About Holy Spirit Parish/St. Martha · Fairmount Springs, Pennsylvania
Holy Spirit Parish – St. Martha Site is a small rural Catholic chapel in the tiny community of Fairmount Springs (Stillwater mailing address), Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Scranton. Founded in 1924 by Polish Catholic farm families who migrated into the Cambra, Fairmount Springs, and Harveyville area, St. Martha's began as a mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Lake Silkworth, was raised to parochial status in 1966, and today operates as one of three worship sites of Holy Spirit Parish (formed 2010), alongside St. Adalbert's in Glen Lyon and St. Mary Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Mocanaqua. Weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, and a full day of Eucharistic Adoration each Tuesday keep the chapel at the heart of this close-knit countryside community.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- St. Martha
- Rector
- Rev. Louis T. Kaminski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Martha's offers what many larger parishes no longer can: a small, rural Eucharistic community where a single Sunday Mass (10:00 a.m.), a Tuesday morning Mass, and a full day of Eucharistic Adoration (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each Tuesday) are the heartbeat of the week. Religious education and sacramental preparation for Pre-K through grade 8 are offered right on site through the parish's Church School of Religion, and homebound parishioners receive Communion and Anointing of the Sick through the parish office. Visitors are welcomed into a community whose roots stretch back a hundred years to the Polish farm families who mortgaged their land to build the original wooden church in 1924.
Mass times at Holy Spirit Parish/St. Martha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By request (heard upon request)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
History of St. Martha's Church
St. Martha's history began at the end of 1922, when a small number of Catholic families of Polish extraction, migrating from Plymouth and Nanticoke, settled on farms near Cambra, Fairmount Springs, and Harveyville. With no Catholic church nearby and very few automobiles, the families had to travel long miles for Sunday Mass. Determined to secure the spiritual welfare of their children, they organized, and on November 18, 1923, at a meeting led by the Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Lake Silkworth, voted unanimously to build a church. Bishop Michael J. Hoban of Scranton visited on December 4, 1923, granted permission to build, and capped construction costs at $3,500. The Fairmount Springs site was chosen and the ground was donated by the Yarmolowicz and Matusheski families.
- December 15, 1923: parish unanimously named 'St. Martha' on Mrs. Adam Matusheski's motion
- Three families – Zultevicz, Matusheski, and Baluta – mortgaged their farms for $500 each to finance construction
- July 1924: simple wooden church completed; established as a Mission of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Lake Silkworth
- 1959: cornerstone laid for new church one mile from the original
- August 14, 1960: present church dedicated
- September 1966: mission raised to full parochial status by Bishop J. Carroll McCormick; first resident pastor Rev. Hugh H. McGroarty
- July 28, 2024: centennial Solemn Mass offered by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera
- January 11, 2026 (scheduled): Holy Spirit Parish suppressed; St. Martha's becomes a worship site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Hunlock Creek
Holy Spirit Parish (Parish Family)
St. Martha's is one of three worship sites of Holy Spirit Parish, which was established in August 2010 under a Diocese of Scranton pastoral restructuring. The parish also includes St. Adalbert's Church in Glen Lyon (founded 1889) and St. Mary Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Mocanaqua. The parish office is located at 31 S. Market St., Glen Lyon, PA 18617. Following the Diocese's Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning Process, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera announced the suppression of Holy Spirit Parish effective January 11, 2026, with St. Adalbert's closing and St. Martha's transitioning to a worship site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Hunlock Creek.
- St. Adalbert's Church – 31 S. Market St., Glen Lyon, PA 18617 (founded 1889; scheduled to close January 11, 2026)
- St. Mary Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church – 130 Rectory Rd., Mocanaqua, PA 18655
- St. Martha's Church – 260 Bonnieville Rd., Stillwater, PA 17878
- Parish Office – 31 S. Market St., Glen Lyon, PA 18617 – Phone 570-736-6372 – Emergency 570-542-4158
Religious Education & Sacraments
Religious Education classes and sacramental preparation are offered through the parish's Church School of Religion each Sunday during the academic year for students in Pre-K through grade 8, at both St. Adalbert's and St. Martha's churches. Families should contact the parish office for enrollment information. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage is coordinated through the parish office, along with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for those seeking to enter the Catholic faith.
- Church School of Religion (Pre-K through grade 8) – Sundays during the academic year
- Baptism – parents required to attend a Pre-Baptismal meeting
- Marriage – notify parish at least one year in advance; Pre-Cana required
- Anointing of the Sick – available to parishioners in need
- RCIA – contact the parish office to begin the five-stage initiation process
Pastoral Care & Outreach
Holy Spirit Parish brings Holy Communion and the Anointing of the Sick to homebound parishioners who are unable to attend Mass. The parish mission statement commits the community to 'a Sacramental Christian family life' sustained by prayer and the Eucharist, witnessing to the Gospel 'in support of a culture of life, justice and peace.' New members are always welcome, and parishioners moving into or out of the parish are asked to contact the parish office.
- Homebound Visitation – Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick brought to those in need
- Parish Registration – new members always welcome; contact the parish office
- Pastoral emergency line: 570-542-4158
Visit, Directions & Contact
St. Martha's Church sits along Bonnieville Road in rural Fairmount Springs (Stillwater mailing address), Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Travelers coming from Route 11 are directed to turn at the old Hunlock Creek Post Office and follow signs to the church. The parish office, which serves all three former Holy Spirit worship sites, is centrally located in Glen Lyon.
- St. Martha's Church: 260 Bonnieville Rd., Stillwater, PA 17878 (Fairmount Springs, PA)
- Parish Office: 31 S. Market St., Glen Lyon, PA 18617
- Phone: 570-736-6372
- Emergency Phone: 570-542-4158
- Website: http://www.holyspiritparishnepa.org/
- From Route 11: turn at the old Hunlock Creek Post Office, follow signs to the church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Hugh H. McGroarty1966–
First resident pastor when St. Martha's mission was raised to parochial status in September 1966; parishioners built a rectory to house him.
- Rev. Louis T. Kaminski
Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish at the time of the St. Martha's centennial celebration in July 2024.