichment camp for area rising third and fourth graders, run in partnership with Open Doors Academy.
- Open Doors Academy - a developmental out-of-school program that grew out of a 1992 St. Paul's effort to provide a safe place for latchkey children from Roxboro Middle School. Today Open Doors operates at nine additional locations in the Heights, Euclid, and Cleveland school districts.
- Tutoring at Local Elementary Schools - parishioner volunteers tutor students at nearby schools.
- Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) - a non-partisan, faith-based community organizing coalition co-founded with St. Paul's as one of its founding and most active members. Members canvass, call, and advocate on social-justice issues.
- Loaves and Fishes - a community meal ministry.
- Homeless Stand Down (Business Volunteers Unlimited) - parishioners serve alongside BVU to serve neighbors experiencing homelessness.
- St. Luke's, Cleveland; the Women's Domestic Violence Center; and the Fairhill Center for Aging - ongoing committee partnerships.
Beyond Cleveland, St. Paul's maintains a long-standing pilgrimage partnership with the Diocese of False Bay in South Africa, hosting youth and adult visitors and sending youth each summer to build and repair homes with partner parishes. Each summer the parish also sends a youth pilgrimage to serve other communities.
Inside the building, the Act II Resale Shop sells donated clothing, accessories, and small housewares, with all proceeds funding outreach ministries, facility improvements, and music programs. Act II is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Pastoral Care and Connection
All members of St. Paul's are welcome to meet with a member of the clergy to talk through health challenges, life transitions, crises of faith, or other concerns. In cases of emergency after hours, clergy cell numbers are listed in each Sunday bulletin.
The Parish Visitor Program pairs trained lay volunteers with homebound parishioners for companionship and connection. The Knitting Circle meets the first Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. and the third Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Coventry house. Members experiencing a death in the family receive a series of books throughout the following year, and an annual Service of Remembrance is held each fall to honor those who have died over the past year. The parish prayer list is printed each week in the Sunday bulletin.
Fellowship
Annual parish-wide fellowship events include the Fall Parish Picnic, Commitment Sunday, the Ice Cream Social, and the Senior Saints lunch. The Parish Fellowship Committee also hosts the Wine Tour, Mardi Gras party, and summer Games on the Lawn.
Members are welcome to join several smaller fellowship groups that meet throughout the year.
- Women's Ministries - gatherings for fellowship, service, book discussions, and education.
- Men's Council - monthly fellowship and outreach, with annual Pancake Breakfast and Advent greens sales.
- The Village - fellowship for families with infants and younger children.
- The Young Adult Group - a social group for adults in their 20s and 30s, with fellowship activities planned throughout the year.
- Sages - the parish's fellowship group for "seasoned" citizens, gathering for talks, tours, and luncheons.
- Knitting Circle, Herb Gardeners/Lay Weeders, and Act II Shop Volunteers - hands-on fellowship through crafts and service.
The Building and Its Story
St. Paul's has moved three times in its long history. Founded in downtown Cleveland in 1846 as a "low church" breakaway from Trinity Parish, the original church burned down ten days after its completion in 1849. The congregation rebuilt on Euclid and East Fourth and worshipped there until population shifts eastward drew them, in 1876, to a striking new church at East 40th and Euclid - at the time the largest, most impressive, and most fashionable church in Cleveland.
The Reverend Doctor Walter Breed, the parish's longest-serving rector (thirty-two years), recognized the continuing eastward shift and, in 1923, chose a corner lot at Fairmount and Coventry for a future merged parish of St. Paul's and St. Martin's. The first services in the new building were held on Palm Sunday in 1928. The bell tower and Brooks Room were dedicated later that year, and carillon bells were installed beginning in 1929.
During the Depression and World War II, the planned Gothic nave was never built. The parish worshiped in what is now Tucker Hall, with the original pews brought from the East 40th Street location. Construction of a nave finally resumed under the Reverend Theodore Evans in the early 1940s; with costs escalating, the design was scaled back to a flat ceiling and shorter space, dedicated in 1951. The Reverend John O'Hear modified the design mid-construction, moving the altar toward the middle of the nave so nothing stood between it and the people, an early influence of the Liturgical Movement.
The 1956 nursery wing became home to a parish-founded preschool and now houses the Act II Shop. The 1990 south wing addition added more Sunday school classrooms, and the hallway gallery was renamed in 2014 in honor of Nicholson B. White, the fourteenth rector (1983-2002).
In 2003, parishioner-architect Bill Collins designed the columbarium in the back of St. Martin's Chapel to address limited space for interment of ashes. The Taylor Memorial Garden was dedicated in 2021 as both an outdoor columbarium and a contemplative garden. A capital campaign completed in 2023 raised $8.3 million for infrastructure improvements, restoration of the Holtkamp organ, additional outreach funding, and substantial additions to the endowment.
The building is available for weddings and funerals for members and those with a current or prospective association with the parish. The parish offers its facilities for use by a wide range of community-based groups and gathers roughly four hundred worshippers on a typical Sunday.
Clergy, Staff, and Lay Leadership
The Reverend T.J. Freeman SMMS serves as the seventeenth Rector of St. Paul's, called in 2025 and installed in January 2026 by The Right Reverend Anne B. Jolly, Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio. The Reverend Maureen (Mo) Major serves as Associate Rector.
Musical leadership rests with Kevin Jones (Director of Music), Kelsey Ferguson (Music Associate for Choristers), Lois Bell (Handbell Choir Director), Todd Wilson (Artist-in-Residence), and Jonathan Bolena (Sacred Music Intern).
Lauren Dockery directs the parish's Children and Youth Ministries. Susan Armstrong serves as Assistant to Children and Youth Ministries. Pam O'Halloran is Director of Operations, Brenda Burton is Controller, and Kirsten Radivoyevitch serves as Membership Engagement Coordinator.
The Vestry is the lay leadership body of the parish, working with the Rector to manage resources, finances, planning, and property. Susan Quill serves as Senior Warden, Adam Blackman as Junior Warden, Lloyd Bell as Treasurer, Michele Smolin as Chancellor, and Ben Keck as Clerk. Two youth delegates represent the parish's teens on the Vestry.
Joining the Life of St. Paul's
Visitors are warmly welcomed at all services and at parish events throughout the year. A Welcome Card connects newcomers to a member of the staff, and the Membership Engagement Coordinator is available to answer questions.
Annual newcomer events are hosted by the Newcomer Council; St. Paul's 101 (in late winter) and Episcopal 101 (in spring) introduce newcomers to the life of the parish and the Episcopal tradition. Saint Paul's Weekly, the parish's e-newsletter, can be subscribed to from the home page.
The parish invites participation through worship, formation, fellowship, and service. Members are encouraged to find a place in worship leadership, in choir, in Christian formation, in the Outreach Committee, in pastoral care, in fellowship groups, or in the Knitting Circle and other hands-on ministries. The Welcome Guide has more about how to get involved.
Giving and Stewardship
St. Paul's is supported primarily through annual pledges. The parish is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization. Members may give online through Realm, by pledging annually, by transferring stock, or through Venmo. The St. Paul's Legacy Society honors those who have chosen to support the church through charitable bequests, beneficiary designations, and other planned giving arrangements.
The Easter Flowers and Music Fund supports the lilies and spring flowers on Easter morning and the special music that surrounds them; donations may be made in memory or in thanksgiving for past and present blessings.