About Saint Teresa of Calcutta · Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Saint Teresa of Calcutta is a Roman Catholic parish in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Allentown. It was formed in 2008 when St. Joseph Church merged with five other Mahanoy City parishes (St. Canicus, St. Casimir, Sacred Heart, St. Fidelis, and Assumption BVM) plus Our Lady of Siluva in nearby Maizeville, and was originally named Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in honor of Mother Teresa's 1995 visit to St. Joseph's. The parish has been led since its founding by Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher, and the church is also closely associated with the Missionaries of Charity convent that Mother Teresa herself visited in 1995.
- Established
- 2008
- Patron
- Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
- Rector
- Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher
- Diocese
- Diocese of Allentown
Why belong here
Saint Teresa of Calcutta carries on the spiritual legacy of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity sisters who have maintained a convent in Mahanoy City since 1991. The parish is rooted in the deep faith heritage of immigrant coal-country Catholics and offers daily and weekend Masses, a perpetual adoration chapel, an active youth ministry (ACTION — Active Christian Teens in Our Neighborhood, which has produced a community-wide live Stations of the Cross every Holy Week since 1982), and a strong connection to the Missionaries of Charity's works of mercy. Visitors and parishioners are warmly welcomed into a community that visibly lives out the patron saint's call to prayer, service to the poor, and care for the vulnerable.
Mass times at Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
- Thursday: 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel (currently closed for repairs following an explosive device detonation on May 6, 2025)
Parish History
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was formed on July 1, 2008 by merging seven parishes: St. Canicus, St. Casimir, Sacred Heart, St. Fidelis, Assumption BVM, and St. Joseph in Mahanoy City, plus Our Lady of Siluva in Maizeville. Bishop Thomas J. Welsh and the Diocese of Allentown chose the name to honor Mother Teresa's June 17, 1995 visit to St. Joseph's, which she made to see the Missionaries of Charity sisters she had sent to Mahanoy City in 1991. After her 2016 canonization the parish's name was elevated from Blessed to Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Founding pastor Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher has led the parish since its creation and has preserved statues and furnishings from each of the predecessor churches.
- Merged parishes (2008): St. Canicus, St. Casimir, Sacred Heart, St. Fidelis, Assumption BVM, St. Joseph (Mahanoy City), and Our Lady of Siluva (Maizeville)
- Founding pastor: Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher
- Original name: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; renamed Saint Teresa of Calcutta after 2016 canonization
Mother Teresa's 1995 Visit and Legacy
On June 17, 1995, Mother Teresa concluded a U.S. tour in Mahanoy City, attending an hour-long Mass at St. Joseph Church celebrated by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh with priests from a five-county area. The frail, 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate spoke for 15 minutes inside the church on love for the poor and mercy for the vulnerable, and another 15 minutes to the faithful outside, urging families to pray together and speaking out against abortion. The pew where she sat is now marked with a bronze plaque. The Missionaries of Charity sisters she had sent to Mahanoy City in 1991 continue to live in their convent adjoining the parish.
- Visit date: June 17, 1995
- Celebrant: Bishop Thomas J. Welsh of the Diocese of Allentown
- Commemorated by a bronze plaque in the front pew
- Sisters originally arrived 1991; congregation returns in force 2019
Missionaries of Charity Convent
A convent of the Missionaries of Charity — the contemplative branch of the religious order founded by Mother Teresa — has operated in Mahanoy City since 1991 at South and C Streets near the church. After the sisters temporarily withdrew in July 2018 over a possible structural concern that subsequent engineering inspections cleared, parishioners wrote letters to the order's Calcutta headquarters; the sisters returned in February 2019. As of recent reporting, four sisters live in the convent under the leadership of convent superior Sister Maria Gema, M.C. Bishop Alfred A. Schlert has called them 'a powerhouse of prayer in our diocese.'
- Convent established: 1991
- Sisters returned: February 2019
- Convent superior: Sister Maria Gema, M.C. (native of Nicaragua)
- Current sisters include members from Nicaragua, Philippines, Bhutan, Kenya, and Colombia
Youth Ministry — ACTION
ACTION (Active Christian Teens in Our Neighborhood) is the parish youth group and one of its most visible ministries. For 36 years (with a pause during COVID), ACTION has presented a community-wide live Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday, with dozens of teens portraying the Passion of Christ through the streets of Mahanoy City and hundreds of onlookers participating. The 2025 presentation was dedicated to Blessed Carlo Acutis. Long-time director Debbie Walker has led the group for four decades.
- Annual Live Stations of the Cross each Palm Sunday since 1982
- Director: Debbie Walker (40+ years)
- Open to 8th graders through high school
Parish School — Academy of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The merged parish briefly continued the K-8 Academy of the Blessed Virgin Mary, housed in the former St. Canicus Church building. The school had already been subsidizing enrollment from across the combined parishes; when registrations dropped from 56 students in 2008-09 to only 23 for 2009-10, Pastor Gallagher announced the school would not reopen in fall 2009, since 'close to 85 percent of our Sunday collection would be going to the school.' It was replaced in the wider Schuylkill County area by Trinity Academy.
- Closed before 2009-10 school year
- Housed in the former St. Canicus building
- Last enrollment: 23 students
Clergy and Staff
The parish has been led since its 2008 founding by Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher, who also serves as a connector between the parish and the Missionaries of Charity convent. Deacon Dave Henninger assists in liturgical and parish life; he was involved in composing the parish's prayer to Mother Teresa as the canonization approached.
- Pastor: Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher (founding pastor, 2008–present)
- Deacon: Deacon Dave Henninger
Visiting the Parish
The church is located at 600 West Mahanoy Avenue in the borough of Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. From Interstate 81 South, visitors take exit 37 and follow the road through town to the last traffic light; turning left, then left again after three blocks, brings visitors to the church on the right. Parking is available in the surrounding small borough.
- Address: 600 West Mahanoy Avenue, Mahanoy City, PA 17948
- Phone: (570) 773-2771
- Directions from I-81 South exit 37
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Anthony F. Wasselat least through 1995
Pastor of St. Joseph Church when Mother Teresa visited Mahanoy City on June 17, 1995; later chancellor of the Diocese of Allentown.
- Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher2008–present
Founding pastor of the merged Blessed/Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish; previously pastor of St. Boniface, St. Mary, and Ss. Peter and Paul in Saint Clair.