St. Joseph Marello

History of St. Joseph Marello Parish

St. Joseph Marello Parish was created in November 2011 by the Diocese of Scranton through the merger of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and St. Rocco's Church, both on William Street in Pittston, as part of a wave of consolidations that reduced twenty-two parishes in the Greater Pittston area to nine. The parish was named after St. Joseph Marello, founder of the Oblates of St. Joseph, reflecting the order's nearly nine-decade presence in Pittston that began in 1929. Oblate priests and brothers administered the parish for years until Fr. John (Shearer), the Oblate administrator, requested a transfer back to California in late 2016, after which the Diocese of Scranton assumed direct pastoral care and ended active Oblate governance of the parish in June 2017. In May 2018, Bishop Joseph Bambera officially linked St. Joseph Marello with the neighboring St. John the Evangelist Parish, with Rev. Joseph Elston named pastor of both communities and Rev. Jackson Pinhero, O.S.J., as assistant pastor — a model that preserved each parish's canonical identity while sharing clergy and ministries.

Parish Clergy and Staff

The parish is led by a pastor and an assistant pastor, assisted by a permanent deacon, a pastoral associate from the IHM Sisters, and a small lay staff.

• Rev. Joseph P. Elston, V.F. — Pastor (also pastor of linked St. John the Evangelist Parish)
• Rev. Jackson Pinhero, O.S.J. — Assistant Pastor
• Deacon David E. Marx
• Sr. Mary Ann Cody, IHM — Pastoral Associate
• Christine Silinskie — Secretary
• Brandon Jopling — Director of Music & Liturgy
• Alicia Hintze — Director of Religious Education
• Ed Sankus — Director of Youth and Family Ministry

Mass and Worship Schedule

St. Joseph Marello offers a full week of Masses in the heart of Pittston, including daily Mass Tuesday through Friday at 11:30 AM, a Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 PM, and two Sunday Masses at 8:00 and 10:30 AM. Holy Days are marked with a Vigil Mass at 5:30 PM and a Holy Day Mass at 11:30 AM. During the COVID-era reopening the parish temporarily required reservations and masks; that schedule update confirmed Sacrament of Confession is offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday prior to the 11:30 AM Daily Mass in addition to the regular Saturday confession at 3:15 PM.

• Daily Mass: Tue–Fri 11:30 AM
• Saturday Vigil: 4:00 PM
• Sunday: 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM
• Holy Day Vigil: 5:30 PM; Holy Day: 11:30 AM
• Confession: Saturday 3:15 PM (and M/W/F before daily Mass during COVID-era reopening)

Liturgical Ministries

St. Joseph Marello's liturgical life is supported by an active corps of lay ministers who serve the Mass and the broader prayer life of the parish. Brandon Jopling, Director of Music & Liturgy, coordinates the parish's liturgy preparation.

• Prayer Ministry
• Lectors
• Ushers / Hospitality Ministers
• Altar Servers (children who have made First Communion)
• Adult Funeral Servers
• Cantors and Parish Choir
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
• Card Writing Ministry (greeting cards to homebound parishioners)
• Church Environment (seasonal decoration of worship space)

Faith Formation and Youth Ministry

Religious education for parish children is coordinated by Alicia Hintze, Director of Religious Education, while youth and family ministry across the linked parishes is led by Ed Sankus, Director of Youth and Family Ministry. The tri-parish cluster regularly brings in national Catholic speakers — including Chris Stefanick, host of EWTN's 'Real Life Catholic,' for a September 2018 event — and the cluster's combined resources make possible a unified Vacation Bible School program each summer.

• Religious Education (Director: Alicia Hintze)
• Youth & Family Ministry (Director: Ed Sankus)
• Combined Vacation Bible School with St. John the Evangelist
• National-speaker events (e.g., Chris Stefanick, September 2018)

Care and Concern Ministries — Outreach and Charity

Through its 2018 linkage with St. John the Evangelist, St. Joseph Marello participates in the Care and Concern Ministries on the former Seton Catholic High School campus. The cluster's outreach serves neighbors across Greater Pittston regardless of parish membership.

• Food pantry
• Free health clinic
• Kids Clothes Closet
• Toy and Book Corner (150 families served at Christmas 2017)
• Practical services of mercy reaching beyond parish boundaries

Sacraments and Devotions

Beyond Mass and Confession, the parish celebrates the feasts and seasons with practical parish-wide devotion. The Blessing of Pets on the Feast of St. Francis is held in the parish parking lot, the Memorial Day Mass is offered at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church for the deceased buried in St. Rocco and Mt. Carmel Cemeteries, and the annual parish bazaar is held in July. The Oblate SLIM (Secular Lay-Institute Marellian) chapter in Pittston gathers weekly on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM for Mass and the novena to St. Joseph, continuing the parish's special devotion to its patron saint.

• Sacrament of Reconciliation — Saturday 3:15 PM and before weekday Mass
• Blessing of Pets — Feast of St. Francis (parish parking lot)
• Memorial Day Mass — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
• Oblate SLIM chapter — weekly Wednesday novena to St. Joseph, 7:00 PM
• Annual parish bazaar (July)

Parish Office and Contact

The Parish Office is located at 237 William Street, Pittston, PA 18640, with a phone line at (570) 654-6902, fax (570) 655-5448, and email [email protected]. Office hours are Monday 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Thursday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, and the office is closed on Fridays. The parish is part of the diocese's 'Roman Catholic Parishes of Pittston' tri-parish cluster, alongside St. John the Evangelist (35 William Street) and Our Lady of the Eucharist (535 N. Main Street).

• Address: 237 William Street, Pittston, PA 18640
• Phone: (570) 654-6902
• Fax: (570) 655-5448
• Email: [email protected]
• Office Hours: Mon 12–4 PM; Tue–Thu 10 AM–4 PM; Fri closed
• Cluster partners: St. John the Evangelist, Our Lady of the Eucharist

The Oblates of St. Joseph and the Parish's Patron Saint

The parish bears the name of St. Joseph Marello (1844–1895), Bishop of Acqui in Italy and founder of the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph, canonized by Pope John Paul II on 25 November 2001 in Saint Peter's Square. Born in Turin on 26 December 1844 and ordained a priest in Asti on 19 September 1868, Marello founded the Oblates on 14 March 1878 and devoted his ministry to the poor, the elderly, orphaned boys, and the religious education of youth, before being named Bishop of Acqui by Pope Leo XIII in 1889. His feast day is celebrated on May 30, and he is the patron of the Oblates of St. Joseph, the Diocese of Acqui, and youth. The Oblates arrived in Pittston in 1929 and ran their U.S. seminary there from 1930, giving the Greater Pittston area one of the deepest wells of Marellian devotion in America. A faithful SLIM (Secular Lay-Institute Marellian) chapter continues to meet weekly in Pittston for the novena to St. Joseph.

• Patron: St. Joseph Marello, Bishop of Acqui
• Feast day: May 30
• Oblates founded: 14 March 1878 in Asti, Italy
• Oblates in Pittston: since 1929; U.S. seminary since 1930
• Saint Carlo Acutis Adoration Chapel named after another modern Catholic saint