St. Stephen Catholic Church goes to former parishioners in landmark sale

Oct. 25—PORT CARBON — The former St. Stephen Catholic Church has been sold to a group of former parishioners, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown announced Monday.

Closing on the sale of the 175-year-old church was Friday, the diocese reported.

"St. Stephen Church has been purchased, along with the rectory and a garage, for $110,000 by the nonprofit Society of St. Stephen," said Brody Hale, a Massachusetts attorney who advised the society on the sale.

The Society of St. Stephen is recognized as a "private association of Christian faithful," which under canon law gives it the right to own a church and sacred goods, Hale said.

The Society of St. Stephen, the new owner, is dedicated to preserving the historic church, established by St. John Neuman in 1847.

The sale of a church to former parishioners marks a landmark decision by the diocese.

"This is the first time the diocese was able to work out such an agreement with a local group wanting to retain use of a former church building," the AD Times reported. "It is a type of arrangement that became possible after direction from the Vatican that opened the path to explore creative ways to allow continued limited use after a parish merger."

Due to declining attendance and financial stress, St. Stephen Parish was merged into St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Saint Clair in 2020.

"Some former parishioners appealed the closure to the diocese," the diocese's statement said, "and eventually reached an agreement to purchase the property."

The diocese did not release the names of the former parishioners, but Hale said Mary Burns and Maureen Challenger represented the Society of St. Stephen. He has counseled them since 2019.

Co-founder of the St. Stephen Protomartyr Project in Massachusetts, Hale heralded the Allentown Diocese's decision to sell the church to former parishioners.

The Vatican made it clear in 2013 that canon law provided for various paths which would allow a church no longer needed for parish life to continue to exist for occasional Masses if Catholics prepared to raise all the funds necessary for its care come forward to do so," Hale said.

"I applaud Bishop (Alfred A.) Schlert and all the officials of the Allentown Diocese for making this wonderful day possible," Hale said. "This agreement allows a church whose construction was made possible by St. John Neumann to continue to stand as a beacon of the Catholic faith in Schuylkill County."

Similar arrangements have been implemented in other parts of the country, he said, but the sale of St. Stephen church is the first instance of a private association of the Christian faithful purchasing a church so that it will remain a chapel in Pennsylvania.

The sale of St. Stephen Cchurch is the 18th in which Hale has served as consultant, he said.

By remaining a chapel, St. Stephen church will not be deconsecrated, Hale said, a spiritual process followed when a church is sold to a secular group.

The Society of St. Stephen will sponsor two Masses a year at the church — on the Feast Day of St. Stephen, Dec. 26, and the anniversary of the dedication of the church, Feb. 7. It will also be available for funerals of former St. Stephen parishioners, and may be open for private prayer and other devotions organized by the society.

Hale stressed that the name St. Stephen shared by the project and the local society is coincidental. St. Stephen Protomartyr Project has no ownership interest in St. Stephen church of Port Carbon, he said.

Hale bought the former St. Kieran's Catholic Church in Heckscherville for $53,935 in 2021. He plans to restore the landmark Cass Twp. church.

The proceeds from the sale of St. Stephen church go to St. Claire of Assisi parish, which assumed responsibility for St. Stephen's assets and liabilities as part of the merger.

The former St. Stephen School was sold to Anthracite Industrial Services, New Philadelphia, on May 12, 2021.

Served Irish immigrants

St. Stephen church played a critical role in the development of the Schuylkill Valley during the mid-19th century.

It was built on the highest point in Port Carbon so it could be seen throughout the borough, according to a church history.

At the time, there was no Catholic church between Pottsville and Tamaqua. Circuit riding Jesuits tended to the spiritual needs of Catholics in the region.

In addition to Port Carbon, St. Stephen became the Catholic church of record for the towns of Cumbola, New Philadelphia and Middleport, communities to the east along Route 209.

On its 100th anniversary in 1947, Dennis Cardinal Dougherty stated the St. Stephen church was founded largely to accommodate immigrants fleeing the famine in Ireland. Large numbers of Irish migrated to the coal region in the 1840s, when famine struck Ireland, seeking work in the mines at Eagle Hill, Silver Creek and Valley Furnace.

Eventually, the Schuylkill Valley area would be served by St. Anthony's in Cumbola and Holy Family and Sacred Heart parishes in New Philadelphia.

Several years after St. Stephen was built, the front section and steeple were added.

The Rev. Daniel Magorien, an Irish immigrant, was its first pastor.

Magorien, a very strong man, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with parishioners to build the rectory, the church history says.

In 1901, the present stained glass windows were installed during a $4,000 renovation with funds raised by the townspeople.

At the same time, a monument was erected to the memory of Civil War veterans above the church on Nanny Goat Rock, where goats once grazed. It has since been renamed Monument Hill.

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007