The following is from Thomas Murphy's 1928 History of Lackawanna County , 1 I've left names as he spelled them, but point out some discrepancies with other sources.
Catholicism was unrepresented in the religious life of the Lackawanna Valley until 1830 or thereabouts. If there were any Catholics in what is now Lackawanna County previous to the extending of the gravity railroad to and opening of the mines in Carbondale, they were exceedingly few in number. Whether the first Catholics here were Irish or German is not known. The Irish were the first in sufficient numbers to urge a church edifice and it was by the zeal of the Celts that the first Roman church was erected in Carbondale. There is a tradition among Pioneer City Catholics that as early as 1828 a Father O'Flynn said mass in a private house in that city. By 1830 there were enough Catholic families in Carbondale to demand the ministration of a priest and in 1831 Rev William Clancy is reported as pastor of the flock and interested in the building of a church, erected near the present St Rose Church. Lackawanna County as well as all northeastern Pennsylvania at that time was part of the Philadelphia diocese of which Bishop F Kendrick (sic - Kenrick ) was the head.
Along in 1833 or 1834 Father Clancy was sent to another mission and a Father Whelan and Rev Peter Kendrick (sic - Kenrick ), brother of the bishop, visited Carbondale, the latter on one occasion baptizing 80 children. Rev Henry Fitzsimons 2 was the second resident priest in Carbondale. His coming is fixed as 1836. He built a new church, dedicated on October 25, 1840, and remained in charge of the parish until 1846. The first visit of Bishop Kendrick was made to Carbondale in 1838. 3 In 1845 Bishop Kendrick confirmed a class of 95 persons in St Rose's Church. In 1846 Father Fitzsimons was changed to Wilkes-Barre and was succeeded at Carbondale by Rev Patrick A Prendergast, who established a mission church at Archbald. Rev F Carew was made pastor of Carbondale in 1851 and served in that capacity until his death September 20, 1887. His successor was Rt Rev Msgr T F Coffey, who died October 24, 1925. It was during Father Carew's pastorate that the sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary established the mother house of their order in Carbondale.
For a dozen years or so after the establishment of the first Catholic church in Carbondale, the Catholic population of Archbald, which was considerable, and the few in Scranton, looked to Father Fitzsimons, and later Father Prendergast, of Carbondale, for religious guidance and comfort in their faith. Father Fitzsimons visited the settlements once or twice a month. When in Slocum Hollow he also stopped at the old White Tavern in Hyde Park although the Catholic population was principally in South Scranton. These first Catholics in Scranton were iron mill and mine workers, chiefly the former, and were both Irish and German, with the former predominating. While the first church in Scranton was not erected until about 1848, it is known that in 1840 3 a Rev James Sullivan (some records make it A Sullivan) celebrated mass in a private house on Front Street, South Scranton. The first Catholic church in Scranton, a frame structure 35 by 25 feet, was built on the site of the present Church of Nativity on ground donated by the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company. Rev John Loughran was the priest at the time the church was built. It was dedicated by Bishop Kendrick. Rev James Cullen, who came in 1852, was the first resident priest in Scranton. For a time he too stopped in the White Tavern in Hyde Park.
Once the permanency of the iron mills was made certain and the mines began to develop, Irish and German immigrants, practically all the former and many of the latter Catholics, began to settle in Scranton in numbers and the little church on Hemlock Street, then called Division Street, was found inadequate. Father Cullen secured a site at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Spruce Street and began erection of a church 96 by 45 feet. This building was dedicated Sunday, November 13, 1853.
Rev Moses Whitty succeeded Father Cullen in 1854. By this time there was a considerable Catholic population in Dunmore, Providence, Bellevue, Pine Brook and the back part of Hyde Park, with no church except St Vincent's at Franklin Avenue and Spruce Street between Pittston and Archbald. Father Whitty built a mission church at Dunmore in 1856 and another in Providence in 1858.
In 1855 the original church on Hemlock Street was turned over to the German Catholics, who for a time were served by German priests from Honesdale: Rev Caspar Miller, Rev Laurentius Schneider and Rev Xavier Sommer. Rev P C Nagle organized the German congregation here. The first church, now St Mary's, was named St Bonaventure. Rev John Schelle, nephew of Father Nagle, appointed March 11, 1866, was the first resident German priest in Scranton. During the pastorate of Father Schelle the present church site of St Mary's on River Street was purchased. Father Schelle resigned in 1884 to return to Germany, and was succeeded by Very Rev Monsignor Peter Christ.
