“You can’t do what you can’t do. But you can become what you become.” – Father Marty Polito

Father Marty Polito was born to Italian parents, Eleanor and Vincent in Cleveland. His father owned a beverage store on East 152nd St. in the Collinwood neighborhood. As a young boy, his family including his four siblings, Joseph (deceased), Vincent, Charles and Lucia, moved to Euclid where he attended St. Robert's Elementary, St. Joseph High School and later graduated from Borromeo Seminary and St. Mary's Seminary. He has been very involved in family life and enjoys seeing the generational life of his family with his great nieces and nephews.

As a priest he has served in several parishes including as an Associate Pastor at Holy Redeemer Parish in Cleveland from 1976- 1981. Fr. Marty also served at St. Wenceslas Church in Maple Heights from 1981- 1986 and describes that time as very formative for him as the church had a large school and a very active youth ministry. From there, Fr. Marty was assigned to serve as Chaplain at Lake Catholic High School for 10 years where he lived at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Willowick. He also worked with students at the Juvenile Detention Center. In 1996, Fr. Marty returned to Holy Redeemer Church in Cleveland where he has been the pastor for 28 years. The Holy Redeemer Community consists not only of the church but also an apartment complex, Holy Redeemer Senior Facility, which was built on the grounds that housed the old W.H Brett School. This summer marked the 100th anniversary of Holy Redeemer Parish and also marked Fr. Marty's retirement.

Fr. Marty's philosophy is about building relationships and friendships, and it is within these relationships that we learn from each other. He is also passionate about helping people in recovery where he is often the fifth step. Commonly known as the "confession" step in Alcoholics Anonymous, Step 5 encourages members to acknowledge their struggles to God, to oneself and to another human being. According to Fr. Marty, "we all need each other to make it through." In his spare time, Fr. Marty finds inspiration in the arts including music, theatre and film.

"Fr. Marty Polito has not only been the Spiritual Leader for Holy Redeemer Catholic Church but has also been a civic leader for the Italian community and Ward 8. Fr. Marty has also been a dear personal friend of mine for many years. May the Dear Lord watch over him in his retirement," Councilman Michael Polensek.

“I always asked Fr. Marty ‘How are you doing?’ He never complained and his response was always the same. ‘One day at a time.’” - Nick Previte.

“Father Marty was the heart and soul of Holy Redeemer. As a lifelong parishioner, and longtime resident of Collinwood, I can attest that he recognized the importance of community and worked tirelessly to maintain the customs and traditions of our Italian parish. Father Marty was a kind, comforting, and respected spiritual leader. While he will be greatly missed, he has left a legacy that will live on through Holy Redeemer and its parishioners forever.” -Mike Barth.

“I feel blessed to call him a friend. He is a wonderful priest – as good as it gets!” -Vince Campanella.

"The one thing I have admired most about Fr. Marty is his ability to focus on each individual with whom he is in conversation. Even when surrounded by many people and distractions, he has the ability to keep his attention on the person in front of him and respond to what that person is saying, reassuring them of their particular importance." - Father Joe Previte

Congratulations, Father Marty!