History of the Generosity of West Parkers

By Mollie Costanzo Wirtz

While working on the spring issue of the West Park Magazine, I had the privilege of capturing the northern rays of sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows in the oldest Catholic Church in Cleveland, West Park’s very own St. Patrick Church West Park. The parish was established in 1848.

I was impressed by the strikingly gorgeous stained glass window featuring St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Columbkille. The window is adorned with a variety of shamrocks in vast hues of green and symbols of each saint. While editing the photos days later, I was intrigued by the bottom panel of the window which disclosed that the window was dedicated to Cecilia Carney, John J. Carney, and Marie Carney. My curiosity piqued; is this the same family as the owners of Kamms Plaza.

Reached out to James Carney, who owns Kamms Plaza, to see if they were the same Carneys as the ones mentioned in the bottom panel of the stained glass window. Indeed, the history of the window led to James sharing that his grandparents, Cecilia and John Carney, resided with their three children, John J., James M., and Marie (see photo) on Brysdale Avenue, off of Rocky River Drive by Maplewood Park.

The family was long-time parishioners of St. Patrick Church West Park. In 1929, Marie, who was 16 at the time, passed away from strep throat. Only 6 months later her father, John, also passed away from strep throat because penicillin had only been discovered in 1928 and was not used to treat illnesses, like strep throat, till 1942.

After their father’s death, the Carney brothers, John J. and James M. kept their father’s business West Park Excavator up and running and eventually expanded into land development, home building, and local politics. Cecilia was proud of her boys – she would ride the trolleys back and forth from Kamm’s Corners to downtown Cleveland and pass out voting cards asking everyone on the trolley to vote for her sons, during various years in the ’30s and ’40s. In the later years, Cecilia moved to Kamm’s Corners into an apartment just north of Kamms Plaza Shopping Center on the east side of Rocky River Drive where she lived until she passed. John J.’s children, John and James Carney, grandsons of Cecilia and John, remain a part of the West Park Community as partners in Kamms Plaza Shopping Center along with a few other buildings in the area. James Carney wasn’t sure exactly when the stained glass windowed was installed but knew that John J and James M. donated the window in honor of their parents, Cecilia and John, and their sister, Marie.

I wanted to see if I could discover exactly when the stained glass window was installed at St.Pats. I reached Maureen Mountcastle, historian of St. Patrick Church West Park, to see if she knew anything about the window. She was able to find records that show St. Patrick Church West Park was renovated and extended beginning in 1951 and completed in 1952. The renovation was extensive and included all parts of the church including the windows while the outside walls were left untouched. Maureen believes that most of the stained-glass windows, including the Carney family window, were probably installed during this renovation.

The first Mass in the newly renovated church was held on Christmas in 1952, 54 years to the day after the first Mass in the original stone church was held.

The Carney family’s generosity has left a long-lasting legacy on our community while honoring their family and their Irish Heritage.

Thank you to James Carney, Lisa Kay, St. Patrick West Park, Maureen Mountcastle