About St. Francis X. Cabrini · Wyoming, Pennsylvania
St. Frances X. Cabrini Parish (also known as St. Francis X. Cabrini) is a Roman Catholic parish located at 585 Mount Olivet Road in the Carverton section of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, in the Back Mountain region of Luzerne County. Founded in 1947 and part of the Diocese of Scranton, the parish worships under the patronage of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Italian-American missionary nun who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and was the first naturalized U.S. citizen to be canonized. It is administered as a linked parish with St. Therese Parish in Shavertown and shares a special bond with the adjacent historic Mount Olivet Cemetery.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; patroness of immigrants; first U.S. citizen canonized, 1946)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph J. Pisaneschi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Frances X. Cabrini is a tight-knit mountain parish where the Eucharist, faith formation, and personal pastoral care are at the center of community life — Pastor Joseph J. Pisaneschi and Office Manager Diane Felli Melvin welcome new and returning Catholics. The parish offers a traditional weekly rhythm (Saturday vigil, Sunday morning, Tuesday morning Mass), weekly Saturday confession, and active collaboration with its sister Back Mountain parishes (St. Therese, Gate of Heaven, Our Lady of Mount Carmel), so members benefit from a wider community than its small size suggests. Its ministries — faith formation, social-justice outreach, stewardship, and the long-running Memorial Day Mass and picnic on the grounds across from Mount Olivet Cemetery — give parishioners concrete ways to live their faith together.
Mass times at St. Francis X. Cabrini
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
- or by appointment
Who We Are & Mission
St. Frances X. Cabrini Parish describes itself as a community of believers united in belief in the Eucharist, Scripture, and Prayer. Its mission statement reads: 'As disciples of Jesus Christ, we walk with God and each other in the Roman Catholic Parish of Saint Frances X. Cabrini, Carverton.' The parish commits itself to Eucharistic-centered lives, Faith Formation, Social Justice, and Stewardship, and asks the intercession of its patroness — 'May our beloved Patroness, Saint Frances, help us to believe in God's great love for us.' Pastor Rev. Joseph J. Pisaneschi and Office Manager Diane Felli Melvin lead the day-to-day life of the parish.
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph J. Pisaneschi
- Office Manager: Diane Felli Melvin
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Scranton
- Patroness: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
The parish publishes a simple, easy-to-remember weekly rhythm: a Saturday vigil Mass, one Sunday morning Mass, and one Tuesday morning weekday Mass, plus a vigil-and-day pair on Holy Days of Obligation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday afternoon before the vigil, with appointments available on request.
- Saturday Vigil — 4:00 pm
- Sunday — 9:30 am
- Tuesday — 9:00 am
- Holy Day vigil — 6:00 pm
- Holy Day — 8:00 am
- Confession — Saturdays 3:15–3:45 pm, or by appointment
Parish Office & Visiting
The parish office is staffed Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and can be reached at (570) 696-3737 or [email protected]. The church is located at 585 Mount Olivet Road, Wyoming (Carverton), PA 18644, directly across Mount Olivet Road from Mount Olivet Cemetery, and parking is available on the church grounds.
- Office hours: Tue–Thu, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Phone: (570) 696-3737
- Email: [email protected]
- On-site parking
Ministries & Faith Formation
The parish organizes its life around four pillars named on its website — Eucharistic-centered living, Faith Formation, Social Justice, and Stewardship. Practical ministries include lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, and a music ministry (choir and cantors). The parish also runs a Social Committee that organizes the annual Memorial Day picnic, flea market, bake sale, and basket raffle on the church grounds.
- Faith Formation for children and adults
- Liturgy / Worship ministry
- Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers
- Music ministry (choir, cantors)
- Stewardship committee
- Social Justice outreach
- Parish Social Committee
Sacraments
The parish prepares the faithful for and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments. Reconciliation is offered weekly on Saturdays from 3:15 to 3:45 pm, or by appointment. The parish participates annually in the diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass and supports First Eucharist and Confirmation preparation programs through its Faith Formation offerings.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Eucharist
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Matrimony / Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders and religious vocations (supported through diocesan programs)
Devotions & Patroness
As a parish named for Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917), the parish keeps her as its chief intercessor and frequently invokes her in its prayers. The community's spiritual life is marked by devotion to the Eucharist, Scripture, and personal prayer, and by a strong bond with the deceased buried across the road at Mount Olivet Cemetery, honored each year at a Memorial Day Mass.
- Patroness: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (feast: November 13)
- Annual Memorial Day Mass for the deceased of Mount Olivet Cemetery
- Eucharistic Adoration opportunities in conjunction with the linked St. Therese cluster
- Holy Name Society (historical)
Back Mountain Pastoral Collaboration
St. Frances X. Cabrini is one of four Back Mountain parishes that regularly collaborate on events and scheduling: St. Therese (Shavertown), Gate of Heaven, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Cabrini is formally linked with St. Therese, sharing a pastor; parishioners frequently attend whichever Mass fits their schedule, regardless of venue.
- St. Therese Parish, Shavertown (linked; shared pastor)
- Gate of Heaven Parish
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish
Parish Events & Outreach
The parish sponsors and participates in a number of recurring community events: an annual Memorial Day Mass, picnic, flea market, bake sale, and basket raffle on the church grounds; the Catholic Women's Conference; an International Student Leadership Institute; the annual diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass; and hunger-relief fundraising under former pastor Father Jim Paisley's 'Rectory, Set, Cook!' initiative, which directed thousands of dollars to local food pantries and Meals on Wheels.
- Memorial Day Mass & parish picnic (May)
- Annual flea market & bake sale
- International Student Leadership Institute
- Catholic Women's Conference
- Wedding Anniversary Mass
- 'Rectory, Set, Cook!' hunger-relief fundraiser (under Fr. Paisley)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Stanislaus Koluckiby 1961
Documented as Pastor of St. Francis Cabrini Church, Carverton in November 1961 (referenced in Visitation of BVM jubilee booklet).
- Rev. Louis A. Grippearound 2001
Diocese of Scranton 'Find Clergy' lists him as pastor of St. Frances X. Cabrini Parish (Carverton). Ordained May 24, 1969 by Bishop Joseph Carroll McCormick; Pittston native; previously served Our Lady of Victory, Harveys Lake and other Luzerne County parishes.
- Rev. Joseph O. Weber1994–2007
Appointed pastor in 1994; served 13 years; retired 2007 and named Pastor Emeritus. Ordained May 25, 1957 by Archbishop Amleto G. Cicognani; taught at the Josephinum; served Sacred Heart of Jesus Weston, St. Patrick Milford, Good Shepherd Drums, and St. Catherine Moscow before Cabrini. Died June 22, 2021.
- Rev. Vincent H. Dangapprox. 2007–2014
Vietnamese-born priest who escaped Communist Vietnam; sponsored into the Scranton diocese by Catholic Social Services; ordained 1995 by then-Bishop James C. Timlin. Celebrated a Vietnamese Mass ministry throughout his assignments. Pastor of Cabrini ca. 2012–2013, later reassigned to St. Leo's/Holy Rosary, Ashley.
- Rev. James J. Paisleyapprox. 2013–2023
Guided the parish through formal linkage with St. Therese Parish, Shavertown. Known for 'Rectory, Set, Cook!' cooking fundraiser; donated over $15,000 to hunger programs. Reassigned effective Sept. 8, 2023 to become pastor of St. Ann's Basilica and SS. Peter and Paul, Scranton.
- Rev. Joseph J. Pisaneschi2023–present
Current pastor, also serving linked St. Therese Parish, Shavertown.