Archbald, which had been settled chiefly by Irish Catholics when the gravity railroad was extended from Carbondale, was the third Catholic parish established in the county. From 1845 to 1849 the Catholics went to Carbondale to mass. In the spring of 1847 Father Prendergast began visiting Archbald and celebrated mass in private homes, chiefly in the home of Patrick Kearney. This continued for a year, when a small church was erected near the site of the present structure. Rev Patrick McSwiggan was made pastor in 1858. He not only served Archbald but Jessup as well. Rev John Loughran succeeded Father McSwiggan in 1863. Under his direction in 1873 a start was made on a modern church, which, however, was not completed for several years after Father Loughran had been transferred to Minooka. Between 1874 and the time of appointment of Rev Thomas J Comerford in October, 1892, Rev N J McManus, Rev P T Roche, Rev J V Moylan and Rev Dr G J Lucas served at Archbald. A great debt contracted during the industrial depression in the seventies for a time threatened to swamp this congregation. In 1899 a cyclone made rebuilding of the steeple necessary. In 1908 shifting of ceiling girders forced removal of the church roof and in March, 1909, a few weeks after the rededication of the church, it was damaged by fire. St Thomas parish hall was dedicated in November, 1914, when Hon Michael J Ryan was orator of the occasion.
The growth of Catholicism in Lackawanna County since 1850 has been phenomenal. It began in Carbondale, spread to Scranton and Archbald. A conservative estimate would place all the Catholics in what is now Lackawanna County in 1850 at less than 3,000. Today the total is near 150,000, representing probably half the entire population of the county. Scranton is the diocesan seat and there are in addition to the many churches to take care of the big cosmopolitan population, hospitals, schools, orphanages, colleges, seminary, monastery, homes for girls, boys, and the aged, shelters and clubs. The earliest Catholics were exclusively Irish and German. Since the late seventies Polish, Italian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Magyar, Ruthenian, and Syrian Catholics have come into the county, as well as some of other nationalities. Many of these groups have established church congregations. In the aggregate these foreign language Catholics probably now (1928) equal if they don't actually outnumber, the Catholics of Irish and German extraction who in late years have been augmented by little immigration.
From the creation of the Scranton diocese in 1868 the growth of the Catholic church has been marked. Father Whitty, even after establishing missions and churches in Dunmore and Providence, was soon faced with overflowing crowds of worshipers at the Franklin Avenue church and he purchased land at the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Linden Street for a new St Vincent de Paul church site. Work was begun in the summer of 1865. The corner stone was laid July 2, by Rt Rev James F Wood, bishop of Philadelphia. The church, 68 by 153 feet, with a seating capacity of 2,300, was dedicated March 10, 1867. It cost $70,000 and was looked upon as one of the finest in all of northeastern Pennsylvania. When Rev William O'Hara, of Philadelphia, was made Bishop of Scranton, he made St Vincent Church the Cathedral and was installed there July 12, 1868. An addition or wing, now used as a sacristy, was erected in 1874. In 1883 under Rev James McAndrew's direction the Cathedral was entirely remodeled and beautified, new altars were put in and the name changed to St Peter's. Rt Rev P J Ryan, Archbishop of Philadelphia, preached the sermon at the rededication September 28, 1884. Again, in 1921, the Cathedral was remodeled and beautified.
