About Holy Cross Parish (St. Patrick Site) · Olyphant, Pennsylvania
Holy Cross Parish in Olyphant, Pennsylvania was a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Scranton whose worship site was St. Patrick Church at 200 Delaware Avenue. It was formed in February 2010 under then-Bishop Joseph F. Martino's 'Called to Holiness and Mission' pastoral plan, uniting the former Holy Ghost (Slovak), St. Michael the Archangel (Polish), and St. Patrick parishes of the Midvalley. In 2010 Holy Cross was 'linked' with the neighboring Blessed Sacrament Parish in Throop, sharing clergy while remaining canonically independent; the two were formally consolidated on July 1, 2025 into the new Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish (to be renamed Saint Carlo Acutis Parish upon the canonization of Carlo Acutis), with the Rev. Scott P. Sterowski as pastor.
- Established
- 2010
- Rector
- Rev. Scott P. Sterowski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
Holy Cross (now part of Saint Carlo Acutis Parish) is a warm Midvalley parish that welcomes newcomers with daily and weekend Masses at St. Patrick Church, a full Religious Education program for grades K-8 (under Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister Leo Maxfield), weekly Eucharistic Adoration in St. John Paul II Chapel, a Wednesday community lunch in Kelly Hall, and active liturgical ministries for altar servers, lectors, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Father Scott Sterowski and Deacon John Musyt also visit the homebound and those in nursing homes monthly, reflecting a parish whose identity has long been one of faith, charity, and continuity from the immigrant Slovak, Polish, and Irish communities that built it.
Mass times at Holy Cross Parish (St. Patrick Site)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm at St. Patrick Church
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration weekdays (Monday – Friday, weather permitting) in St. John Paul II Chapel at St. Patrick's Church; volunteers sign up for one hour or more
Our Parish Heritage
Holy Cross Parish was created in February 2010 by merging three historic Olyphant parishes: Holy Ghost (Slovak), St. Michael the Archangel (Polish), and St. Patrick. Each had served distinct immigrant communities in the Lackawanna Valley. The unified parish worshipped at the St. Patrick site at 200 Delaware Avenue, Olyphant, preserving the architectural and devotional legacy of those communities while creating a single new parish family.
- Holy Ghost (Slovak) Church — closed 2/14/2010
- St. Michael the Archangel (Polish) Church — closed 2/7/2010
- St. Patrick Church — closed 2/2010 (retained as Holy Cross's worship site)
Linkage with Blessed Sacrament Parish
From 2010 forward Holy Cross was 'linked' with Blessed Sacrament Parish in Throop under the Diocese of Scranton. A linkage allows parishes to retain their own canonical identities while sharing a pastor and many ministries. Blessed Sacrament itself had been formed in December 2009 from the merger of St. Anthony of Padua (Polish), St. Bridget, and St. John the Baptist (Slovak) parishes, and traces an additional piece of its heritage to the former St. Mary (Hungarian/Magyar) Parish, which had closed on June 29, 1997.
- Blessed Sacrament worship site: St. Anthony of Padua Church, 215 Rebecca Street, Throop, PA 18512
- St. Anthony (Polish) — closed 12/13/2009
- St. Bridget — closed 11/15/2009
- St. John the Baptist (Slovak) — closed 11/21/2009
- St. Mary (Hungarian/Magyar) — closed 6/29/1997
Consolidation into Saint Carlo Acutis Parish (2025)
On July 1, 2025 the Diocese of Scranton formally consolidated Holy Cross and Blessed Sacrament into a single parish under Bishop Joseph C. Bambera's decree, taking effect as part of the diocesan Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning Process. Father Scott Sterowski and the parish council, convened in June 2024, invited parishioners to suggest names; Bishop Bambera selected 'Carlo Acutis,' the Italian teenager beatified for his Eucharistic witness and due to be canonized. The new parish — initially 'Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish,' to be renamed 'Saint Carlo Acutis Parish' at the canonization — encompasses about 2,200 families across Olyphant and Throop and is, per Father Sterowski, among the first Catholic parishes in the world to bear the name of Carlo Acutis.
