About St. Lucy · Scranton, Pennsylvania
St. Lucy Church is a historic Italian Catholic church at 949 Scranton Street in West Scranton, Pennsylvania, long known as the 'Mother Italian Church' of the Diocese of Scranton. The Italian congregation began meeting as early as 1888, and the parish was officially established in 1899, with the present ornate church building dedicated in 1928. After more than a century of Italian-American Catholic life, the parish consolidated with St. Patrick Parish in 2023 and, on September 28, 2025, became the principal worship site of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish under the care of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), which offers the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively at this venue.
- Established
- 1899
- Patron
- Saint Lucy (Santa Lucia), Virgin and Martyr
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Dorsa, F.S.S.P.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Lucy is the spiritual home of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, the only community in the Diocese of Scranton that exclusively offers the Traditional Latin Mass. Parishioners come for the reverent FSSP liturgy — Low and High Mass, Benediction, and weekday devotions — and for a tight-knit Catholic community that has revitalized a historic Italian mother church with growing attendance, faith formation for children, hospitality, and outreach in the West Scranton neighborhood.
Mass times at St. Lucy
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 7:15 AM and 9:45 AM
- Monday: 7:10–7:25 AM
- Tuesday: 7:10–7:25 AM
- Wednesday: 7:10–7:25 AM
- Thursday: 7:10–7:25 AM
- Friday: 5:10–5:40 PM (4:45–5:15 PM during Lent) and 5:00–6:00 PM
- Saturday: 8:10–8:40 AM
Adoration times
- Friday: 5:10–5:40 PM (Benediction at 5:00 PM per Latin Mass Directory listing); check parish announcements for additional adoration hours
About St. Lucy Church
St. Lucy Church sits at 949 Scranton Street in West Scranton, Pennsylvania. For more than a century it served as the spiritual center of Italian-American Catholic life on Scranton's West Side, and since September 28, 2025 it is the principal worship site of Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, a community of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) that offers only the Traditional Latin Mass. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Scranton.
- Address: 949 Scranton Street, Scranton, PA 18504
- Diocese of Scranton
- Current pastor: Rev. Anthony Dorsa, F.S.S.P.
- Assistant pastor: Rev. Matthew Kane, F.S.S.P.
- Rite: Traditional Latin (exclusive)
History of the Parish
Italian immigrants gathering in West Scranton for coal-industry work formed the original Italian congregation of St. Lucy's, which began meeting in 1888 — more than a decade before any church building existed. In 1899 the parish was officially established, becoming the Mother Italian Church of the Diocese of Scranton. That same year St. Frances Xavier Cabrini arrived to help found the parish school and convent on Chestnut Avenue, staffed by her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The present church was dedicated in 1928, its façade sculpted by Agostino Russo. After operating for many decades, St. Lucy consolidated with St. Patrick Parish in December 2023; in 2025 it was entrusted to the FSSP-run Saint Michael Parish, which relocated there on September 28, 2025 with a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of West Scranton.
- 1888 — Italian congregation of St. Lucy's begins meeting
- 1899 — Parish officially established; 'Mother Italian Church' of the diocese
- 1899 — St. Frances Xavier Cabrini founds school and convent here
- 1913 — Cabrini returns to Scranton to inspect the school and convent
- 1928 — Present church building dedicated; façade by sculptor Agostino Russo
- 1946 — Bishop William J. Hafey celebrates solemn High Mass at St. Lucy for the canonization of Cabrini
- December 3, 2023 — St. Lucy consolidated into Saint Patrick Parish (Vision 2030)
- September 28, 2025 — Saint Michael the Archangel Parish (FSSP) relocates to St. Lucy
The Mother Italian Church of Scranton
St. Lucy is widely remembered as the seedbed of Italian Catholic life in northeastern Pennsylvania. From this parish, priests traveled out across the diocese to organize and found other Italian congregations. UNICO Scranton and Italian-heritage groups in Lackawanna County have highlighted St. Lucy as a foundational landmark of Italian-American heritage in the region.
- Referred to as the 'Mother Italian Church of the Diocese of Scranton'
- Heritage recognized by UNICO Scranton and other Italian-American organizations
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Connection
When St. Lucy Parish was founded in 1899, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini — recently arrived from Italy — personally established a school and convent nearby on Chestnut Avenue, with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus teaching there. Cabrini made a return visit to Scranton in 1913. After her canonization in Rome in 1946, Bishop Hafey marked the occasion with a solemn High Mass and an evening procession from St. Lucy featuring the Cetta Band, parish groups, and a float carrying a new statue of the saint.
- Parish school and convent opened 1899 on Chestnut Avenue
- Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus staffed the school
- Cabrini returned to Scranton in 1913
- Solemn High Mass and procession at St. Lucy on July 7, 1946 for Cabrini's canonization
Architecture & Sacred Art
The present St. Lucy Church was dedicated in 1928 and has been described as gorgeous and noticeably larger than the previous worship site of Saint Michael Parish. The façade was sculpted by the Scranton Italian-American sculptor Agostino Russo, with Frank Carlucci serving as general contractor. Inside, visitors and parishioners consistently single out the painted ceiling frescoes, the ornate marble work, and the choir loft, whose acoustics are celebrated during the High Mass when the organ and choir accompany the full Traditional Latin liturgy.
- Dedicated in 1928
- Façade sculpted by Agostino Russo
- General contractor: Frank Carlucci
- Notable ceiling frescoes
- Marble ornamentation throughout
- Acclaimed choir loft and organ acoustics
Clergy & Staff
The parish is staffed by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (F.S.S.P.), assigned to Saint Michael the Archangel Parish at St. Lucy Church.
- Rev. Anthony Dorsa, F.S.S.P. — Pastor
- Rev. Matthew Kane, F.S.S.P. — Assistant Pastor
Parish Life & Ministries
Since moving to the St. Lucy campus, Saint Michael Parish has been able to grow its ministries significantly. The larger building has given the community room for children's catechism classes, hospitality gatherings after Mass, and outreach into the West Scranton neighborhood — areas that had been constrained at the previous Jackson Street location.
- Children's catechism / faith formation
- Parish hospitality after Mass
- Choir and congregational singing for the High Mass
- Outreach and evangelization in the West Scranton neighborhood
The 2025 Move to St. Lucy
After years of growth at its 1703 Jackson Street church, Saint Michael Parish — the diocese's Traditional Latin Mass community — needed more space for catechism, hospitality, and gathering. When St. Lucy Church became available after its 2023 consolidation into St. Patrick Parish, parish leaders discerned a bold move. After parish council meetings, town halls, and approval from Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, the relocation was finalized. On September 28, 2025, parishioners processed with the Blessed Sacrament through West Scranton from their old church to St. Lucy, where they celebrated the first Traditional Latin Mass in their new home. Father Dorsa called the move 'a remarkable opportunity,' and parishioners have described the architecture, the ceiling frescoes, and the choir acoustics as transformative for worship.
- Approved by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton
- Part of Diocese of Scranton Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning
- Eucharistic Procession from 1703 Jackson Street to 949 Scranton Street on Sept. 28, 2025
- Greater classroom space for catechesis
- Expanded room for hospitality and parish events
- Renewed liturgical life in the historic Italian mother church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Richard Fox2023–2025 (consolidation era)
Longtime pastor of St. Patrick Parish who shepherded the 2023 consolidation of St. Lucy into St. Patrick Parish under Vision 2030.