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The city of Hamilton with its steel factories became an important centre for Slovaks. Our first records come from the year 1936 and are found in the minute-book of the Slovak Catholic club, whose members first initiated the creation of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish. The lives of Slovaks in Hamilton were developing in incomparably tough conditions. There were many reasons. The greatest difficulty, however, was that they did not have a spiritual leader. For their lives to become steady, they needed a stable place to gather. And this place could only be a well-organized parish, a community with a church, rectory and school. This was the goal of the club’s members. In those times, when the Slovak life was forming and being organized, many times there was no one to think of recording precise documentations that could now serve as a historical source. From the papers that do exist, we learn of the diligence and courage of some people, whose faith, patience and especially vigor can serve as an example for generations to come.
Founding members of the Slovak Catholic Club were: Eugene Marinak – president, Jan Tomkovic – secretary, Ondrej Matuch – treasurer. Their main aim was to establish a parish so that Slovaks would not have to attend other churches. With their request they turned to the Slovak Benedictine Fathers in Cleveland, Ohio. They advised them on how to go forward. Above all, it was necessary that the number of families that would go to the church in Hamilton increase and with this thought in mind, the members of the club visited every Slovak family in Hamilton to gain their numbers. The testimony of their hard work, religious fervour, and generous sacrifice was that on January 1st, 1945, Bishop Joseph F. Ryan of Hamilton gave permission for the founding of the parish. The first pastor of Sts. Cyril and Methodius was Father John Michael Zeman, OSB. With 200 families, half Byzantine and half Roman Catholic they chose the name of two great saints; Cyril & Methodius. Father John Zeman was recalled to Cleveland in 1948. He was replaced by Fr. Gilbert Stopko, also from the Benedictine Abbey, who stayed there until 1950.
Father E. Fuzy started his pastoral work at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish on October 11, 1950 when he offered his first Mass at St. Mary’s Chapel. The parish still did not have its own church. A year after his arrival, the long-awaited time came when on September 17, 1951 they purchased the Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph. The building built in 1913 needed many repairs. During the next few years through leadership, courage, faith and hard work, the building was reconstructed to its present state. Stained-glass windows from Innsbruck were installed in 1956. In 1957, Jozef Satin, painted the sanctuary of our church in 24 karat gold. An important event in the history of the parish was the blessing of the new rectory building, built by the parishioners themselves under the directions of Leonard Strohmeyer, an architect from Dundas. Joseph F. Ryan, the Bishop of Hamilton, blessed the new rectory on June 29, 1953.
God blessed the parish with three callings: Rev Jozef Suroviak was ordained in 1958, Rev. Jozef Šach in 1961, as well as Sister Gabriela Hinca.
Father Emeric Fuzy was pastor of this parish for 50 years until November 2000, when he went into retirement.
On February 28, 1999 a new priest Rev. Jozef Vano arrived from Slovakia and became the parish priest a year later.