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St. Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception holds final Mass in Wilkes-Barre

The Rev. Joseph Verespy carries the eucharist from St. Mary's to St. Nicholas church in Wilkes-Barre.
Aimee Dilger
Priest Joseph Verespy carries the eucharist from St. Mary's to St Nick's church in Wilkes-Barre

With the congregation, choir and clergy amassed on the steps and in the street outside St. Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception in Wilkes-Barre, Alice Rogers tied a deep purple ribbon around the doors that have welcomed worshippers for over a century.

Once the ribbon was secure, the oldest Catholic church in the Wyoming Valley was closed for the final time.

Rev. Joseph Verespy, pastor of the combined St. Nicholas-St. Mary Parish, watched the doors close. He walked down the steps and into the street, and with the eucharist from St. Mary’s in hand, and started walking toward St. Nicholas Church one block away.

Alice Rogers ties a bow on the doors of St. Mary's church after the final Mass and ceremony.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
Alice Rogers ties a bow on the doors of St. Mary's church after the final Mass and ceremony.

“Do you want to walk with us?” he asked the remaining people gathered on the steps.

As the eucharistic procession walked down South Washington Street toward St. Nicholas, the congregation’s new home, a small group began to sing in Spanish. Bells rang out from the church’s tower, and the sound of drummers waiting on the steps floated through the cold air.

The procession filed inside, and the choir that performed for the final Mass at St. Mary’s joined with the St. Nicholas choir.

Azteca dancers, garbed in the traditional Mexican costumes and headdresses they typically wear to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, flanked the aisle of the church as Verespy brought the eucharist to the altar.

Once the eucharist was secure in the tabernacle, he stood at the altar and held up his hand, asking the choir to pause for a moment.

“We’re home,” he said.

Saying Goodbye

Before the congregation could be welcomed to St. Nicholas, they celebrated Mass for one final time at St. Mary’s.

Verespy said he prepared the members of St. Mary’s for weeks, noting it would be a mostly normal Mass until the very end, when he would decommission the sacramental parts of the building, like the baptismal font, the confessional, the ambo and the altar.

A plaque at St. Mary's Church in Wilkes-Barre recognizes the founding of the first Catholic parish in the Wyoming Valley.
Sarah Scinto
/
WVIA News
A plaque at St. Mary's Church in Wilkes-Barre recognizes the founding of the first Catholic parish in the Wyoming Valley.

Founded in 1845, the church has been linked to nearby St. Nicholas for three years, Verespy said, then the two became one parish with two worship sites. Both buildings were kept open until Sunday.

Verespy said the church’s pastoral council and finance committees recommended closing St. Mary’s last year. Once the move was approved by the Diocese of Scranton and Bishop Joseph Bambera, he started planning the closing Mass.

Verespy said factors like changing demographics in Wilkes-Barre, declining Mass attendance, finances and a lack of priests in the diocese influenced the decision.

In recent times, St. Mary's was down to one Mass each week, with about 100 people attending, he explained.

“On a real, practical level, we really don’t need … two huge buildings at this point,” Verespy said in the week leading up to the final Mass. “We were advised by our finance council and our pastoral council to say that St. Nicholas seemed to be the more feasible place to keep open rather than St. Mary’s.”

On Sunday afternoon, parishioners started to arrive nearly two hours early for the 2 p.m. Mass.

Mary Humson lingered in the aisles before Mass, talking with friends and people she’s known for the 40 years she has attended services at St. Mary’s.

“I feel sad. This is a place of comfort for me to come every week,” she said. “We’ve had beautiful services here … it’s a sad day for me, because I’m going to miss coming here.”

Norbert and Suzanne Swithers welcomed the congregation as ushers along with their son, Dylan Swithers.

Suzanne Swithers said she’s been part of St. Mary’s for more than 35 years. She juggled several emotions as the community took their seats.

“Sadness … I’d say also privileged to have been a member of this church,” she said. “A lot of good memories … it’s coming to an end, but a lot of good memories.”

Dylan Swithers glanced toward the altar, where candle stands donated by his grandmother stood.

“Every Christmas holiday, they put them up in remembrance of her,” he said. “I actually got into ushering … because of her. I was her little buddy, and I like coming here to keep her memory alive.”

Combined future

The members of the former St. Mary’s Church will now become part of St. Nicholas Church, Verespy said.

Decommissioning St. Mary’s and bringing the eucharist to St. Nicholas was the final step.

“There was really a spirit of gratitude, you know, and thankfulness for … all these years,” he said once the mass and ceremony had ended. “And I loved the welcome.”

After the Mass, members of the now fully-combined church gathered for a reception. Verespy said he has been preparing the congregation at St. Nicholas for some new faces among them at weekend masses.

“Next weekend, there'll be some new faces, and so make sure you scooch in a little bit,” he said. “I think it'll be an easy transition, and it was a great day.”

Sarah Scinto is the local host of Morning Edition on WVIA. She is a Connecticut native and graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, and has previously covered Northeastern Pennsylvania for The Scranton Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voice and Greater Pittston Progress.

You can email Sarah at sarahscinto@wvia.org