About St. Martin of Tours · Jackson, Pennsylvania
St. Martin of Tours is a Roman Catholic worship site at 8175 State Route 492 in Jackson Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Scranton. Founded in 1940 to serve the farming hamlets of Jackson, Gibson, South Gibson, Gelatt and North Jackson, it was canonically merged on January 1, 2019 with St. John the Evangelist (Susquehanna borough) and St. Lawrence (Great Bend borough) into the multi-site Most Holy Trinity Parish. Its white-frame church with a tall steeple rises above the Endless Mountains and remains the Sunday-morning spiritual home of a small but active rural Catholic community that still gathers for pierogi-making, the Arts Council productions, the Christian Women's Society outreach, and an annual Thanksgiving dinner for the wider community.
- Established
- 1940
- Patron
- St. Martin of Tours
- Rector
- Rev. Sudhir Toppo (Administrator of Most Holy Trinity Parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Martin of Tours is a small, multigenerational rural Catholic community whose steeple is a literal beacon above the Endless Mountains of Susquehanna County. Parishioners worship at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass, gather every Lent to hand-make pierogis (a tradition since 1974), perform with the parish Arts Council (founded 2005, with 18 productions and over $15,000 raised for local charities), support the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth next door at the former Felton farmhouse, contribute to the linked parishes' Indian Mission, and serve a free Thanksgiving Dinner to the wider community each November. It is an ideal parish for someone seeking a tight-knit, mission-minded Catholic family rooted in northeastern Pennsylvania's small-town landscape.
Mass times at St. Martin of Tours
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After Sunday Mass at St. Martin of Tours (per Diocese of Scranton listing)
- Saturdays at 3:30 PM at St. Lawrence, Great Bend (linked parish)
- Sundays at 8:00 AM at St. John the Evangelist, Susquehanna (linked parish)
History of St. Martin of Tours
St. Martin of Tours was created in 1940 in response to a growing Catholic population in the rural hamlets of Gibson, South Gibson, Gelatt, Jackson, and North Jackson. Fr. James Walsh, pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Susquehanna, recognized the need for a centralized parish, and Bishop William J. Hafey of the Diocese of Scranton granted permission. On April 26, 1940, the Felton property was purchased and Fr. Patrick McCormick was named the first pastor, with St. Paul's Church in Starrucca as an attached mission. Over the next seventy-five years, the parish would be served by twelve pastors, who collectively expanded the physical plant, anchored the parish in the Endless Mountains, and shaped its identity as a small but mission-driven community.
- April 26, 1940 — Felton property purchased; Fr. Patrick McCormick named first pastor
- St. Paul's Church, Starrucca, served as mission church
- Diamond Anniversary celebrated November 7–8, 2015, with Bishop Joseph Bambara presiding
- Fr. Thomas Cappelloni (1987–2001) added two wings and built a new steeple for the 1990 Golden Anniversary
Linked Parishes and Merger into Most Holy Trinity Parish
In 2009, under Bishop Joseph Martino's diocesan reorganization plan, St. Martin of Tours was linked with St. John the Evangelist in Susquehanna and St. Lawrence in Great Bend under a single pastor, Rev. David W. Cramer, with Rev. Alfhones Perikala as assistant pastor. On January 1, 2019, the three linked parishes were canonically merged into Most Holy Trinity Parish in the Diocese of Scranton, with its mission statement: 'To Worship God, To Serve Others, To Make Disciples.' The parish falls within the Carbondale Deanery. Rev. Kevin M. Miller was named Administrator in August 2022, and was succeeded by Rev. Sudhir Toppo, the current Administrator. Deacon Ronald D. Maida has continued in diaconal ministry across these transitions.
- Three worship sites: St. John the Evangelist (Susquehanna), St. Lawrence (Great Bend), St. Martin of Tours (Jackson)
- Canonical merger effective January 1, 2019
- Rev. Kevin M. Miller named Administrator August 2022
- Current Administrator: Rev. Sudhir Toppo
- Deacon Ronald D. Maida serves the parish
Parish Ministries and Community Life
St. Martin of Tours has long nourished community life through the Christian Women's Society, which continues to do outreach to the needy within the parish and community through projects such as its hospitality baskets. Since 1974, parishioners and community members have gathered each Lenten Season to make pierogis by hand — in recent years more than 900 dozen — a defining tradition of the parish. The St. Martin of Tours Arts Council, founded in 2005, has produced 18 theatrical productions and contributed over $15,000 to local charities through the talents of parish and community members. In 2014, the parish converted St. Paul's mission church in Starrucca into a parish hall to house the troupe.