In the middle sixties the Catholic population of not only Scranton and what is now Lackawanna County, but in northeastern Pennsylvania as a whole, had grown so great in numbers that a demand was made for the creation of a new diocese. This was granted in 1868 when Rt Rev William O'Hara, pastor of St Patrick's Church, Philadelphia, and vicar general of that diocese, was made the first Bishop of Scranton. He was consecrated July 12, 1868. Bishop O'Hara made St Vincent's Church the Cathedral and was soon busy providing for the spiritual needs of a constantly and rapidly growing number of the faithful. The influx of Poles, Italians, Slovaks, Lithuanians and other continental European Catholics which began in the late seventies made Bishop O'Hara's work of administration a most difficult one. He proved himself equal to the task. His term as bishop, extending over 30 years, was marked by the establishment of many new parishes, introduction of parochial schools, founding of an orphans' homes, House of Good Shepherd, Foundling Home, St Thomas College, mother house for nuns, and a hospital. It is related that when Pope Pius IX named Bishop O'Hara he had two other names to select from -- Rev Moses Whitty and Rev John Finnen. Bishop O'Hara made each a vicar general of the diocese. One of the outstanding incidents of Bishop O'Hara's long term as head of the Scranton diocese was his controversy in the early seventies which reached the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania with Father Stack of Williamsport. It grew out of refusal of Father Stack to obey an order by Bishop O'Hara and was finally determined in favor of the Bishop.
Bishop O'Hara was ordained in Rome in 1843. The golden jubilee of his priesthood and the silver jubilee of his being made a bishop were observed in February, 1893, with great celebration by priests and laity. There was a mammoth parade of which Capt Patrick DeLacey was grand marshall and Hon P P Smith was chairman of the general committee on arrangements. At a banquet the priests of the diocese presented the bishop with a check for $15,000. Rev John Loughran of Minooka made the presentation. Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ryan were among the speakers at the laymen's banquet. Speakers included Governor Robert E Pattison and Judge Jessup, who presented Bishop O'Hara with an engrossed testimonial from non-Catholics of the city. Hon F W Gunster presided and Attorney John T Lenahan was toastmaster.
The burdens of the bishopric began to tell on Bishop O'Hara's strength in the early nineties and in October, 1905, he called a meeting of the priests of the diocese to select names for a coadjutor bishop with the right of succession. Very Rev John Finnen, VG; Rev M J Hoban, DD; and Rev E A Garvey were selected. Father Finnen declined and Father Coffey's name was substituted. On February 1, 1896 it was announced that Father Hoban had been selected by the pope and he was consecrated March 22, 1896. Cardinal Satolli, papal delegate, Archbishop Ryan and many other eminent churchmen were in attendance. Bishop Hoban was a product of the Scranton diocese. Although born in New Jersey, his youth was spent in Hawley. He studied at Holy Cross College and St Charles Seminary, Overbrook, PA, going to Rome for a course in the American College, where he was ordained May 22, 1880. He served in several parishes as curate and pastor, and at the time of his selection as bishop was pastor of St Leo's Church, Ashley. Bishop O'Hara died February 3, 1899, and Coadjutor Bishop Hoban became Bishop of Scranton.
Bishop Hoban administered the affairs of the diocese until his death November 12, 1926. Bishop O'Hara had kept aloof from civic affairs, but Bishop Hoban quickly became a factor in the public and industrial life of the community, state and nation. He did not neglect the spiritual, however, and under his direction the Scranton diocese moved steadily ahead. Many new parishes were created, and new institutions including a home for the aged, a shelter for children, an industrial home for boys, a seminary and college for women, and two new hospitals were established. The Passionist Fathers located a monastery here and Vernard College, for the education of young men for foreign missions, was established here.
Bishop Hoban was umpire in a number of industrial disputes and active in arranging peace in the mining industry, winning the praise of President Theodore Roosevelt, Governor Gifford Pinchot and other men of affairs for his work in this respect. He helped found the Scranton Community Chest and did much to promote good will and tolerance in Scranton and the diocese. His silver jubilee as a priest in 1905 was notable for the presentation to him of a purse of $12,000 by the laity and a set of white pontifical vestments by the priests. With the $12,000 he quickly raised enough more to build a new episcopal residence on Wyoming Avenue. When Bishop O'Hara died there were 121 churches and 152 priests in the diocese. Under Bishop Hoban's direction the diocese grew until in 1914 there were 237 churches, 275 priests, and a Catholic population of 278,000. By 1926 when Bishop Hoban died the number of churches had grown to 239 and priests to 294.
