About St. Bernard of Clairvaux · Bradford, Pennsylvania
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania, belonging to the Diocese of Erie. Established in 1880, the parish serves the Bradford community from its church on East Corydon Street and a smaller Divine Mercy Chapel located in the parish office building. Since 2023, the parish has been the combined home of Bradford's Catholics after St. Francis of Assisi Parish was merged into it under a decree of Bishop Lawrence T. Persico. Three Sunday Masses (with one livestreamed) and a daily Mass schedule, along with religious education, Bible study, and a Catholic Women's Club, sustain the parish's life of faith in this part of northwestern Pennsylvania.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. John B. Jacquel
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Bernard of Clairvaux offers a full schedule of daily and Sunday Masses, including a livestreamed 10 a.m. Sunday Mass, with weekday Masses celebrated in the intimate Divine Mercy Chapel inside the parish office building. The parish runs an active Faith Formation program (with second-grade and Confirmation classes meeting in a recently renovated room in Gallina Hall), hosts Bible study, a Catholic Women's Club, and pastoral and finance councils, and welcomes families through sacramental preparation. It is the spiritual home of the unified Bradford Catholic community following the 2023 merger of St. Francis of Assisi Parish into St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Mass times at St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15–3:45 p.m. (before 4 p.m. Vigil Mass)
- Anytime by appointment
Adoration times
- First Fridays, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. in the Divine Mercy Chapel, concluding with Benediction (Mass to follow)
About St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is a Roman Catholic parish in Bradford, Pennsylvania, part of the Diocese of Erie. Founded in 1880, it serves the Catholics of Bradford, McKean County, and the surrounding region from its church at 95 E. Corydon Street and a smaller worship space called the Divine Mercy Chapel, located inside the parish office building. The parish is led by Father John B. Jacquel, pastor, with Father Edward J. Walk serving as Senior Associate. The staff team includes Business Manager Gina Davidson, Administrative Assistant Elaine Doriguzzi, Faith Formation Leader Cindy Greek, and Liturgical Music Contact Rita Bennardi.
- Founded: 1880
- Diocese: Erie
- Pastor: Rev. John B. Jacquel
- Senior Associate: Rev. Edward J. Walk
- Parish office: 95 E. Corydon St., Bradford, PA 16701
- Mailing: P.O. Box 2394, Bradford, PA 16701
Parish History and the 2023 Merger
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was established in 1880 to serve the growing Catholic community of Bradford in northwestern Pennsylvania. For more than a century the parish operated as a single faith community, eventually helping to mother two daughter parishes in 1946: St. Francis of Assisi in Bradford and Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Lewis Run. By the early 2020s, decades of population loss in the region and a steep decline in active parishioners at both Bradford parishes led to a pastoral planning process. Father John Jacquel and the parishioners of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Francis of Assisi proposed merging into a single, stronger parish. On February 4, 2023, Bishop Lawrence T. Persico accepted the proposal: St. Francis of Assisi Parish was merged into St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, and both St. Francis Church and Our Mother of Perpetual Help became secondary churches of the combined parish. In April 2025 St. Francis of Assisi Church was further reduced to a secondary church without mission status, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help was permanently closed.
- 1880: Parish established in Bradford
- 1946: St. Francis of Assisi (Bradford) and Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Lewis Run) created as daughter parishes
- February 4, 2023: St. Francis of Assisi merged into St. Bernard of Clairvaux under Bishop Persico's decree
- April 2025: St. Francis of Assisi Church reduced to secondary church without mission status
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Lewis Run permanently closed
Pastor and Clergy
The parish is led by Father John B. Jacquel, who has been pastor of St. Bernard of Clairvaux since 2022 when he was assigned by the Diocese of Erie after completing a term as pastor of the partnered St. John the Baptist and Holy Rosary parishes in Erie. Ordained in 1983, Father Jacquel has served in Bradford, Oil City, Clearfield, Morrisdale, Osceola Mills, and Edinboro. He was honored as Serra Club of Erie's Priest of the Year in 2022 and in 2025 completed a four-month sabbatical at the Oblate School of Theology's Ministry to Ministers program in San Antonio, Texas, before returning renewed to lead the parish through the ongoing work of unification. He is assisted by Senior Associate Father Edward J. Walk.
- Pastor: Rev. John B. Jacquel (ordained 1983, assigned to Bradford 2022)
- Senior Associate: Rev. Edward J. Walk
- Member of a Jesus Caritas priests' fraternity of prayer and fellowship
Parish Staff
A small dedicated staff supports the parish's ministry and operations, working closely with Father Jacquel and Father Walk.
- Gina Davidson — Business Manager
- Elaine Doriguzzi — Administrative Assistant
- Cindy Greek — Faith Formation / Religious Education Leader
- Rita Bennardi — Liturgical Music Contact
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation is a centerpiece of parish life. Coordinator Cindy Greek oversees religious education classes for children, including a second-grade class and a ninth-grade Confirmation class. The program is based in a recently renovated room in Gallina Hall, the former St. Bernard Elementary School built in the 1960s, where a 2025 Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania Faith Formation grant funded new ceilings, lighting, flooring, walls, a television, a laptop, and a laser printer to better support learning, prayer, and small-group gatherings.
- Children's Faith Formation program
- Ninth-grade Confirmation preparation
- Faith Formation room in Gallina Hall (renovated 2025 with Catholic Foundation of NW PA grant)
Parish Ministries and Small Groups
Beyond faith formation, the parish hosts a number of lay-led groups that draw parishioners together around Scripture, fellowship, and parish governance. Gallina Hall serves as the hub for many of these gatherings.
- Bible study groups
- Catholic Women's Club
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Liturgical Music ministry (Rita Bennardi)
Worship Spaces: St. Bernard Church and Divine Mercy Chapel
Parishioners gather for Sunday and Vigil Masses at the main St. Bernard Church on East Corydon Street. For weekday Masses and for First Friday Adoration, the parish uses the Divine Mercy Chapel, an intimate worship space located inside the parish office/rectory building and entered through the parking lot.
- St. Bernard Church — 95 E. Corydon St. (Sunday and Vigil Masses)
- Divine Mercy Chapel — parish office building, parking lot entrance (weekday Masses, First Friday Adoration)
Outreach and Online Giving
The parish supports the broader community through online giving and a tradition of Catholic charitable work in the Bradford area, and is supported in turn by the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania, which has funded improvements to parish facilities including the 2025 Faith Formation room renovation.
- Online giving available through the parish website
- Supported by the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania
- Sustains merged Bradford Catholic community following the 2023 consolidation
Connect with the Parish
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or postal mail, and stay up to date through the parish website, the weekly bulletin posted online, and the official Facebook page.
- Phone: (814) 362-6825
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stbernardcatholic.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stbernardbradford/
- Mailing: P.O. Box 2394, Bradford, PA 16701
- Weekly bulletin available on the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Raymond C. Gramata
Listed as a previous pastor of the parish on third-party directories; exact dates not confirmed on the official site.