About Incarnation of Our Lord · Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Incarnation of Our Lord Parish is a Roman Catholic community in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, within the Diocese of Allentown. The parish was canonically established on July 15, 2008 by merging five historic ethnic parishes—SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak), Our Lady of Pompeii of the Most Holy Rosary (Italian), St. John Capistrano (Hungarian), St. Stanislaus (Polish), and St. Joseph (Windish/Slovenian)—as part of the diocese-wide restructuring of 2008. The merged parish operates out of the former SS. Cyril and Methodius church building at 617 Pierce Street, which was the first Slovak Catholic church in the Diocese of Allentown. Incarnation of Our Lord works as a sister-parish with Holy Ghost, sharing liturgy and ministry across South Bethlehem, and welcomes worshippers from every background into a continuing Slovak–Polish–Italian–Windish–Hungarian heritage.
- Established
- 2008
- Patron
- Incarnation of Our Lord (the mystery of the Word made flesh)
- Rector
- Rev. Clifton E. Bishop Jr.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Allentown
Why belong here
Incarnation of Our Lord is one of the few remaining Catholic parishes rooted in the Lehigh Valley's immigrant heritage—Slovak, Polish, Italian, Windish, and Hungarian families have worshipped here for over a century. Worshippers can attend Mass in the Ordinariate Form on Sundays, the historic Saturday Vigil at 4:15 PM, and weekday Masses, with confessions every Saturday from 3:00–4:00 PM. The parish is paired as a sister parish with Holy Ghost, sharing a common pastoral mission across South Bethlehem, and explicitly welcomes newcomers in five languages on its home page. For Catholics seeking a small, tradition-rooted parish with deep roots in the Southside of Bethlehem—and for visitors drawn to the ethnic heritage of Pennsylvania's industrial-era immigrant church—Incarnation of Our Lord offers an unusually welcoming, multi-ethnic community.
Mass times at Incarnation of Our Lord
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–4:00 PM
- By appointment
Parish Identity & Mission
Incarnation of Our Lord Parish is a Roman Catholic territorial parish in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Allentown. It was canonically erected on July 15, 2008 from the merger of five ethnic 'mother churches': SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak), Our Lady of Pompeii of the Most Holy Rosary (Italian), St. John Capistrano (Hungarian), St. Stanislaus (Polish), and St. Joseph (Windish). Its mission statement, displayed on the parish website in English, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Slovenian, and Slovak, explicitly honors the heritage of those founding communities while opening its doors to all who seek God's help. The parish works as a sister parish with Holy Ghost, sharing liturgy and pastoral care across South Bethlehem.
Our Parish History
The history of Incarnation of Our Lord is the history of South Bethlehem's immigrant Catholic communities, brought together in 2008. Slovak workers streaming into Bethlehem's industries in the 1880s and 1890s prompted Monsignor William Heinen of Mauch Chunk to buy land from Lehigh University in 1891 and found SS. Cyril and Methodius—the first Slovak Catholic church in the Diocese of Allentown. The Slovak community he built around it grew, and a new, larger church was dedicated on Pentecost Sunday 1906; the original 1891 structure became the parish school. Over the twentieth century the school expanded twice—once mid-century for the baby boom and again in the 1970s–80s to absorb students from neighboring Italian, Slovenian, and Hungarian parish schools as those closed. The 2005–2008 Diocese of Allentown restructuring consolidated forty-seven parishes; Saints Cyril and Methodius was merged with Our Lady of Pompeii, St. John Capistrano, St. Stanislaus, and St. Joseph into Incarnation of Our Lord, with the Solemn Opening liturgy on July 18, 2008 and the installation of Msgr. William T. Baker, S.T.L. as first pastor on October 12, 2008.