In 1923 Bishop Hoban felt the work of the diocese growing too great and at his request Pope Pius XI named Rev Andrew J Brennan, STD, as Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, not, however, with the right of succession. Bishop Brennan was consecrated in St Peter's Cathedral, April 25, 1923, with Cardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia officiating. In the spring of 1926 Bishop Brennan was made Bishop of Richmond, VA. Shortly after Bishop Hoban's death in November, 1926, the majority of the priests of the diocese petitioned the pope to make Dr Brennan Bishop of Scranton. Bishop Brennan was born in Towanda, and like Bishop Hoban, studied at Holy Cross College and at the American College in Rome, where he was ordained December 17, 1904. He served as secretary to Bishop Hoban, chancellor of the diocese, rector of the Cathedral. Following his being made bishop he became pastor of St Mary's, of Dunmore.
On December 16, 1927, Monsignor Thomas C O'Reilly of Cleveland was appointed Bishop of Scranton.
Long before the diocese of Scranton was created there was a Catholic college and an academy, both known as St Joseph's, in Susquehanna County. The college was destroyed by fire Jan 6, 1864, and not rebuilt. The academy was abandoned in 1866. On September 26, 1872, St Cecilia's Academy, Scranton, was opened under the direction of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart to train girls and young women. The academy, which was both a boarding and a day school, was chartered in 1883 and authorized to grant the usual academic honors. St Cecilia's was the first school founded in the diocese by Bishop O'Hara. For a time it was also a novitiate for nuns of the Order of the Immaculate Heart. In 1876 the novitiate was removed to Carbondale and St Rose of Lima Academy opened. Very Rev Moses Whitty, VG, opened Holy Rosary Academy and Parochial School in North Scranton in 1882. St Patrick's Parochial School, West Scranton, opened in January 1887; St John's, South Scranton, in 1888; St Patrick's, Olyphant, in September 1895; St Paul's, Green Ridge, 1892.
Mount St Mary's Seminary was established in Scranton September 8, 1902. In it was located the mother house and novitiate of the order.
St Thomas College, at Scranton, has been an outstanding Catholic educational institution for boys and young men since it was established by Bishop O'Hara in 1892. The corner stone was laid August 12, 1888, but the college didn't open until September 8, 1892. Rev J A Mangan was the first president. On the night of January 4, 1893, fire damaged the college building to the extent of $10,000.
German Catholic education in Lackawanna County was not neglected. In 1873 the Sisters of Christian Charity opened parochial schools in Wilkes-Barre and in Scranton, the latter at St Mary's. In 1885 a school was opened at St John's, West Scranton. Both are flourishing institutions.
Vernard Apostolic School for the education of priests for foreign mission fields opened at 640 Clay Avenue, Scranton, in 1913. In 1916 the Catholic Foreign Mission Society, which controls the school, bought the Courtwright farm at Clarks Green and the school opened there in September of that year. On September 23, 1919, Bishop Hoban laid the corner stone of the new main building for the school. A number of young men educated at Vernard school have become missionary priests in China and other far away countries.
On suggestion by Bishop Hoban, the Passionist Fathers in 1901 established a monastery, St Ann's, in the diocese. The first residence was at Harvey's Lake and Very Rev Father Fidelis, CP, was the superior. In September, 1902, ground was purchased in the Round Woods section, now Lincoln Heights, Scranton, and in October the community left Harvey's Lake and occupied a double frame house on Sloan Avenue. A temporary church was erected at South Main and Sloan avenues. The corner stone of the monastery was laid September 6, 1903, with Bishop Hoban officiating. The building was occupied in March, 1905. A parish hall was erected in 1908. In 1915 the monastery was so damaged by mine caves that it had to be vacated pending repairs and permanently protecting the surface. A fund sufficient to pay the expense of these repairs, to purchase pillar coal and flush under and around the structure was raised by the Catholics of the diocese. Young men are educated at St Ann's for membership in the Passionist order. Devotion to St Ann, inaugurated in 1924, weekly attracts thousands to the monastery. A shrine church was opened with a solemn high mass at midnight on Christmas, 1927.