- Christian Women's Society
- St. Martin of Tours Arts Council (founded 2005)
- Lenten pierogi-making (since 1974)
- Hospitality baskets and outreach to the needy
- Eucharistic Ministry
- Diaconal ministry — Deacon Ronald D. Maida
Outreach and Mission Giving
Like its patron saint, the parish of St. Martin of Tours gives its 'cloak' to the needy. Since 2011, the parish has contributed over $5,000 to the linked parishes' Indian Mission. Since 2013, families of the parish have sponsored a free Thanksgiving Dinner for the wider community each November. The original Felton farmhouse that served as the rectory since 1940 was converted in 2009 into St. Joseph's Convent, a home for the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth, who continue to serve alongside the parish.
- Indian Mission contributions (over $5,000 since 2011)
- Annual free community Thanksgiving Dinner (since 2013)
- Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth at St. Joseph's Convent (since 2009)
Architecture and the Steeple
St. Martin of Tours is a white-frame rural church whose tall steeple rises above the treetops of the Endless Mountains and serves as a recognizable landmark in the Jackson hamlet. Fr. Thomas Cappelloni added two wings to the main structure and erected a new steeple in 1990 to mark the Golden Anniversary. A severe windstorm in May 2017 dislodged that 3,000-pound fiberglass-and-steel steeple, which swayed at an angle for over two years; a Texas-manufactured replacement was craned into place and blessed at a special Saturday service in 2019.
- White-frame church with tall steeple above the treetops
- Two wings added by Fr. Cappelloni in his pastorate (1987–2001)
- Steeple added in 1990 for the Golden Anniversary
- May 2017 windstorm dislodged original steeple
- New fiberglass-and-steel steeple installed and blessed in 2019
Annual Most Holy Trinity Parish Family Picnic
Since the 2019 canonical merger, Most Holy Trinity Parish has hosted an annual family picnic at Green Gables in New Milford, Pennsylvania. The event brings together parishioners from all three worship sites — St. Lawrence, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Martin of Tours — for a catered dinner, cornhole tournament, pie contest, basket raffle, and 50/50 drawing. At the first picnic, parishioners Joe Bucci, Lorraine James, and Frank Supancik were recognized with Lifetime Dedication awards for their service to the parish and its three predecessor churches.
- Held at Green Gables, New Milford, PA
- Cornhole tournament, pie contest, basket raffle, 50/50 drawing
- Lifetime Dedication honorees: Joe Bucci, Lorraine James, Frank Supancik
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Patrick McCormick1940–1946
First pastor of St. Martin of Tours; previously assistant pastor at St. John the Evangelist, Susquehanna; oversaw the April 26, 1940 purchase of the Felton property.
- Fr. John Zahornacky1946–1958
Second pastor.
- Fr. Edward Sokolowsky1958–1967
Called the 'shepherd of the people' in the parish's Diamond Jubilee history.
- Fr. John Szumski1967–1972
- Fr. Louis Garbacik1972–1977
- Fr. Edward Fundalewicz1977–1980
- Fr. Joseph Meighan1980–1984
- Fr. Frank Corcoran1984–1987
- Fr. Thomas Cappelloni1987–2001
Longest-serving pastor (14 years); added two wings to the main structure and built a new steeple in honor of the Golden Anniversary in 1990.
- Fr. John O'Bell2001–2006
- Fr. Kenneth Seegar2006–2009
- Fr. David W. Cramer2009–
First pastor of the three linked parishes (St. Martin's, St. John the Evangelist Susquehanna, and St. Lawrence Great Bend); oversaw the 2015 Diamond Jubilee and the 2017–2019 steeple replacement. Continued in leadership into the merged Most Holy Trinity Parish era.
- Rev. Alfhones Perikala2009–
Assigned as assistant pastor when St. Martin's was first linked with St. John's and St. Lawrence.
- Rev. Kevin M. Miller2022–
Named Administrator of Most Holy Trinity Parish in August 2022 following the 2019 canonical merger.
- Rev. Sudhir Toppocurrent
Current Administrator of Most Holy Trinity Parish, succeeding Fr. Miller; the cleric who presently shepherds St. Martin of Tours Church.