About St. Joachim · Meshoppen, Pennsylvania
St. Joachim Church is a historic Roman Catholic worship site in Meshoppen, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Scranton. The cornerstone was laid in 1874 and the church was completed in 1875, with the present stained-glass windows added in 1906. Since 2022, St. Joachim has been joined as a worship site to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Tunkhannock and is served by Rev. Patrick L. Albert, V.F., along with Deacon Raymond Pieretti and assisting priests. Today the parish community draws members from southwestern Susquehanna County, northeastern Wyoming County, and southeastern Bradford County, and offers both English and Spanish Masses.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- St. Joachim (father of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Patrick L. Albert, V.F. (Pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Tunkhannock, with care of St. Joachim Church, Meshoppen — appointed by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera effective July 26, 2022)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Joachim offers a small, multigenerational Catholic community that has worshipped together on the same Meshoppen corner since 1875 — bilingual English and Spanish (Fr. Kevin Miller celebrates Mass in Spanish on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 3 pm in addition to the 9 am English Sunday Mass). The parish keeps the sacraments, sacramentals and devotional life of a full parish even without a resident priest: weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, Holy Day Masses, First-Friday adoration, Reconciliation before Mass, CCD classes in the former rectory, and a warm coffee-and-donuts social after Sunday Mass that has been a hallmark since the 1980s. Members also pitch in through ministries such as the Music Ministry, Prison Ministry to the Wyoming County Correctional Facility, the Social Concerns and Pro-life work, and stewardship of the historic Casino parish hall.
Mass times at St. Joachim
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM (at St. Joachim, before the 9:00 AM Mass)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month — 6:30 PM (following the First Friday 12:15 PM Mass), at St. Joachim
Parish History & Heritage
Catholic worship in the Meshoppen area predates the church building: Mass was being said in local homes as early as 1835 by visiting missionary priests from Carbondale. The cornerstone of St. Joachim's was laid in 1874 on land purchased from D. T. Sterling, the church was completed in 1875, and the stained-glass windows followed in 1906. The Irish Catholic roots of the parish broadened between 1900 and 1925 as Polish, Italian, Lithuanian and other Slavic families joined. St. Joachim's was merged into Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in 2009 and transferred in 2022 to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Tunkhannock, where it remains an active worship site. The parish marked its 150th anniversary with a Mass of Thanksgiving on October 13, 2024.
- 1835: First documented Masses in Meshoppen homes (Rev. Henry Fitzsimmons)
- 1868: Diocese of Scranton formed from the Philadelphia Diocese
- 1873: Rectory built in Auburn Township
- 1874: Cornerstone laid for St. Joachim's Church on land from D. T. Sterling
- 1875: Church completed; first resident pastor Rev. P. J. Murphy
- 1906: Stained-glass windows installed
- 1930: Rectory moved to Meshoppen; Loomis House & carriage house purchased for $6,000
- 1992: 330 families on the parish rolls
- 2009: Merged into Our Lady of Perpetual Help; St. Bonaventure (Auburn) and St. Anthony (Stowell) closed
- 2022: Transferred to Nativity of the BVM Parish, Tunkhannock (effective July 26, 2022)
- October 13, 2024: 150th anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving
The 'Casino' Parish Hall & Memorial Garden
The parish's signature social building, the 'Casino', is the renovated carriage house of the Loomis Estate, purchased together with the Loomis House in 1930 for $6,000. Under Rev. Norman J. Monahan and Rev. Francis H. Irwin the hall was expanded — the cellar was dug out by hand by the men of the parish, and a large addition was built onto the back. The Casino has been the stage for Monday-night Bingo, St. Patrick's Day dinners, an annual parish Christmas party, the Elimination Party, the 'Taste of the Fair', and (for 33 consecutive years) a Wyoming County Fair roast-beef booth that was a major fundraiser. On the church lot stands a recently created Memorial Garden anchored by a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the daughter of the parish's patron saint — flanked by stationary and growing items donated in memory of loved ones.
- Casino Parish Hall (former Loomis carriage house, 1930)
- Memorial Garden with statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Education Building (the former rectory)
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Care
St. Joachim's is cared for from Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Tunkhannock. The principal pastor since July 26, 2022 is Rev. Patrick L. Albert, V.F., a Scranton native ordained in 1992 who previously served at St. Mary's Dickson City, Ascension Parish Forest City, Our Lady of the Lake Parish Lake Winola, and now Nativity BVM. He is assisted at St. Joachim's by Deacon Raymond Pieretti (also coordinator of the Prison Ministry visit to the Wyoming County Correctional Facility), Rev. Dennis Bajkowski, Rev. Kevin Miller (celebrant of the monthly Spanish Mass), and visiting concelebrants such as Msgr. Robert Wargo and Rev. Edward Michelini.