Very early in his episcopacy Bishop O'Hara realized his need for an orphanage. In 1875 Pope Pius IX proclaimed a jubilee. Bishop O'Hara announced that money contributed in the churches of the diocese during the period of the jubilee would be used to establish an orphanage. Very Rev Moses Whitty, VG, was treasurer. St Patrick's, West Scranton, was chartered by Judge Handley October 26, 1875. The Kingsley property, Lincoln Avenue and Jackson Street, was purchased ands a three-story frame structure erected. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were put in charge. The night of February 27, 1881, a fire broke out. There were 39 boys and girls in the institution. Seventeen of these lost their lives. The Sisters were exonerated of all blame. Financial help was immediately extended by Protestants, Jews and Catholics and a new three-story brick building was erected. Up until Bishop Hoban established St Michael's Industrial School at White's Ferry in 1916, grown boys as well as girls were housed in St Patrick's. The institution is now for girls although there are some very young boys also housed there.
St Michael's Industrial School for Boys at White's Ferry was Bishop Hoban's pet institution. He hoped to develop it into a place where orphan boys could be trained at some useful trade in preparation for their battle in the world. The school is at White's Ferry, Wyoming County, not far from the Lackawanna County line. The corner stone was laid September 15, 1914, and dedicated Dec 1, 1916. The structures are of brick and fireproof.
Bishop Hoban induced the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd to establish a shelter for unfortunate girls and women, where they would be protected from the world and helped to lead a Christian life. In May, 1887, the Rockwell property in North Scranton was purchased and occupied by the sisters. In 1892 the building was enlarged. The institution is supported by the charity of the Catholics of the diocese and through operation of a steam laundry and by needlework. In the fall of 1926 while a drive was in progress to raise funds to build a new home, mine caves wrecked the building, forcing the sisters and inmates to vacate the structure. In August, 1927, the corner stone of a new home in Clarks Green was laid.
Martin Maloney, a wealthy Philadelphian and Papal Marquis, who lived in Scranton in early life, provided the funds to build St John's Home for the Aged or as more familiarly known, the Maloney Home, in Green Ridge. The institution was erected in honor of Mr Maloney's parents, John and Catherine Maloney, pioneer residents of South Scranton. The home is a refuge for the aged poor of both sexes. The corner stone was laid May 20, 1907. by Bishop Hoban, and the building dedicated June 24, 1908, and placed in the charge of the Little Sisters of the Poor. For support of their institution the sisters are dependent absolutely on charity, having no fixed income or endowments.
St Joseph's Foundling Home is located in Dunmore, just over the Scranton line. It was established September 25, 1889, by St Joseph's Society, founded in November 1888. The first home was on Jackson Street, West Scranton, on ground now occupied by the new wing of the West Side Hospital. Its object is to provide care and shelter for helpless infants and unfortunate girls about to become mothers. The present home on Adams Avenue, Dunmore, was erected and occupied in 1900. The dedication was on Oct 21, 1909. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart are in charge.
St Joseph's Shelter is also under the patronage of the St Joseph's Society. Its aim is to provide temporary shelter for infants, girls and women in need. It opened in 1915 and has permanent quarters on Linden Street. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart are in charge.
There are three Catholic Hospitals in Lackawanna County -- two in Scranton and one in Carbondale. St Mary Keller Memorial Hospital, Hickory Street, Scranton, is a gift from Mrs Mary Keller in memory of her husband, George Keller. The structure was dedicated January 25, 1916. It is under the direction of the Franciscan Sisters.
Mercy Hospital, Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, was formerly Dr Reed Burns' Private Hospital. The Sisters of Mercy acquired possession May 17, 1917. Sister Mary Ricarda was put in charge as superintendent. An addition was erected in 1922 and a nurses' home in 1923. A ladies' Auxiliary was organized in June, 1917, headed by Mrs R C Wills.
St Joseph's Hospital, Carbondale, was founded in 1926. It occupies the building formerly known as St Rose's Academy. Ground for a new hospital was broken March, 1927. A drive last spring netted over $200,000. Cardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia presided at the corner stone laying December 8, 1927.
The Catholic Men's Club was organized chiefly through efforts of Rev D J Connor. He was pastor of St Paul's, Green Ridge, at the time of his death in 1927, but in 1911 was a curate at St Peter's Cathedral. The first meeting was held in St Thomas College chapel on September 18, 1911. Kenneth Burnett was made temporary president. Club rooms were opened at 318 Wyoming Avenue in what was formerly the Grace Reformed Episcopal Church, but at that time owned by the Masonic orders. The third floor of St Thomas College was equipped as a gymnasium. On Sunday, December 17, a public meeting was held at the Poli Theater. E J Lynett presided. Bishop Hoban and others outlined the need for a Catholic club and a large number of active and associate members enrolled. W J Roper became the first president when the permanent organization was effected.
