About St. Cecilia · Exeter, Pennsylvania
St. Cecilia Church, once located at 1700 Wyoming Avenue in Exeter, Pennsylvania, was a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Scranton that served the borough for 122 years. Founded on November 17, 1900 and formally dedicated on September 29, 1901, the parish was long regarded as the mother church of the Wyoming Area School District. It was merged into St. Barbara Parish in 2008 and its final Mass was celebrated on April 24, 2022, after which Bishop Joseph C. Bambera formally decreed its relegation (closure). The former church building was later acquired in 2025 by the Luzerne County Historical Society for use as a museum, research library, and community space.
- Established
- 1900
- Patron
- St. Cecilia (patron saint of music and musicians)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Cecilia itself closed in 2022, but its parishioners and community life continue through Corpus Christi Parish — the consolidated parish formed in 2024 from the linkage of the former St. Barbara Parish (Exeter) with Corpus Christi Parish (West Pittston). The community worships today at St. Anthony of Padua Church at 28 Memorial Street in Exeter under Monsignor John J. Sempa, supported by an active Pastoral Council, joint faith formation, school partnerships with Wyoming Area Catholic School (adjacent to the former St. Cecilia site), and a tradition of covered-dish festivals, First Friday liturgies, Eucharistic Adoration, and outreach that trace back to the St. Cecilia community. New parishioners are warmly welcomed into ongoing ministries, choir, and parish life.
Mass times at St. Cecilia
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. Cecilia Parish, Exeter
Founded November 17, 1900 and formally dedicated September 29, 1901, St. Cecilia Parish served the borough of Exeter, Pennsylvania, in Luzerne County for 122 years. Father Patrick F. Quinnan was its first pastor. The parish grew into the 'mother church' for the Catholic communities across the Wyoming Area School District. After the destruction of the original wooden church by fire in May 1975 and an extraordinary 27-month rebuilding effort, the new St. Cecilia Church was dedicated on August 26, 1977. In 2008, St. Cecilia was merged into St. Barbara Parish under the Diocese of Scranton's 'Called to Holiness and Mission' consolidation of Exeter's three Catholic parishes. The church's final Mass was celebrated April 24, 2022.
- Founded: November 17, 1900
- Dedicated: September 29, 1901
- First pastor: Father Patrick F. Quinnan
- Patron: St. Cecilia (feast day November 22)
- Fire: night of May 24, 1975
- Rebuilt and rededicated: August 26, 1977
- Merged into St. Barbara Parish: 2008
- Final Mass: April 24, 2022
The 1975 Fire and the 1977 Rebuild
In the late-night hours of Saturday, May 24, 1975, towering flames engulfed the original wooden St. Cecilia Church on Wyoming Avenue — just weeks before a gala celebration had been planned to mark the parish's 75th anniversary. Monsignor Joseph T. Shaughnessy, the beloved pastor at the time, led the community through the loss. In an extraordinary show of resolve, parishioners rebuilt the church in only 27 months. Bishop J. Carroll McCormick celebrated the dedication of the new, ultra-modern St. Cecilia on August 26, 1977, marking the moment the building became an actual Roman Catholic church with his pacing of the Sign of the Cross on the floor. The new structure featured a striking 'fan' arrangement of pews surrounding a central altar, hand-carved wooden figures above the sanctuary, and majestic stained-glass windows.
- Cause of rebuild: catastrophic fire on May 24, 1975
- Construction time: 27 months
- Dedication celebrant: Bishop J. Carroll McCormick
- Dedication date: August 26, 1977
- Architectural features: fan-shaped pew arrangement, central altar, hand-carved wooden figures, large stained-glass windows
Consolidation and Closure (2008–2022)
In 2008, as part of the Diocese of Scranton's 'Called to Holiness and Mission' initiative, St. Cecilia was merged into St. Barbara Parish. Shortly afterward, St. John the Baptist Church on Schooley Avenue also closed. St. Cecilia continued as a worship site of St. Barbara Parish but was reduced to hosting only one Sunday morning Mass (8:00 a.m.) as the community diminished in size. On April 24, 2022, the sixteenth pastor, Rev. Michael E. Finn, celebrated the parish's final Mass. Following a closing ritual processing from the baptismal font to the cross, the Saint Cecilia statue, the ambo, and finally the altar, the doors were locked and 91-year-old parishioner Dolores Seman turned the key.
- Merger year: 2008 (into St. Barbara Parish)
- Initiative: 'Called to Holiness and Mission' (Diocese of Scranton)
- St. John the Baptist Church: closed shortly after 2008 merger
- St. Cecilia's final weekly Mass before closure: Sunday 8:00 a.m.
