The Rev Patrick E Lavelle, pastor of St Joseph's Church, Minooka, is a native Scrantonian. He was born on Pittston Ave, South Scranton, on 2 Oct 1867.
His father, Martin B Lavelle, emigrated to America from the West of Ireland, in 1848, and for a time located at Honesdale and later on at Factoryville and Butterwick Falls on the Susquehanna where he was employed as a rock contractor by the railroads.
In 1849 Mr Lavelle married Bridget Ward, daughter of Owen Ward, of Newport, Ireland, in St John's Church, Honesdale. Nine children were born of this union of whom Patrick E, the subject of this sketch, is the youngest.
Ever since 1851 the Lavelle family has lived in Scranton. Martin Lavelle the father was killed in the mines in 1869, and Mrs Lavelle had reached the patriarchal age of 82 years when in 1910 she was called to her reward.
Like ever so many others who were denied advantages and made acquainted with hardships, Mr & Mrs Lavelle were keen to give their children a thorough education.
Patrick passed through the public schools of Scranton and St Cecilia's Academy before entering St Charles College, Ellicott City, MD, in 1884. From this famed college he graduated in 1890 and immediately began his studies in philosophy at St Mary's Seminary, Baltimore. On completing the two years' course of philosophy he received the degree of Master of Arts from that institution.
After studying theology for three years in St Mary's Seminary he was ordained to the priesthood by Rt Rev William O'Hara, in St Rose Church, Carbondale, on 4 Oct 1895.
Father Lavelle's first assignment in the Diocese of Scranton was to assist Very Rev John Finan, VG, in the pastoral work at St John's Church, Pittston. Next he labored at St Patrick's Hyde Park, and in May 1903 he was appointed pastor of St Juliana's Church, Rock Lake, Wayne County, where he spent eight years. In 1912 he came back to Lackawanna County as pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church, Taylor, and on 1 Jul 1913 moved to Minooka to become administrator of St Joseph's parish. When eight months later Father Rea resigned because of ill health, Father Lavelle was promoted to the rectorship of this parish.
During his pastorate the parish has kept pace with the progressive congregations of the diocese.
During his administration Father Lavelle has made many improvements and some very substantial additions to the parish property: one of these was the acquisition of St Joseph's Hall from the T A B Society, now used as a parish hall; the other the building of a modern rectory which is surpassed by only a very few of the diocese. During these years also a substantial fund has been created toward the erection of a parochial school which will complete the church property.