About Our Lady of Fatima · Union City, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of Fatima is a former Roman Catholic mission church located at 36198 Lake Road in the Canadohta Lake area of Union City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1950 by the neighboring St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Our Lady of Fatima was established to serve the summer vacationers and seasonal residents who flocked to Canadohta Lake each year. For decades Mass was celebrated there from the third Sunday of June through Labor Day, with a brief period of year-round services before worship returned to a summer-only schedule in 2017. Regularly scheduled Masses ceased in 2023, and on July 9, 2024 the parish was merged into St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Corry; Bishop Lawrence T. Persico of the Diocese of Erie subsequently relegated the church building to profane but not sordid use in August 2024, after which the property was sold in 2024. The chapel and its associated property are now being sought by the Lake Canadohta Historical Society for preservation and adaptive reuse.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas J. Whitman (Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Corry, which absorbed St. Teresa of Avila Parish and Our Lady of Fatima on July 9, 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
Today, because Our Lady of Fatima's canonical mission status was withdrawn in the 2024 parish reconfiguration and the chapel has been relegated from sacred use and sold, regular Sunday Mass is no longer celebrated there. Catholics in the Canadohta Lake and Union City area are now served by St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Corry and by the secondary mission church of St. Teresa of Avila at 9 Third Avenue, Union City, where weekend Masses continue. Anyone drawn to Our Lady of Fatima's lakeside history can support the Lake Canadohta Historical Society's campaign to purchase and preserve the chapel, or simply visit the lake to remember a mission that quietly brought the Eucharist to generations of summer families.
Mass times at Our Lady of Fatima
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Mass (historical)
History of Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima was established in 1950 by St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Union City as a summer mission to serve Catholic vacationers at Canadohta Lake. Mass was celebrated there from the third Sunday of June through Labor Day each year. The chapel later expanded to year-round Mass for a time, returned to a summer-only schedule in 2017, and ceased regularly scheduled Masses in 2023. The founding reflected a common mid-20th-century Catholic practice of planting small chapels at lakes, parks, and other seasonal gathering places so that workers and visitors would have access to Sunday Mass.
- Founded 1950 as a summer mission of St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Union City
- Located at 36198 Lake Road, Canadohta Lake, Bloomfield Township
- Original Mass schedule: third Sunday of June through Labor Day
- Returned to summer-only schedule in 2017; regular Masses ended 2023
2024 Reconfiguration in the Diocese of Erie
In 2019 St. Teresa of Avila Parish was partnered with St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Corry, and on February 28, 2024 Bishop Persico presented a revised reconfiguration plan to the Presbyteral Council. The plan, unanimously approved, extinctively merged St. Teresa of Avila Parish (with its secondary church of Our Lady of Fatima) into St. Thomas the Apostle Parish effective July 9, 2024. St. Teresa's church building at 9 Third Avenue, Union City, became a secondary mission church where Sunday and holy-day Mass remain permitted. Our Lady of Fatima became a secondary church without mission status, meaning no regularly scheduled Sunday Mass or holy-day Mass is permitted there. Our Lady of Fatima's building was then relegated to profane but not sordid use on August 14, 2024, allowing it to be sold and put to non-religious purposes.
- Partnered with St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in 2019
- Effective July 9, 2024 — merged into St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Corry
- St. Teresa of Avila church: secondary mission church (Mass continues)
- Our Lady of Fatima: secondary church without mission status (no Mass)
- August 14, 2024 — Bishop Persico relegates Our Lady of Fatima to profane use
- Property sold in 2024
Leadership and Clergy
Through the changes, pastoral care at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Teresa of Avila has been provided by clergy serving St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Corry. Earlier parish bulletins list Rev. Matthew J. Strickenberger as Pastor with Deacon Randy Kondrlik assigned to the Our Lady of Fatima Chapel; other public listings identify Rev. F. Thomas Suppa as Administrator. In current bulletins for the merged parish, Rev. Thomas J. Whitman ('Fr. Tom') serves as Pastor, with Deacon Randy Kondrlik still attached in a retired capacity and Missy (Melissa) Silka serving as Business Manager and Faith Formation Administrator.
- Rev. Thomas J. Whitman — Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish (current)
- Rev. F. Thomas Suppa — Administrator (listed on joinmychurch.com)
- Rev. Matthew J. Strickenberger — Pastor (earlier bulletins)
- Rev. Mr. Randy Kondrlik — Deacon assigned to Our Lady of Fatima Chapel
- Melissa (Missy) Silka — Business Manager and Faith Formation Administrator
Worship Schedule (Historical)
Our Lady of Fatima had a small, seasonal worship schedule. Mass and confession times published on aggregated Catholic directories (and predating the closure) are reproduced below for reference; no regular Mass is currently celebrated at the chapel.
- Sunday — 9:15 a.m. (summer-only)
- Saturday — 6:00 p.m. (July 4th weekend only)
- Vigil of Holy Day / Holy Day — none
- Daily — none
- Confessions — before Mass
- Updated status: Mass no longer celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima as of 2023; church property sold in 2024
Location and Access
Our Lady of Fatima sat on the eastern shore of Canadohta Lake at 36198 Lake Road, Union City, PA 16438, in Bloomfield Township. The chapel is roughly 8 miles from St. Teresa of Avila Church (9 Third Avenue, Union City) and about 16 miles from St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Corry. The site lies just south of the Erie–Crawford county line. As of 2024–2025 the property is no longer an active Catholic church and is being pursued by the Lake Canadohta Historical Society.
- Address: 36198 Lake Road, Union City, PA 16438
- Bloomfield Township, just south of the Erie–Crawford county line
- Approximately 8 miles from St. Teresa of Avila Church, Union City
- Approximately 16 miles from St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Corry
- Listed by GCatholic on its 'Churches in the Path of Totality' list
Preservation Effort by the Lake Canadohta Historical Society
Following the diocese's relegation of Our Lady of Fatima and the sale of the property, the Lake Canadohta Historical Society (LCHS) announced it is working to purchase the chapel, activities building, and associated grounds. The nonprofit launched a fast-track capital campaign with a goal of raising $150,000 by October 2025 to fund the acquisition so the chapel can be preserved as part of the lake's heritage.
- Purchaser of interest: Lake Canadohta Historical Society (LCHS)
- Acquisition target: Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Activities Building, and associated property
- Capital campaign goal: $150,000 by October 2025
- Donors and supporters are being solicited by the organization