The Catholic Women's Club grew out of the need in Scranton for such an organization. It was formed March 19, 1900, at a meeting in St Thomas College Hall. The first quarters were at 132 North Washington Avenue. From 1905 to 1907 the club was without quarters. In 1907 rooms at 506 Lackawanna were rented and occupied until the purchase of the present club house at Wyoming Avenue and Mulberry Street in 1908. Miss Theresa M Carey was the first president.
The Catholic Boy Scouts was organized in the Cathedral parish August 16, 1919. Previous to that time there was what was known as the Cathedral Cadets, which for many years conducted an annual encampment at Moosic Lake. Following organization of the Boy Scouts, with Michael Mellody as executive secretary, Bishop Hoban gave over the use of the old Throop homestead on Wyoming Avenue as a scout house. Scout troops have also been organized in many other parishes of the city. The organization is now merged with the Catholic Club.
The Catholic Charity Guild's object is to raise funds for worthy Catholic charities. It is now devoting its efforts to help maintain the St Theresa summer home for tired mothers and children. The Catholic Girls' Club opened a cottage at Lake Winola in the summer of 1921 but now has a permanent camp at Tobyhanna.
In the late seventies a few Italian Catholics located in Scranton. At the first reception in St Cecilia's Convent, August 14, 1874, an Italian priest, Father Cicatari, was present. It may be presumed that he had come to Scranton to attend to the spiritual wants of the Italians here. There was no considerable number of these people in Scranton or the diocese until the middle eighties when Bishop O'Hara brought Rev Joseph of Newark here. He lived at the episcopal residence. At first services were held in a room in St Cecilia's Academy and were attended by Italians from all over the city. Later St Thomas College chapel was utilized. Rev Dominick Landro succeeded Father Joseph and was in charge when old No 16 school building on Chestnut Ave, West Scranton, was purchased in 1900 for St Lucy's Parish and converted into a school and church. The school was put in the charge of the missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The structure was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1927. A new structure was erected and opened in the fall of 1927. A new church on Scranton Street was dedicated in December, 1927. There are three Italian churches in Scranton, two in Dunmore, and one each in Old Forge, Carbondale, Jessup and Archbald. Rev William Gislon was the pioneer priest in Old Forge.
Poles in Scranton and Lackawanna County began to become numerous in the middle eighties. There were a number of Polish Catholic parishes in Luzerne County several years before the first parish was founded in Scranton. As early as 1847 there was a Polish church at Blossburg, the earliest in the entire region, and many years before the Poles began to come into the anthracite region. Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth parishes were all organized in 1885. Rev Adolph Snigurski was the first pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in South Scranton. For a time Father Snigurski's congregation used St Mary's German Catholic Church for services. On Nov 15, 1885, the corner stone for the first Polish church in Scranton was laid. About the same time Father Snigurski converted a private residence into a convent and school and purchased a residence for himself. The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth were put in charge of the school. In 1892 Father Snigurski was succeeded by Rev Richard Aust. Dissension crept into the congregation. Bishop O'Hara transferred Father Aust to Hazleton in 1896 and he was succeeded by Rev Bruno Dembrenski. During Father Aust's pastorate the Hodur schism, which has played such an active part in Polish Catholic Affairs in Lackawanna County, had its beginning. The transfer of Father Aust failed to bring harmony. With the installation of Father Dembrenski as pastor a part of the parish withdrew and started a new congregation. The seceders were chartered as St Stanislaus Polish Roman Catholic Church, but were refused recognition by Bishop O'Hara.
