About Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception · Freeland, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the borough of Freeland, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Scranton. The parish was formally established in 2008 by merging four historic Freeland parishes — St. Ann's, St. Anthony's, St. Casimir's, and St. John Nepomucene — into a single worshipping community that now makes its home in the former St. Ann's church building at 898 Centre Street. The parish is served by Father Michael J. Kloton as pastor, with Father Kenneth M. Seegar assisting as senior priest and Deacon James M. Rebarchick. It is known locally for its traditional Mass schedule, devotions such as the Miraculous Medal Novena and weekly rosary, the Legion of Mary, and a parish-wide 'Forget-Me-Not' outreach to elderly and homebound parishioners.
- Established
- 2008
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Kloton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception offers a complete schedule of traditional liturgies — including a Sunday morning Mass, a Saturday Vigil, daily Mass Tuesday through Friday, and a Monday evening Mass — alongside a strong devotional life that includes weekly rosary, the Miraculous Medal Novena, monthly Eucharistic Adoration, and a weekly meeting of the Legion of Mary. The parish is also known for its 'Forget-Me-Not' ministry to elderly and homebound parishioners, its coat and backpack collections for children, and a faith formation program (CCD) for the parish's young people, all under the pastoral leadership of Father Michael J. Kloton and the service of Deacon James M. Rebarchick. For Catholics in the greater Freeland area who want one parish family that gathers the heritage of the town's four former Catholic churches, this is a welcoming and active home.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 6:00 AM – 6:50 AM
- Thursday: 6:00 AM – 6:50 AM
- Friday: 6:00 AM – 6:50 AM
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Adoration times
- Monday: 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament prior to the 7 PM Mass; on the 3rd Monday of the month)
Parish History
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish was formally established in 2008, but its roots reach back more than 130 years into the mining-town history of Freeland, Pennsylvania. Catholic life in the area began with Immaculate Conception Church in Eckley, whose mission at Woodside — St. Ann's — was built in the 1870s and grew into a thriving parish with its own school, convent and cemetery. As Polish, Lithuanian, Slovak and Italian immigrants poured into the coal patch in the late 1800s, separate ethnic parishes were founded to serve them: St. Casimir's on Ridge Street (Polish/Lithuanian), St. John Nepomucene (Slovak, originally 1892 at Ridge and Luzerne, rebuilt in stone on Vine Street in 1915), and St. Anthony's on Fern Street. In the 1920s, St. Ann's itself moved from Woodside to 820 Centre Street in Freeland; that building was replaced by the present church on the same site in 1967.
- 1870s — St. Ann's mission in Woodside founded from Immaculate Conception, Eckley
- Early 1890s — St. Casimir's founded on Ridge Street for Polish and Lithuanian Catholics
- 1892 — St. John Nepomucene founded at Ridge and Luzerne for Slovak Catholics
- 1915 — Stone St. John Nepomucene Church built on Vine Street by Italian stonemason Joe Ranieri
- Early 1920s — St. Ann's relocates from Woodside to 820 Centre Street, Freeland
- 1967 — Present St. Ann's Church built on the same Centre Street site
- 1990s — Four parishes consolidate as the 'Roman Catholic Community of Freeland' due to the priest shortage
- 2008 — St. Ann's, St. Anthony's, St. Casimir's and St. John Nepomucene formally close; Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish is established in the 1967 building at 898 Centre Street
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Father Michael J. Kloton as pastor and is supported by Father Kenneth M. Seegar in the role of senior priest, with Deacon James M. Rebarchick assisting in liturgical and pastoral ministry. Lay staff includes the parish secretary (also described in diocesan coverage as the C.C.D. Secretary), a Finance Manager, and other parish secretaries who help run the office and the parish's outreach programs. The parish community service team, which spearheads initiatives such as the Forget-Me-Not bags, is chaired by parishioner John Chuckra.