- 1891 – SS. Cyril and Methodius founded by Msgr. William Heinen on land from Lehigh University
- 1906 – New SS. Cyril and Methodius church dedicated on Pentecost Sunday; original becomes school
- 1948 – Adult choir founded under Sister M. Clotilda
- 1977 – Tatra Slovak folk group formed
- 2005 – Diocese of Allentown announces major restructuring
- July 15, 2008 – Incarnation of Our Lord parish canonically established
- July 18, 2008 – Solemn Opening liturgy with all five former parishes
- October 12, 2008 – Msgr. William T. Baker installed as first pastor by Bishop Cullen
The Five Mother Churches
The five parishes that merged into Incarnation of Our Lord represent the principal ethnic Catholic communities of South Bethlehem at the turn of the twentieth century. SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak, 1891) is the building the merged parish still occupies. Our Lady of Pompeii of the Most Holy Rosary served the Italian community. St. John Capistrano served Hungarian Catholics. St. Stanislaus served Polish parishioners. St. Joseph's served the Windish (Slovenian) community. All five were formally closed and consolidated by the Diocese of Allentown on July 15, 2008.
Slovak Heritage at Saints Cyril and Methodius
SS. Cyril and Methodius—now Incarnation of Our Lord's worship space—was the cultural heart of South Bethlehem's Slovak community for over a century. The parish school taught Slovak through a reader called a chitanka, and students were expected to greet their pastor in the language. A Slovak Mass was celebrated in the parish until the church's closing in 2008. Tatra Slovak, the parish folk group formed in 1977, continues to preserve Slovak dance, costume, and song. The adult choir, founded under Sister M. Clotilda in 1948, sang in English and Slovak, and a junior choir of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders sang in Latin, English, and Slovak, sometimes being pulled out of school to sing funeral liturgies. Parishioner Nancy Hutt's recollections of that choir are preserved on the parish history page.
Sacraments
Confirmation preparation is referenced on the parish website's About menu. Baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, and other sacramental needs are coordinated through the rectory; the parish encourages parishioners to call (610) 866-3391 or email [email protected] during posted office hours (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM) to arrange them.
Music & Choirs
Music ministry is one of the parish's oldest living traditions, descending directly from SS. Cyril and Methodius. The adult choir, founded in 1948 by Sister M. Clotilda, sings in English and Slovak; the historic junior choir trained middle-school singers in Latin, English, and Slovak and sang at parish funerals. The current choir continues the bilingual English-Slovak tradition that has defined worship at 617 Pierce Street for more than seventy years.
- Adult Choir (founded 1948, Sister M. Clotilda) – English and Slovak
- Junior Choir (historic) – English, Slovak, and Latin
Cultural & Ethnic Heritage Ministries
The parish mission statement honors the Slovak, Polish, Italian, Windish, and Hungarian cultures of its ancestors, and the welcome statement is published in all five languages plus English. Tatra Slovak, the parish folk group founded in 1977 under the former SS. Cyril and Methodius parish, continues to perform Slovak dance, costume, and song in the South Bethlehem community.
- Tatra Slovak – folk dance, costume, and song (founded 1977)
- Welcome offered in English, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Slovenian, and Slovak
Parish Staff & Governance
The parish is led by Rev. Clifton E. Bishop Jr. as Pastor, with Beth Perkins serving as Parish Secretary. The parish council works together to advise the pastor on guiding and directing the parish life, with a particular dedication to evangelization. Office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The contact number is (610) 866-3391 and the parish email is [email protected].
Sister Parish – Holy Ghost
Incarnation of Our Lord Parish is paired with Holy Ghost Parish as a sister parish. The two parishes share a liturgical schedule, common prayer, and a shared mission to serve the Southside of Bethlehem, allowing them to extend pastoral coverage and Catholic presence across a wider swath of South Bethlehem's neighborhoods.
Visiting & Location
The parish is located at 617 Pierce Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015, in the Southside neighborhood created by Monsignor William Heinen in 1891. Street parking is available on Pierce Street and surrounding blocks. The worship space is the former SS. Cyril and Methodius church (1891 original / 1906 current building), the first Slovak Catholic church in the Diocese of Allentown—a building of historical significance to South Bethlehem's immigrant heritage. Visitors should contact the rectory during office hours for tours or to coordinate sacramental visits.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Msgr. William T. Baker, S.T.L.2008–
First pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord; installed by Bishop Cullen on October 12, 2008. Previously pastor of St. Lawrence and St. Andrew, Catasauqua.
- Rev. Clifton E. Bishop Jr.
Current pastor; succeeded Msgr. Baker. Listed as Pastor and Parish Secretary (Beth Perkins) on the joinmychurch directory entry.