About St. Luke · Erie, Pennsylvania
St. Luke Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, located at 421 East 38th Street in Erie. Established in 1954 and serving the east-side neighborhoods of Erie, St. Luke has been paired with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish as a combined pastoral community since July 2024 under a single pastor, Father Larry Richards, while each church retains its own identity and Mass schedule. The parish is also home to Saint Luke School, a PreK-8 Catholic school founded in 1955, and continues a long Erie-area tradition of parish life centered on the Eucharist, faith formation, and family.
- Established
- 1954
- Patron
- St. Luke the Evangelist
- Rector
- Rev. Lawrence (Larry) Richards
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Luke is a warm, multi-generational east-side Erie parish whose families often span four generations in the pews. After combining in July 2024 with neighboring Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the parish now offers daily Mass, a robust Faith Formation program (PreK-8) at Saint Luke School, a Deacon, an active Music Director, and a pastor internationally known for his preaching and evangelization. Visitors are welcomed with the message: 'First let us love and serve you. Come and worship God with us and join us.'
Mass times at St. Luke
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:45–4:45 PM at St. Luke
- Saturday 2:45–3:45 PM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
About St. Luke Parish
St. Luke is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Erie, established in 1954 and located at 421 East 38th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since July 2024 it has shared pastoral leadership with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish under Father Larry Richards, with both churches maintaining their own buildings, Mass schedules, and communities. The parish's mission statement, as posted on its website, is to 'love and serve God and love and serve His people.'
- Established 1954 by the Diocese of Erie
- Located on Erie's east side at 421 E. 38th St.
- Combined with Our Lady of Mount Carmel in July 2024
- Home to Saint Luke School (Erie Catholic School System)
Parish History
St. Luke Parish was established in 1954 and grew rapidly into a multi-generational east-side community. Over its first 60 years the parish was led by only four pastors — Monsignor Robert D. Goodill, Monsignor Richard Stack, Monsignor L. Thomas Snyderwine, and Rev. John Malthaner — a fact celebrated as a mark of stability at the 2014 60th-anniversary events, which included a procession from Mercyhurst University's chapel and a Legacy Gala at the Erie Maennerchor. In 2024 the parish entered a new chapter by joining forces with Our Lady of Mount Carmel under one pastoral team.
- 1954 — Parish established
- 1955 — Saint Luke School founded by Msgr. Robert D. Goodill with the Sisters of Mercy
- 2014 — 60th anniversary celebrated with ~4,177 registered members
- July 2024 — Combined with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish
Saint Luke School
Saint Luke School is a PreK-8 Catholic school located at 425 East 38th Street (the parish's school campus) and operated as part of the Erie Catholic School System. It was founded in 1955 by Monsignor Robert D. Goodill with the help of the Sisters of Mercy, and today enrolls preschool, full-day kindergarten, and grades 1 through 8. The school integrates academics with Catholic faith, service, and weekly liturgy, and middle-school students participate in weekly student Liturgies, monthly Family Masses, the Diocese of Erie Chastity Program, and a minimum of 16 service hours each year.
- 425 East 38th St., Erie, PA 16504
- Phone: (814) 825-7105
- Principal: Haley Kolash
- President (Erie Catholic School System): Travis Washko
- Founded 1955 by Msgr. Robert D. Goodill with the Sisters of Mercy
Clergy & Parish Staff
The combined St. Luke / Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishes are served by a full pastoral team. Father Larry Richards serves as Pastor of both parishes, with Fr. Joseph Czarkowski as Senior Associate, Fr. Ian McElrath in residence, and Deacon Frank Pregler assisting as Parish Deacon. The lay staff includes a Director of Ministries, Director of Finance, Faith Formation Director, Music Director, and Parish Secretary, all reachable through the parish office.
- Pastor — Rev. Lawrence (Larry) Richards
- Senior Associate — Rev. Joseph Czarkowski
- In Residence — Rev. Ian McElrath
- Parish Deacon — Deacon Frank Pregler
- Director of Ministries — Diane Kiehlmier
- Director of Finance — Mary Kiehl
- Faith Formation Director — Julie Lampard
- Music Director — Gabriel Borrero
- Parish Secretary — Deidre Brown
Pastor: Father Larry Richards
Father Larry Richards was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, attended St. Mark High School Seminary in Erie, earned a B.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Gannon University (1983), an M.Div. from St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe (1987), and further study in Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame. Ordained on April 21, 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, he has served as a pastor since July 1, 2002 and is currently pastor of St. Luke and Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishes. He is the founder of the Divine Mercy Encounter (DME) Retreat Program for the Diocese of Erie and of The Reason For Our Hope Foundation (2004), the author of 'Be a Man!' and 'Surrender!', and a frequent EWTN speaker and retreat master.
- Ordained 1989, Diocese of Erie
- Pastor since 2002
- Founder, Divine Mercy Encounter (DME) retreats
- Founder/President, The Reason For Our Hope Foundation
- Author: 'Be a Man!' (Ignatius Press), 'Surrender!' (Our Sunday Visitor)
Faith Formation & Ministries
Faith Formation at St. Luke is led by Faith Formation Director Julie Lampard and is closely tied to Saint Luke School's PreK-8 religious education program. Parish ministries include liturgical music under Music Director Gabriel Borrero, pastoral ministry coordinated by Director of Ministries Diane Kiehlmier, and the parish Deacon's ministry of service. The parish also participates in the DME (Divine Mercy Encounter) retreat program founded by Fr. Larry Richards for the Diocese of Erie.
- Faith Formation (PreK-8) — Julie Lampard
- Liturgical Music — Gabriel Borrero
- Pastoral Ministries — Diane Kiehlmier
- Parish Deacon ministry — Deacon Frank Pregler
- DME (Divine Mercy Encounter) retreat program
Diocese of Erie
St. Luke Parish is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania. The diocesan directory lists the parish's establishment date as 1954, its pastor as Rev. Lawrence Richards, its senior associate as Rev. Walter Packard, and its permanent deacon as Deacon Frank Pregler. Saint Luke School is listed as a campus of the Erie Catholic School System under President Travis Washko and Principal Haley Kolash.
- Diocese of Erie parish directory entry: eriercd.org/Parish10211-St-Luke.html
- Saint Luke School directory entry: eriercd.org/School10211-St-Luke-School.html
- Pastor: Rev. Lawrence Richards
- Principal: Haley Kolash; System President: Travis Washko
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Robert D. Goodill1954–
Founding pastor of St. Luke Parish (1954) and founder of Saint Luke School (1955) with the Sisters of Mercy.
- Monsignor Richard Stack
Second pastor in the parish's first 60 years.
- Monsignor L. Thomas Snyderwine
Third pastor in the parish's first 60 years.
- Rev. John Malthaner
Fourth pastor; led the parish through its 60th anniversary in 2014 when membership was about 4,177.
- Rev. Lawrence (Larry) Richards
Ordained 1989 for the Diocese of Erie; pastor since 2002; currently pastor of the combined St. Luke / Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishes.