September 8, 2008 - Toledo, OH- The Historic Church of St. Patrick in downtown Toledo will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving to honor local firefighters on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 10 am.

This is the second year the Church has held this Mass. Last year Historic St. Patrick celebrated the completion of renovations and the raising of a new steeple replacing the one destroyed in a fire in 1980. The parish also held a Mass to honor and thank all firefighters, especially those firefighters who fought the 1980 fire.

This year, St. Patrick will also bless a new statue of Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters and designate the parish as the “Firefighters Parish”, welcoming all firefighters and keeping them in daily prayers.

All firefighters, active and retired, family and friends of all faiths are invited to attend this Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate the past, exalt the present and keep traditions for the future.

The Historic Church of St. Patrick is located at 13th and Avondale in downtown Toledo. For more information on the Mass of Thanksgiving please call the parish office at 419-243-6452.

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 306,532 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

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