- Final Mass celebrated: April 24, 2022
- Final pastor: Rev. Michael E. Finn (sixteenth)
- Baptisms recorded at St. Cecilia over 122 years: 4,392
Clergy and Pastoral Succession
Father Patrick F. Quinnan served as the founding pastor when St. Cecilia was established in 1900. Over the following century, fifteen more pastors or administrators succeeded him. Monsignor Joseph T. Shaughnessy was the beloved pastor who guided the parish through the 1975 fire and the 1977 rebuilding. The sixteenth and final pastor of St. Cecilia Church was the Rev. Michael E. Finn, who led the community at the closing Mass in 2022 and then retired May 1, 2022 as Pastor Emeritus of St. Barbara Parish after 45 years as a priest. Deacon Walter Janoski assisted Father Finn at the closing ritual. After the closure, Monsignor John J. Sempa — then pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in West Pittston — was named Administrator pro tem of St. Barbara Parish and went on to lead the linked and then consolidated Corpus Christi Parish that absorbed the former St. Barbara worship site.
- Founding pastor: Father Patrick F. Quinnan (1900)
- Monsignor Joseph T. Shaughnessy: pastor at time of 1975 fire and 1977 rebuild
- Rev. Michael E. Finn: sixteenth pastor/administrator; closed the church April 24, 2022
- Deacon Walter Janoski: assisted at the closing ritual
- Monsignor John J. Sempa: current pastor of Corpus Christi Parish (consolidated July 1, 2024), which includes the former St. Barbara / Exeter worship site
Linkage and Consolidation into Corpus Christi Parish
In anticipation of St. Cecilia's closure, the Diocese of Scranton approved a 'linkage' between the Parish of St. Barbara and Corpus Christi Parish in West Pittston. The two parishes remained canonically independent but shared one pastor — Monsignor John J. Sempa — across three worship sites: St. Anthony of Padua Church at 28 Memorial Street in Exeter; Immaculate Conception Church in West Pittston; and Church of the Holy Redeemer in Harding. An inaugural covered-dish festival in August 2022 drew more than 150 people and helped cement the relationship. On July 1, 2024, the two parishes formally consolidated, retaining the name Corpus Christi Parish, with all three worship sites remaining open. Today, parishioners of the former St. Cecilia community gather for Mass and parish life at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Exeter.
- Linkage effective: May 1, 2022
- Shared pastor: Monsignor John J. Sempa
- Worship sites: St. Anthony (Exeter), Immaculate Conception (West Pittston), Holy Redeemer (Harding)
- Formal consolidation: July 1, 2024 (retained name Corpus Christi Parish)
- Covered-dish festival: August 21, 2022 — inaugural joint event
Wyoming Area Catholic School and Parish Property
Wyoming Area Catholic School (WAC), a Pre-K through grade 8 elementary school of the Diocese of Scranton, sits immediately adjacent to the former St. Cecilia Church site on Wyoming Avenue. After St. Cecilia's closure, the parish's convent, rectory, and two garages were razed to create a new parking lot for the school, giving WAC greater visibility from Wyoming Avenue. The former St. Cecilia Church building itself was later purchased by the Luzerne County Historical Society in 2025, with plans to convert it into a museum, research library, community meeting and event room, and offices for county artifacts and exhibits serving the Wyoming Valley's west side.
- Wyoming Area Catholic School (WAC): Pre-K–8, Diocese of Scranton, 1690 Wyoming Avenue, Exeter
- WAC phone: (570) 654-7982
- WAC website: http://www.wacsh.com/
- WAC Principal (at time of school expansion project): Eileen Rishcoff
- Convent, rectory, and garages razed after 2022 to create a new parking lot for the school
- Former church building purchased by Luzerne County Historical Society in 2025
- Planned future use: museum, research library, community room, offices
Visiting the Former St. Cecilia Site Today
The former St. Cecilia Church at 1700 Wyoming Avenue, Exeter, PA 18643, is now owned by the Luzerne County Historical Society and is undergoing conversion into a heritage and community facility. There are no regular Masses or sacraments celebrated at this address. Former St. Cecilia parishioners and newcomers are welcomed to worship at St. Anthony of Padua Church (the current Exeter worship site of Corpus Christi Parish), 28 Memorial Street, Exeter, PA 18643 — phone (570) 654-2103.
- Former St. Cecilia address: 1700 Wyoming Avenue, Exeter, PA 18643
- Current parish (Exeter worship site): St. Anthony of Padua Church, 28 Memorial Street, Exeter, PA 18643
- Parish phone: (570) 654-2103
- Parish office website: http://stbarbaraexeter.com/ (historical URL for St. Barbara Parish)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Patrick F. Quinnan1900–
First pastor of St. Cecilia Parish, which was founded November 17, 1900 and dedicated September 29, 1901.
- Monsignor Joseph T. Shaughnessy
Pastor at the time of the May 1975 fire and led the parish through the 27-month rebuilding effort that produced the new church dedicated in 1977.
- Rev. Michael E. Finn
Sixteenth pastor or administrator of St. Cecilia Church; led the parish at its final Mass on April 24, 2022 and retired May 1, 2022 as Pastor Emeritus of St. Barbara Parish after 45 years as a priest.