About St. George · Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania
St. George Mission is a Roman Catholic mission church of the Diocese of Harrisburg, located at 775 Forest Hill Road in Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania. It is administratively part of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in neighboring Lewisburg, sharing one pastor and a single combined Mass and ministry schedule. Built and dedicated in the late 1990s/1999, the mission is the spiritual home for Catholics in the Mifflinburg/BUFFALO VALLEY area and offers weekly Sunday Mass in English, access to faith formation through Sacred Heart's Parish Religious Education Program (PREP), and outreach through a joint Caring Community and a sister-parish relationship with Immaculate Conception in Haiti.
- Established
- 1999
- Patron
- Saint George (the mission is named in honor of Bishop George L. Leech, the fifth Bishop of Harrisburg)
- Rector
- Rev. Fred Wangwe, AJ (pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewisburg, and Saint George Mission, Mifflinburg — appointed effective June 17, 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Harrisburg (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. George Mission brings Sunday Mass right into the heart of the Buffalo Valley — Catholics in Mifflinburg and rural Union County can worship at 10:00 AM every Sunday without driving ten miles east to Lewisburg. As part of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, the mission shares a robust slate of ministries: a K-8 religious education program (PREP) with sacramental preparation, the parish Pastoral Council, the Caring Community (an outreach network of roughly 100 volunteers), a sister-parish relationship with Immaculate Conception in Haiti, and a continued Catholic adult education program. It's an intimate mission-style community grounded in the Eucharist and tied to a wider diocesan family.
Mass times at St. George
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. George Mission
St. George Mission Church is the Catholic worship site in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, and a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Lewisburg. It sits in the northwest corner of the Diocese of Harrisburg, in the middle of the Buffalo Valley, and the building is a relatively recent one — constructed in the late 1990s and dedicated in 1999. The mission takes its name from Bishop George L. Leech, the fifth Bishop of Harrisburg and the longest-serving shepherd in the history of the diocese.
- Type: Mission church (no resident pastor)
- Parent parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lewisburg
- Diocese: Harrisburg
- Address: 775 Forest Hill Rd, Mifflinburg, PA 17844
History
St. George Mission was built in the late 1990s and dedicated in 1999 to serve Catholics in Mifflinburg and the rural reach of Union County. The decision to name the new mission after Bishop George L. Leech linked the emerging Catholic community to the legacy of the diocese's fifth and longest-serving bishop. Because the Mifflinburg Catholic community was too small to sustain its own parish, the church was set up as a 'mission' — sharing a pastor and pastoral team with Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish ten miles east in Lewisburg. The two worship sites operate as a single pastoral unit with one bulletin, one website, one Mass schedule, and one office.
- Built and dedicated: late 1990s / 1999
- Named in honor of Bishop George L. Leech (fifth Bishop of Harrisburg, 1935–1971)
- Configured as a mission of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewisburg
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
Mass is celebrated at St. George Mission Church every Sunday at 10:00 AM in English. The other Masses of the combined parish (Saturday Vigil, 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM Sundays, and the weekday Masses) take place at Sacred Heart Church in Lewisburg. Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons at Sacred Heart Church, or by appointment.
- Sunday — 10:00 AM (St. George Mission)
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 PM (Sacred Heart, Lewisburg)
- Sunday — 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM (Sacred Heart, Lewisburg)
- Weekday Masses — Mon 9:00 AM, Tue 9:00 AM, Thu 9:00 AM, Fri 9:00 AM (Sacred Heart)
- Confession — Saturday 3:30-4:30 PM, Sacred Heart Church (or by appointment)
Clergy & Staff
St. George Mission shares its pastoral team with Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. The current pastor is Rev. Fred Wangwe, AJ, a member of the Augustinians, appointed effective June 17, 2024, succeeding Rev. Matthew R. Larlick. Parish staff supporting both sites includes a Director of Liturgical Music, a Parish Business Manager, a Coordinator of Religious Education, a Parish Secretary ([email protected]), Parish Receptionists, Directors of the Caring Community (Dan and Jan Suders), and a chaplain for the Catholic community at Bucknell University.
- Pastor: Rev. Fred Wangwe, AJ
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Laura Callison
- Parish Secretary / Receptionist: [email protected]
- Directors of the Caring Community: Dan and Jan Suders
- Director of Liturgical Music (parish-wide)
- Parish Business Manager
Parish Pastoral Council
The Parish Pastoral Council represents the laity in the governance and mission of Sacred Heart Parish and Saint George Mission. Council members serve staggered terms and the Council meets regularly, with meeting notes published for transparency.
- Members include Anthony Caruso, Nonette Clemens, Andy Felo, Debbie Gillott, Marilyn Huff, Ron Quinn, Terri Ruoss, Cheryl Thompson, Rachael Turner, and Leo Weidner
- Term expiration dates span 2026 to 2028
- Meeting notes are published online
Faith Formation (PREP) & Catholic Education
Faith formation for children in kindergarten through eighth grade who do not receive Catholic education at home or in school is provided through the Parish Religious Education Program (PREP), which is shared between Sacred Heart and St. George Mission. The program covers regular catechesis plus sacramental preparation for First Penance, Eucharist, and Confirmation. Continuing Catholic Adult Education classes are also offered for ongoing formation. Registration fees are modest: $50 for the first child, $20 for the second, $10 for the third, with scholarships available.
- Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) for grades K-8
- Sacramental preparation: First Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation
- Continuing Catholic Adult Education classes
- Vacation Bible School (annual)
- Scholarships available for PREP fees
Outreach & Charity
The Caring Community is the service wing of Sacred Heart Parish and Saint George Mission. It gathers information about volunteers and parishioners in need, then matches talents to needs; the effort draws on approximately 100 volunteers across the two-site parish. Beyond local outreach, Sacred Heart/St. George maintains a sister-parish relationship with Immaculate Conception in Haiti — a bond centered on spiritual solidarity as both communities strive toward heaven, supplemented by some physical aid. The Caregiver/Accessibility Advocate, Eileen Pannell, also helps ensure all parishioners can fully participate in liturgy and parish life.
- Caring Community (outreach matching volunteers to parishioner needs; ~100 volunteers)
- Directors: Dan and Jan Suders (DirectorOurCaringCommunity.org)
- Sister Parish — Immaculate Conception, Haiti
- Disability/accessibility advocate: Eileen Pannell
Sacraments
Information on receiving the sacraments — particularly Baptism, First Penance, First Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick — is coordinated through the parish office at Sacred Heart in Lewisburg. Those in 8th grade or older still needing the sacraments are directed to the parish's Sacraments page for guidance on how to obtain them, while sacramental preparation for younger children is handled through the PREP program.
- Baptism
- First Penance / First Eucharist
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthew R. Larlick
Former pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Lewisburg, and Saint George Mission, Mifflinburg; reassigned effective June 17, 2024, to Chaplain of WellSpan York Hospital and Misericordia Nursing Home, York, in residence at Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, York.
- Rev. Fred Wangwe, AJsince June 17, 2024
Current pastor; previously pastor of St. Monica Parish, Sunbury.
- Rev. Mark Wilke
Past pastor referenced in January 2024 diocesan coverage of the parish's Epiphany charity work.