About Our Lady of Refuge · Doylesburg, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of Refuge is a small Catholic mission church in the hamlet of Doylesburg, in Path Valley, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, administered as a mission of Corpus Christi Parish in Chambersburg within the Diocese of Harrisburg. Worship has been offered on this Doyle-family farmstead since at least 1790, and a log chapel was built on the property in 1802. The present brick church — gutted by a devastating fire on September 11, 2011, and rebuilt in under 200 days — was rededicated by Bishop Joseph P. McFadden on October 28, 2012, and continues a Sunday Mass tradition that rings the iron bell 33 times at 8:30 a.m. just as it did centuries ago.
- Established
- 1802
- Patron
- Our Lady of Refuge (Refugium Peccatorum / Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Allan F. Wolfe, V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Harrisburg
Why belong here
Our Lady of Refuge is one of the oldest continuously used Catholic sites in central Pennsylvania — a tiny but living country church where the same iron bell that summoned worshippers generations ago is still rung 33 times at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Parishioners worship in a close-knit building whose history is literally underfoot, in a consecrated cemetery that holds Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans. Visiting or joining means becoming part of a centuries-old Doyle-family, Path-Valley Catholic community that has rebuilt itself from ashes once already and continues to gather around the altar each week.
Mass times at Our Lady of Refuge
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available before Sunday Mass
History of Our Lady of Refuge Mission
Catholic life in Doylesburg began on Doyle family farmland in the Path Valley. The first Mass in the valley was celebrated in 1790 by Father Dennis Cahill at the Timmons homestead; a log chapel was built on Felix and Sarah Doyle's property in 1802, beside what became the family cemetery. The Doyles deeded the land to the Church in 1816 and added 89 perches in 1852 for one dollar to Bishop (later Saint) John Neumann. A second, brick church was dedicated on the site in November 1853, and that brick shell still encloses the present worship space. For more than 175 years the parish has gathered on this single consecrated footprint in the fertile farmland below Conococheague Mountain.
- First Mass in Path Valley: 1790 at the Timmons homestead, celebrated by Father Dennis Cahill
- Log chapel built on the Doyle farm: 1802
- Land deeded to the Roman Catholic Church by Felix and Sarah Doyle: November 7, 1816
- Additional land (89 perches) conveyed for $1 to Bishop John Neumann: April 20, 1852
- Second church dedicated on the site: November 1853
- Fire destroyed the interior: September 11, 2011
- Rebuilt in less than 200 days
- Rededicated by Bishop Joseph P. McFadden: October 28, 2012
The 2011 Fire and the Rebuild
On the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a fire tore through Our Lady of Refuge and left only the brick shell. Parishioner Karen Gipe watched the roof collapse that night; for the next thirteen months the faithful worshipped in the local Community Center while the church was rebuilt. Pews were salvaged from a closed church in Pottsville, Pa., and the former tabernacle, cross and other items recovered from the ruins were entombed in the concrete foundation beneath the new altar. Bishop McFadden anointed the walls and altar with Sacred Chrism during the Rite of Dedication on October 28, 2012, just seven months before his own death.
- Fire date: September 11, 2011 (10th anniversary of the national attacks)
- Temporary worship site: local Community Center
- Builder: Conewago Enterprises
- Salvaged furnishings: pews from a closed Pottsville, Pa. church
- Items entombed beneath the new altar: former tabernacle, cross and other relics
- Rededication: October 28, 2012, by Bishop Joseph P. McFadden
Parish Clergy
Our Lady of Refuge is pastored as a mission of Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg. The Very Rev. Allan F. Wolfe, V.F., was appointed pastor of Corpus Christi Parish and Our Lady of Refuge Mission, effective October 26, 2020, by Bishop Ronald W. Gainer. Father Wolfe, born in Des Moines in 1965 and ordained by Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo on May 30, 1992, previously served the Hispanic and broader Lancaster community for nearly 25 years as pastor of San Juan Bautista and St. Joseph Parishes.
- Very Rev. Allan F. Wolfe, V.F. — Pastor (appointed October 26, 2020)
- Rev. James O'Brien — Pastor of Corpus Christi at the time of the 2012 rededication
- Very Rev. Luis R. Rodriguez — Pastor of Corpus Christi immediately before Father Wolfe
The Iron Bell and the Sunday Tradition
Every Sunday morning before Mass, parishioners take turns pulling the rope of the iron bell that sits prominently on the small portico. The bell is rung thirty-three times at 8:30 a.m. to summon the faithful to worship — a centuries-old call that, on a clear morning, echoes for miles across the Path Valley farmland. Originally mounted on the roof, the bell was recently relocated to the portico after the building structure was judged unable to bear its weight.
- Iron bell on the small front portico
- Rung 33 times at 8:30 a.m. before Sunday Mass
- Traditionally rung by the lay parishioner on duty
Our Lady of Refuge / St. Mary's Cemetery
The church sits in the middle of its own consecrated burial ground, listed on Find a Grave as 'Our Lady Of Refuge Cemetery' and also historically known as Saint Mary's Cemetery. The Doyle family graveyard was already in use before 1800, as evidenced by surviving tombstones. Hundreds of graves surround the church, including several Revolutionary War heroes of the Pennsylvania militia and Union veterans of the Civil War.
- Also known as: Saint Mary's Cemetery (Find a Grave Cemetery ID 1969890)
- Doyle family graveyard in continuous use since before 1800
- Buried here: Pennsylvania militia veterans of the Revolutionary War
- Buried here: Union veterans of the Civil War (Grand Army of the Republic)
- Address: 21169 Cross Road, Doylesburg, PA 17219
The 'Catholic Path' and Conococheague Mountain
Looming to the north of the church is the Conococheague Mountain, which connects the southern reaches of Perry County with the fertile valley farmlands of Franklin County in the westernmost reaches of the Diocese. Local tradition holds that, roughly 250 years ago, Catholics from Amberson Valley on the other side of the mountain would walk barefoot across it to attend Mass in Doylesburg — wearing a path that still exists today. A marker reading the 'Catholic Path' stands along Path Valley Road where the old trail crosses.
- Northern landmark: Conococheague Mountain
- Tradition of barefoot pilgrim crossings from Amberson Valley
- 'Catholic Path' historical marker along Path Valley Road
Diocese of Harrisburg and Parent Parish
Our Lady of Refuge Mission is canonically a mission of Corpus Christi Parish in Chambersburg, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. All sacramental coordination, clergy assignment and diocesan reporting flow through Corpus Christi and the diocesan offices. The parish is recorded in GCatholic's directory under Diocese of Harrisburg.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
- Parent parish: Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg
- Diocesan parish page: hbgdiocese.org/parishes/our-lady-of-refuge-mission-doylesburg/
- GCatholic Church ID: 23793
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James O'Brienat least through October 2012
Pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg, of which Our Lady of Refuge is a mission; opened the rebuilt church doors at the Oct. 28, 2012 Rite of Dedication with Bishop McFadden.
- Very Rev. Luis R. Rodriguezprior to October 26, 2020
Pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg (and so of this mission) before being reassigned to San Juan Bautista Parish, Lancaster.
- Very Rev. Allan F. Wolfe, V.F.effective October 26, 2020 – present
Born 1965 in Des Moines, Iowa; raised in Annville, Pa.; ordained a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg by Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo on May 30, 1992. Previously pastored San Juan Bautista and St. Joseph Parishes in Lancaster for nearly 25 years; received the City of Lancaster's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2020. Appointed pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg, and Our Lady of Refuge Mission, Doylesburg, by Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, effective October 26, 2020.