Rev Francis Hodur, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, Nanticoke, left Nanticoke and became the pastor of St Stanislaus without the authority of the bishop. Refusing to obey an order to return to Nanticoke, he was suspended. Much bitterness crept into the dispute. Father Hodur went to Rome to appeal the ruling of the bishop but met with no success. Bishop O'Hara finally excommunicated Father Hodur in 1898 and went to court to make that so-called Hodurites eliminate the words Roman Catholic from their title.They are know known as the Polish National Church. In 1898 Rev Andrew Zychowicz was named pastor of Sacred Heart Church and under his bale direction the parish has developed into one of the most influential and largest in the diocese. He built a great new church and school, the former dedicated in 1908. Father Zychowicz is still the pastor. Father Hodur, after breaking away from Rome, had himself designated a bishop and St Stanislaus Church is now known as his cathedral. He has established a number of independent church parishes round about Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.
The second Polish Roman Catholic parish in the county, St Mary's of the Visitation, was established in Priceburg in 1890 with Rev W Iwanowski as pastor. St Mary's is said to be the largest Polish parish in the diocese. Of the 40 Polish parishes in the diocese in 1916, 28 had parochial schools. Sacred Heart Parish Parochial School was incorporated in 1888. In 1905 the school was destroyed by fire, but a new and bigger one was immediately erected.
The first Lithuanian parish in the diocese was established in Hazleton in 1877 with Rev Matthias Jodiszius as pastor. St Joseph's in North Scranton was the first Lithuanian church in Lackawanna County. The parish was founded in 1892. Rev Michael Peda was the first pastor. He was succeeded by Rev John Kuras. Dissenters in Father Kuras' congregation caused trouble in 1907. Rebellious church officers defied pastor and bishop. The case was carried into court, tried several times in the local court, always with the decision favoring Bishop Hoban, only to have the ruling reversed by the supreme court. Finally a state law giving bishops jurisdiction was passed by the legislature and the property returned to Bishop Hoban and Father Kuras' congregation in 1913. Pending the court ruling the church was closed and the faithful Lithuanian Catholics conducted services at St Thomas College chapel. The parochial school at St Joseph's, which opened in 1916, was put in the charge of the Sisters of Saint Casimir.
What is said to have been the first Slovak Catholic Church in the United States, St Joseph's, was established in Hazleton and dedicated December 8, 1885. Rev Ignatz Joskowitz was pastor. Holy Family Church, Scranton, was located on Capouse Avenue in 1895. On August 23, 1925, the corner stone of a new church on North Washington Avenue was laid by Bishop Hoban. The church was dedicated September, 1926.
Ruthenian Catholics have three churches in Scranton, two in Olyphant, and one each in Jessup, Simpson, and Taylor. The congregations in Scranton and Olyphant maintain parish schools with lay teachers. While the Ruthenian Catholics have Greek rites they recognize the authority of the pope. Rev Michel Jacovics, rector of St John the Baptist Church, Broadway, Scranton, was the first Ruthenian pastor in Scranton and St John's the first congregation. The first Ruthenian church in the Diocese was established in Kingston in 1883 with Rev Viszlocky as pastor. Rt Rev Stephen Soter Ortynsky, Bishop of the Ruthenian diocese established in 1913, died in 1915.
St Joseph's Syrian (Greek Rite) on Chestnut Avenue, West Scranton, was the first Syrian Catholic church in Scranton. The Syrian Maronite church on Sumner Avenue and Price Street, West Scranton, was established about 1912. This church building was originally erected by the Sumner Avenue Presbyterian Church, and was later a factory.
Three bishops of the Harrisburg diocese, Rt Rev J F Shanahan, Rt Rev Thomas McGovern, and Rt Rev John W S Shanahan were natives of the Scranton Diocese. The two Bishops Shanahan were born in Friendsville, Susquehanna County, and Bishop McGovern in Overton, Dushore Parish, Sullivan County. Rt Rev Eugene H Garvey, first bishop of the Altoona Diocese, was born in Carbondale, and Rev A J Brennan, Bishop of Richmond, VA, is a native of Towanda.
In 1856 Rev Laurence Brennan, son of Captain and Mrs William Brennan, of Carbondale, is believed to be the first native son of Lackawanna County ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
"Agnosticism and Religion," written by Rev George J Lucas, JND, STD, pastor of St Patrick's Church, Scranton, has a place in the Vatican Library. It is a refutation of the doctrines of agnosticism propounded by Herbert Spencer. A letter of commendation of Dr Lucas' treatise written by Hon W E Gladstone, one time prime minister of England, also has a place in the library at Rome.