- Rev. Michael J. Kloton — Pastor
- Rev. Kenneth M. Seegar — Senior Priest
- Deacon James M. Rebarchick
- Parish Secretary / C.C.D. Secretary
- Finance Manager — Raymond Eroh
- JoAnne Korol — staff
- Janet Croshaw — parish secretary and Forget-Me-Not coordinator
- John Chuckra — Chairperson, Parish Community Service Team
Faith Formation (CCD)
The parish runs a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) religious education program for its children, coordinated with the help of a dedicated CCD Secretary on the parish staff. CCD is the parish's primary channel for passing on the Catholic faith to the next generation of Freeland Catholics.
- CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) — parish religious education program
- CCD Secretary on parish staff
- Children's outreach activities including coat and backpack collections
Parish Mission Statement
The parish's published mission statement captures the spirit of the community. 'We, the people of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish, brothers and sisters in Christ, accept as our mission: to know our faith, to live by truth and love, to serve the needs of others, to teach by example, and thereby we strengthen and inspire our parish family.' This four-fold call — to know the faith, to live it, to serve others, and to teach by example — is the lens through which the parish organizes its ministries, from CCD to the Forget-Me-Not outreach.
- To know our faith
- To live by truth and love
- To serve the needs of others
- To teach by example
Outreach & Charity: The 'Forget-Me-Not' Ministry
The 'Forget-Me-Not' ministry is one of the parish's signature outreach efforts, highlighted by the Diocese of Scranton as a model of care for elderly and homebound parishioners. Volunteers assemble gift bags — containing lotion, hand creams, stamps, warm blankets, puzzles and other small comforts selected by parishioners — and deliver them personally to nursing homes and residences, often staying to chat, pray or simply sit in silence. The bags are timed to seasons of the Church year, such as the Easter delivery of forget-me-not bags along with Easter lilies and palms.
- 'Forget-Me-Not' gift bags assembled by parish volunteers and delivered to elderly and homebound parishioners
- Easter delivery (April 12 in the most recent diocesan feature) of bags with Easter lilies and palms
- 'Hour of Kindness' — meets the last Saturday of each month to sign and address greeting cards for homebound parishioners
- Community Service Team chaired by John Chuckra; coordinated by Janet Croshaw
- Volunteers cited in diocesan coverage include Sally Shupp, Sharon Yefchak and Cheryl Turri
- Children's outreach — coat and backpack collections complement the senior outreach
The Four Predecessor Parishes
When Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was formed in 2008, it inherited the spiritual patrimony of four distinct Catholic congregations that had served Freeland's immigrant communities for roughly a century. The history of each is preserved in the parish's story and in local historical resources, even though three of the four original church buildings are now closed.
- St. Ann's (1870s) — Originally a mission of Immaculate Conception, Eckley; relocated to 820 Centre Street in the 1920s; present church on the same site dedicated 1967; the building that now houses Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
- St. Casimir's (1890s) — Founded by Polish and Lithuanian immigrants on South Ridge Street; brick church replaced the original wooden one in the same location; closed after roughly a century.
- St. John Nepomucene (1892) — Slovak Catholic congregation; originally at Ridge and Luzerne; 1915 stone church on Vine Street built by Italian stonemason Joe Ranieri; closed but the stone building still stands.
- St. Anthony's — Catholic parish on Fern Street; closed approximately a century after its founding.
Worship Site & Facilities
The parish worships in the 1967 St. Ann's Church building at 898 Centre Street, Freeland, PA 18224 — the same church that was the center of Catholic life in Freeland for decades before the 2008 merger. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The church building also continues to host the CCD program, Legion of Mary meetings, and other parish gatherings.
- Worship site: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, 898 Centre Street, Freeland, PA 18224
- Building heritage: the 1967 St. Ann's Church on Centre Street
- Parish office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Phone: (570) 636-3035; Fax: (570) 636-1743
- Email: [email protected]