Neighborhood Saddened by Passing of Rev. Anthony Casses

Our dear friend, the Reverend Anthony Cassese, 66, Pastor at St. Jerome Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland in Ward 8 of the City of Cleveland passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2014.  

Father Cassese was ordained to the priesthood for the service of the Order of St Paul the Hermit on 23 April 1977 in the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA.  After serving in the Catholic Diocese at St Louis Parish in Cleveland Heights and Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Willowick, he was assigned to St Jerome Parish in Cleveland. He was appointed Administrator pro tem (in 1992) and then Administrator (in October 2005) of St Jerome’s Church. He was then named Pastor of St. Jerome, Cleveland, on 6 November 2006.  He had served at St Jerome for 27 years until his death.

As Pastor he saw St. Jerome through the good times and the tough times we all faced in the Ward, in the City and in the Diocese.  St Jerome Parish thrives because of his determination and vision.  The Parish community of St Jerome will miss Father Cassese and the Councilman will also personally miss him since they had become good friends.

Father Cassese managed a battle with Cystic fibrosis from the time he was a child until complications lead to his death.  He continued to manage the disease but never let it define him. His good friend, Father Ralph Wiatrowski, Pastor of St. Barnabas parish in Northfield Center, reflected that, “You would never have known he had Cystic Fibrosis unless he told you; he never let it become obvious.”

Thus, On Monday evening, January 5th, 2015, Cleveland City Council passed ORDINANCE 24-15, sponsored by Councilman Polensek, to place the name of FATHER ANTHONY CASSESE WAY as an honorarium to Ridpath Avenue between East 152 Street and East 149th Street.  This street runs behind St Jerome’s Catholic Church. The new signs will go up as soon as possible.

Councilman Polensek felt it was important that we honor and remember Father Cassese who became an adopted son of the Collinwood community and was humbled to be Pastor of St. Jerome Catholic Church.  May the Good Lord watch over him.