Originally founded for Bohemian Catholics in 1883, St. Adalbert Parish became a vital center for Black Catholic life in Cleveland by the 1960s. As African Americans became the majority in the neighborhood, the Diocese merged St. Adalbert with the historically Black Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parish in 1961.
In 1970, Father Gene R. Wilson, the first Black priest ordained in Cleveland, became the parish’s first Black pastor, advancing inclusion and lay leadership. Though the church closed in 2010, a successful appeal to the Vatican led to its reopening in 2012, highlighting the community’s strength and advocacy.