- Decree of consolidation: July 1, 2025
- Pastor at consolidation: Rev. Scott P. Sterowski
- Bishop: Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera
- Combined religious-ed enrollment: 217 children in K-8 program, 79 in nearby Catholic schools
Parish Staff
Parish leadership includes the pastor, a deacon, two directors of religious education, parish office staff, organists, and maintenance personnel — a small but committed team serving both worship sites (St. Patrick in Olyphant and St. Anthony of Padua in Throop).
- Rev. Scott Sterowski — Pastor
- Deacon John Musyt
- Mr. Leo Maxfield — Director of Religious Education & Youth Minister (St. Patrick site)
- Mrs. Karen Doyle — Director of Religious Education (St. Anthony of Padua site)
- Mary Jo Griffith — Office Staff
- Mary Fran Malatesta — Office Staff
- Michele Malewicz — Housekeeping & Office
- Judith Novak — Office Staff
- Ned Dructor — Organist
- Mary Therese McKane — Organist
- Martin Gerrity — Maintenance
- Thomas Pearce — Maintenance
Liturgical Ministries
Lay faithful serve the parish at the altar and ambo in a variety of liturgical roles. Junior Altar Servers must have received First Holy Communion; Senior Altar Servers assist at Mass and Funeral Masses. Lectors proclaim the First and Second Readings and the Petitions in the deacon's absence. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (E.M.C.) assist with distribution at Mass and must be at least 21; training is required for each of these ministries.
- Junior Altar Servers (must have received First Communion; training required)
- Senior Altar Servers
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (E.M.C.) — minimum age 21; training required
- Contact for any of these ministries: Parish Office, 570-489-0752
Religious Education & Youth Ministry
The parish offers a full K-8 Religious Education program, plus Children's Liturgy of the Word (C.L.O.W.) for children in 4th grade and under. At C.L.O.W., children are dismissed before the First Reading and led through age-appropriate readings, a reflection, the Creed, and intercessions in Kelly Hall, returning to Mass for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Family Masses gather 5th–8th grade students with their families several times a year, with different classes serving as lectors, gift bearers, and in other roles.
- Director of Religious Education & Youth Minister (St. Patrick site): Leo Maxfield
- Director of Religious Education (St. Anthony of Padua site): Karen Doyle
- C.L.O.W. (Children's Liturgy of the Word) — grades 4 and under
- Family Masses — grades 5–8 with families
Parish Life: Outreach, Fellowship & Charity
Community life at the parish centers on Kelly Hall and the chapels at St. Patrick's. A weekly Wednesday Lunch is served at 12 noon in Kelly Hall, with volunteers always welcome. The Social Concerns Group coordinates collections, drives, and seasonal programs, including sponsoring and serving a hot meal at St. Anthony's Haven at Christmas and Easter. Father Sterowski and Deacon Musyt share monthly visits to bring Holy Communion to parishioners who are homebound or in nursing homes.
- Weekly Wednesday Lunch — 12 noon, Kelly Hall
- Social Concerns Group — seasonal charity drives and St. Anthony's Haven meals (Christmas & Easter)
- Eucharist to the homebound/nursing-home residents — monthly, on request to the Parish Office
Mission Statement
The parish mission statement, posted on the parish website, captures the community's shared identity as one parish family drawn from multiple ethnic and devotional heritages.
- Mission Statement: 'As baptized followers of Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, we strive to proclaim the Gospel by promoting a welcoming community; celebrating the Eucharist and living our faith with charity, peace and justice.'
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Scott P. Sterowski2010–2025
Pastor of Holy Cross Parish at its founding in 2010; continued as pastor through the 2010 linkage with Blessed Sacrament and the 2025 consolidation into Saint Carlo Acutis Parish.