About St. Bibiana · Galeton, Pennsylvania
St. Bibiana Church is a historic Roman Catholic church located at 111 Germania Street in Galeton, Potter County, Pennsylvania. Established in 1888 and long served as a parish of the Diocese of Erie, it was the spiritual home of Galeton's Catholic community for more than a century. Following a diocesan reconfiguration of parishes in Potter County, St. Bibiana Parish was merged by extinctive union into St. Eulalia Parish in Coudersport effective December 2, 2023, and the church now serves as a secondary church of that combined parish, with the parish church being St. Eulalia in Coudersport.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- St. Bibiana
- Rector
- Very Rev. Richard Allen
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Bibiana Church is a small but deeply rooted Catholic community in the Galeton area with more than 135 years of continuous history. Today it is cared for as part of St. Eulalia Parish in Coudersport, with the priestly ministry of Fr. Richard Allen. Visitors and former parishioners are always welcome to pray in the historic church on Germania Street, and the parish gathers each year on December 2 — the feast of St. Bibiana, Roman virgin and martyr — to celebrate Mass in her church. Weekly Sunday and holy-day Masses for the combined parish are now offered at St. Eulalia in Coudersport and at Sacred Heart in Genesee.
Mass times at St. Bibiana
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Bibiana Parish
St. Bibiana Parish traces its origins to the 1860s, when Catholic families began settling in the Galeton area of Potter County, Pennsylvania. For its first decades the community, together with other Catholic communities in Potter County, was served by Benedictine priests traveling from St. Marys. The church itself was built in 1888 as a mission of Saint Germain Parish in Germania. In the early 1900s both Saint Bibiana and Saint Germain became missions of Saint Eulalia Parish in Coudersport. Saint Bibiana received its first resident pastor in 1917, and at that point Saint Germain became a mission of Saint Bibiana — a relationship that lasted nearly a hundred years, ending with Saint Germain's closure in 2014. In 2017, St. Bibiana took on responsibility for the missions of Saint Augustine in Austin and Sacred Heart in Genesee. As part of diocesan pastoral planning led by Bishop Lawrence Persico, St. Bibiana Parish was merged into St. Eulalia Parish by extinctive union effective December 2, 2023, the start of Advent.
- 1860s — Catholic settlement begins in the Galeton area; served by visiting Benedictine priests from St. Marys, PA.
- 1888 — St. Bibiana Church built as a mission of St. Germain Parish, Germania.
- Early 1900s — Becomes a mission church of St. Eulalia Parish, Coudersport.
- 1917 — Receives its first resident pastor.
- 2014 — Mission of St. Germain, Germania closes after nearly a century under St. Bibiana's care.
- 2017 — Takes on missions of St. Augustine (Austin) and Sacred Heart (Genesee).
- December 2, 2023 — Merged into St. Eulalia Parish by decree of Bishop Lawrence Persico.
Diocese of Erie Reconfiguration
In 2023, the Diocese of Erie completed a sweeping reconfiguration of parishes in the Bradford Deanery, prompted by a decade of population loss in Potter County (down more than 1,800 people between 2000 and 2022), declining Mass attendance, and a reduced number of priests. After consultation with pastors and lay leaders, Bishop Persico issued a decree on October 2023 effecting the merger of St. Bibiana Parish into St. Eulalia Parish in Coudersport. Under the decree, St. Eulalia Church is the parish church, Sacred Heart in Genesee remains a secondary mission church with permission for weekend Mass, and St. Bibiana (Galeton) and St. Augustine (Austin) became secondary churches without mission status, with no permitted Sunday or holy-day Masses but required to remain open at least occasionally for prayer and to host the annual Mass on their titular feast.
- Diocese: Diocese of Erie (Roman Catholic).
- Receiving parish: St. Eulalia Parish, Coudersport (parish church).
- Missions retained: Sacred Heart, Genesee (secondary mission church, weekend Mass permitted).
- Secondary churches: St. Bibiana, Galeton (no weekend Mass); St. Augustine, Austin (no weekend Mass).
- Annual required Mass at St. Bibiana on December 2, the solemnity of its title.
Parish Identity Today
Although St. Bibiana Parish no longer exists as a separate canonical entity, St. Bibiana Church remains an active part of the life of the Diocese of Erie and of the surrounding Catholic community. Pastoral care is provided through St. Eulalia Parish in Coudersport, currently under Very Rev. Richard Allen. The combined parish operates from 6 E. Maple Street, Coudersport, PA 16915, and Sunday Masses for the merged community are now celebrated at St. Eulalia Church (Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM) and Sacred Heart Church in Genesee (Sunday 8:30 AM). St. Bibiana Church in Galeton is open for prayer and is used each year for the December 2 feast-day Mass.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Richard Allen.
- Parish office: St. Eulalia Parish, 6 E. Maple St., Coudersport, PA 16915; phone (814) 274-8646; email [email protected].
- Website of the combined parish: https://www.steulaliacoudersport.org.
- Diocesan listing: https://www.eriercd.org/Church20503-St-Bibiana.html.
Patron Saint: St. Bibiana
The parish's namesake is Saint Bibiana (also Bibiane, Viviana, or Vivian), a 4th-century Roman virgin martyr traditionally said to have died around 360 AD. The earliest documentary trace of her cult appears in the Liber Pontificalis, where the biography of Pope Simplicius (468–483) records that he consecrated a basilica in her honor near the 'palatium Licinianum' in Rome — the Basilica of Santa Bibiana, which still stands today near Termini Station. Her feast day is celebrated on December 2. She is venerated as patron of single laywomen, torture victims, and those suffering from epilepsy, headaches, hangovers, insanity, and mental illness.
- Feast day: December 2.
- Major shrine: Basilica of Santa Bibiana, Rome.
- Attributes in art: column and scourge, branch of a tree, dagger; sometimes depicted tied to a column.
- Patronages: single laywomen; torture victims; people with epilepsy, headaches, mental illness, or hangovers.
Worship at St. Bibiana Church
Since the December 2, 2023 merger, St. Bibiana Church in Galeton does not have scheduled weekly or Sunday Masses. By diocesan decree, however, it remains open to the faithful for prayer and is required to host a Mass each year on December 2, the solemnity of its title. Sunday and holy-day Masses for the Catholic community of the Galeton area are now offered through St. Eulalia Parish at St. Eulalia Church in Coudersport and at Sacred Heart Church in Genesee.
- Daily Mass at the church: none scheduled after the 2023 merger.
- Saturday/Sunday Mass at the church: none scheduled after the 2023 merger.
- Annual Mass: December 2, feast of St. Bibiana.
- Combined parish weekend Masses: Saturday 4:00 PM (St. Eulalia, Coudersport); Sunday 8:30 AM (Sacred Heart, Genesee); Sunday 11:00 AM (St. Eulalia, Coudersport).
Visiting & Contact Information
St. Bibiana Church stands at 111 Germania Street in Galeton, Pennsylvania (ZIP 16922). For sacramental records, parish registration, or information about liturgy and devotions, parishioners and visitors should contact the office of St. Eulalia Parish in Coudersport, which now serves the combined territory.
- Address: 111 Germania St., Galeton, PA 16922.
- Phone (listed historic line): (814) 435-2303.
- Parish office (St. Eulalia): 6 E. Maple St., Coudersport, PA 16915; phone (814) 274-8646; email [email protected].
- Parish website: https://www.steulaliacoudersport.org.
- Diocesan parish page: https://www.eriercd.org/Church20503-St-Bibiana.html.