- Rev. Patrick L. Albert, V.F. — Pastor
- Deacon Raymond Pieretti
- Rev. Dennis Bajkowski
- Rev. Kevin Miller (Spanish Mass)
- Rev. Edward Michelini
- Msgr. Robert Wargo
Faith Formation (CCD / RCIA)
Religious Education classes meet in the Education Building, the former rectory next to the church. The parish also runs the Becoming Catholic (RCIA) process for adults preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church. Children receive preparation for First Communion and Confirmation through the parish Religious Education program.
- CCD classes held in the former rectory / Education Building
- RCIA — Becoming Catholic for adults
Ministries & Service
Parishioners serve in a wide range of liturgical and outreach ministries. Liturgical roles include Eucharistic Ministers (who also bring Communion to the homebound and to hospitals and nursing homes), Lectors, the Music Ministry (choir, cantors and musicians), Ushers, Collection Counters, and Adult Funeral Servers. Pastoral and outreach ministries include the Parish Pastoral Council, Parish Finance Council, Bereavement Ministry (with a special All Souls' liturgy each November), Pro-life, Ministry of Mercy, Social Concerns, Building and Grounds, Stewardship and Fellowship, and Boy Scout Troop 518 / Cub Scout Pack 518, which Nativity–St. Joachim's sponsors. The parish also supports the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth at the Mother of God Convent in Tunkhannock Township and partners with the Lower Wyoming County Food Pantry and Seven Loaves Soup Kitchen (which serves hot meals five days a week at no cost).
- Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Ushers, Music Ministry
- Bereavement Ministry (All Souls' liturgy)
- Parish Pastoral Council & Finance Council
- Pro-life, Ministry of Mercy, Social Concerns
- Buildings and Grounds, Stewardship & Fellowship
- Boy Scout Troop 518 / Cub Scout Pack 518
- Lower Wyoming County Food Pantry
- Seven Loaves Soup Kitchen
- Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth (Mother of God Convent)
Bilingual Catholic Life: English & Spanish
Over the past decade St. Joachim's has welcomed a growing number of Hispanic parishioners, and their devout faith has become a great blessing to the community. To serve them, Fr. Kevin Miller celebrates a Spanish Mass at 3:00 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, in addition to the 9:00 AM English Sunday Mass. Both liturgies are part of the same worship-site schedule, and the coffee-and-donuts social in the basement of the Education Building follows the 9:00 AM Mass.
- English Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM
- Spanish Sunday Mass at 3:00 PM (1st & 3rd Sundays) with Fr. Kevin Miller
Devotions & Lenten Life
Beyond the Sunday and weekday schedule, the parish offers a full round of devotional and seasonal opportunities. First-Friday Adoration follows the 6:30 PM Mass each First Friday. During Lent, the parish publishes a combined Lenten Schedule that includes 11:00 AM Rosary, 11:30 AM Stations of the Cross, and a 12:00 noon Mass on Fridays, plus Penance Services shared with neighbouring parishes on Palm Sunday weekend. Holy Week and Easter are celebrated in conjunction with the wider Our Lady of Perpetual Help / Nativity BVM family of worship sites.
- First Friday Adoration (6:30 PM)
- Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent, 11:30 AM)
- Rosary (Fridays in Lent, 11:00 AM)
- Lenten weekday Mass (Friday noon)
- Joint Penance Services with SS Peter & Paul (Towanda), St Basil's (Dushore), Epiphany (Sayre)
Getting Involved & Staying Connected
New parishioners are warmly welcomed at the coffee-and-donuts social after the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass in the basement of the Education Building — a tradition that has continued since the 1980s. The parish office, phone line, and bulletin are administered through Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Wyalusing (olophparish.org, (570) 746-1006) and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Tunkhannock (nativitybvmparish.com, (570) 836-3275). Current bulletins, the liturgical schedule, the parish blog, and a calendar of coming events are all kept online at olophparish.org.
- Coffee-and-donuts social after Sunday Mass
- Parish office: [email protected] / (570) 746-1006
- Pastoral offices: Nativity BVM, 99 East Tioga Street, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 — (570) 836-3275
- Online: http://olophparish.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. P. J. Murphyafter 1868 (first pastor of the Auburn/Meshoppen charge; mission churches included Meshoppen, Montrose and Tunkhannock)
Assigned to Auburn as the main church; residence next to St. Bonaventure's.
- Rev. Norman J. Monahan
Oversaw purchase of the Loomis House (1930) and renovation of the Casino parish hall.
- Rev. Francis H. Irwin
Continued the Casino renovations; expanded the hall, with the cellar hand-dug by the men of the parish.