The Zanesville Times Recorder also recently published a story on Fr. Jordan Turano, OP, the recently installed pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Zanesville, OH.  Fr. Jordan assumed the office of pastor this past July, having previously ministered as the chaplain of Walsh University in Youngstown, OH.

Also in the last year, the interior of the Church has gone through a major renovation.  Below are pictures of the sanctuary of the church before (top) and after (bottom).  In addition to the sanctuary, the old carpet was torn out and a new tiled slate floor was added, and the entire interior was repainted.  Also, new niches were created for the statues of Mary and St. Thomas Aquinas where the former side altars used to be.  Click on either photo for a slideshow of pictures from St. Thomas Aquinas in Zanesville:

New pastor settles into St. Thomas Aquinas

ZANESVILLE - The Rev. Jordan Turano feels the community has welcomed him.

Turano has taken his first job as a pastor, joining associated pastors the Rev. Luke Turon and the Rev. Pius Pietrzyk and staff at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

The church has had much to celebrate in the past year with the welcoming of Turano this summer and the celebration of the completion of its remodeling project at last Christmas time.

“What made it nice was to walk into a church that was updated. It’s beautiful and that made it nice (to come here) as well,” Turano said.

Turano, who came from Youngstown on July 1, was a priest at other parishes for the last four years. While in Youngstown, he worked at St. Dominic’s and also taught and was very involved in campus ministry at Walsh University. His time spent working with the younger generation really impacted his life.

“My love of young people is important because that’s where are future lives. We need to challenge and encourage them to live out our faith,” he said. “Older people know where their faith is.”

Turano believes it is important to educate the younger generations and prepare them for being strong leaders in the community and globally. Hs is involved in as much as he can in the community and his strong leadership shows in the activities he is part of within the church. With his job comes great responsibility and his strength is really evident through his involvement.

“I’m responsible for care and salvation of souls that are placed in my care,” Turano said.

Some activities he oversees at St. Thomas Aquinas are Pro-Life Group, Catholic Woman’s Club, Youth Group, Rosemary Alter Society, Quilter’s Group, Prayer Group, Bereavement Support Group, and the local Boy Scouts. In addition, Turano will be as involved as he can be in any event that takes place, both at the church and in the community of Zanesville.

And why not give back to a community that gives so much? Since being here, Turano feels the community has made him feel accepted and right at home.

“The people have really been responsive. They really have been welcoming and kind,” he said.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church was established in 1820 and the church was finally built in 1842. In addition to holding weddings, baptisms, funerals and confessions, regular mass takes place weekdays at 8:05 a.m. and noon, Saturdays at 9 a.m., and Sundays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10:30 a.m.

If you want to get a chance to meet Turano, you can stop by the church or call the parish office at 453-3301.

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