About St. Bernard · Falls Creek, Pennsylvania
St. Bernard Church is a Roman Catholic parish at 205 Taylor Avenue in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Erie. Its origins stretch back to 1901, when it was built as a mission of St. Catherine of Siena in DuBois; it became an independent parish with a resident pastor on September 12, 1952. In December 2023, Bishop Lawrence T. Persico merged St. Bernard with four other parishes to form Holy Spirit Parish in DuBois, and St. Bernard was designated a secondary church (without mission status) of that new parish. Today the Falls Creek church remains open to the faithful for occasional weekday Masses, funerals, weddings, and an annual Mass on the feast of its patron, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20), while Sunday and Holy Day Masses are now celebrated at the parish church, St. Catherine of Siena, in DuBois.
- Established
- 1952
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. John P. Malthaner (Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, of which St. Bernard is now a secondary church)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Bernard in Falls Creek is a small, historic Catholic community whose roots go back to 1901 and whose parish life has been sustained for generations by families who organized social events, built up the church, and kept worship alive even through the years of World War II when Mass was suspended. Today, even though Sunday Mass is now celebrated at the parish church of St. Catherine of Siena in DuBois, the Falls Creek church remains an open and loved worship site for weekday Masses, funerals, weddings, and the annual August 20 feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Members of the former St. Bernard parish are now part of Holy Spirit Parish, a combined DuBois-region Catholic community that shares faith formation, pastoral care, and ministries across Falls Creek, DuBois, Reynoldsville and Sykesville.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Pre-merger: Saturday 3:45 PM
- Holy Spirit Parish-wide: Wednesday 8:00–8:30 AM (St. Catherine of Siena) and Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM, or by appointment
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Bernard Church in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, takes its name from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the 12th-century Cistercian monk, Doctor of the Church, and renowned preacher of the Crusades. The parish keeps his feast on August 20, which is celebrated with an annual Mass at the Falls Creek church each year in accord with the 2023 diocesan merger decree.
- Patron: St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Feast Day: August 20
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
- Rite: Roman-Latin
History of St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard was built in 1901 by Msgr. Bernard McGivney, then pastor of St. Catherine of Siena in DuBois, to serve the small Catholic community of Falls Creek as a mission chapel. For half a century it was a satellite of St. Catherine's, with Mass curtailed during World War I and the interwar period before being revived after World War II. On September 12, 1952, Archbishop John Mark Gannon established St. Bernard as an independent parish and appointed Fr. Leonard Kuziora as its first resident pastor.
- 1901: Church built as a mission of St. Catherine of Siena, DuBois
- 1913: Mass reduced to once a month, later suspended entirely through WWI and interwar years
- Post-WWII: Fr. Daniel Fitzpatrick (dean of St. Mary, Reynoldsville) helped revive the parish; Fr. Robert Emery of Loretto celebrated Sunday Mass
- September 12, 1952: Established as an independent parish; Fr. Leonard Kuziora named first resident pastor
- 1989–2001: Fr. Stanley J. Swacha served as pastor, installed an elevator for accessibility
Merger into Holy Spirit Parish (2023)
After years of joint pastoral planning beginning in 2019 and formal regional partnership in 2022, Bishop Lawrence T. Persico decreed on October 6, 2023 that St. Bernard be merged with four neighboring parishes into the new Holy Spirit Parish, effective December 2, 2023. St. Catherine of Siena in DuBois was named parish church; St. Bernard in Falls Creek was designated a secondary church without mission status.
- Decree of extinctive union issued October 6, 2023 by Bishop Lawrence T. Persico
- Effective date: December 2, 2023
- Five parishes merged: St. Catherine of Siena and St. Michael the Archangel (DuBois), St. Bernard (Falls Creek), St. Mary (Reynoldsville), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sykesville)
- Parish church: St. Catherine of Siena, DuBois
- St. Bernard retains annual Mass on August 20 (feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux)
Faith Formation, School & Outreach
Faith formation for Holy Spirit Parish is coordinated regionally under Faith Formation Leader Mary Jo Yebernetsky, serving families from Falls Creek, DuBois, Reynoldsville and Sykesville. The parish supports DuBois Central Catholic School with a priestly presence and provides pastoral care to the residents of Christ the King Manor. Liturgical music across the parish is directed by Andrew Alesso.
- Faith Formation Leader: Mary Jo Yebernetsky
- Liturgical Music: Andrew Alesso
- DuBois Central Catholic School — priestly presence
- Christ the King Manor — pastoral care
- Parish Support Staff: Debra Steiner, Elaine Fike
Contact & Visit
St. Bernard Church stands at 205 Taylor Avenue, Falls Creek, PA 15840. The legacy parish phone is (814) 371-0482 and email is [email protected]. Sacramental records have been transferred to the Holy Spirit Parish office at 118 S. State St., DuBois, PA 15801, phone (814) 371-8556, email [email protected], website https://www.weareholyspirit.com. The legacy parish website is http://www.stbernardfallscreek.org/.
- St. Bernard Church — 205 Taylor Ave., Falls Creek, PA 15840
- Holy Spirit Parish Office — 118 S. State St., DuBois, PA 15801
- Phone (Holy Spirit): (814) 371-8556 · Fax: (814) 371-0592
- Email: [email protected]
- Websites: https://www.weareholyspirit.com and http://www.stbernardfallscreek.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Leonard Kuziora1952
First resident pastor; appointed by Archbishop John Mark Gannon when St. Bernard became an independent parish on Sept. 12, 1952.
- Fr. Stanley J. Swacha1989-2001
Described as the first official resident pastor in more than 25 years; installed an elevator for elderly and disabled parishioners.