About St. Mary · Eldred, Pennsylvania
St. Mary Church is a Roman Catholic mission church located at 630 Newell Creek Road in the Sartwell area of Annin Township, McKean County, about five miles south of Eldred, Pennsylvania. It is a Secondary Mission of St. Raphael Parish in Eldred and is pastored together with St. Theresa Mission in Shinglehouse by Rev. Thomas E. Brown. The church belongs to the Diocese of Erie, and Sunday Mass is celebrated there at 9:00 a.m., with the Sacrament of Penance offered beforehand at 8:30 a.m.
- Established
- 1845
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Thomas E. Brown
- Diocese
- Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Mary offers a quiet, traditional Sunday Mass in a small rural church that has served Catholic families in the Sartwell/Newell Creek area for nearly 180 years. As a mission of St. Raphael Parish in Eldred, it is pastored together with St. Theresa Mission in Shinglehouse, so parishioners are part of a tight-knit cluster of Catholic communities across southern McKean County. The historic St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery beside the church anchors the parish in the long memory of the region's Irish Catholic pioneer families, and Confession is conveniently offered right before Sunday Mass.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 a.m. (at St. Mary)
About St. Mary Mission
St. Mary is a Roman Catholic mission church in the Sartwell/Newell Creek area of Annin Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania, about five miles south of Eldred. It is a Secondary Mission of St. Raphael Parish, Eldred, and is served by the same pastor and parish staff as St. Theresa Mission in Shinglehouse. The church is listed by the Diocese of Erie, which records its establishment in 1845.
- Type: Mission (Secondary Mission of St. Raphael Parish, Eldred)
- Diocese: Diocese of Erie
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas E. Brown
- Parish Support Staff: Laura M. Quinn
- Established: 1845
- Address: 630 Newell Creek Road, Eldred, PA 16731
History
Catholic life on Newell Creek began with the arrival of Irish pioneer families and itinerant missionary priests in the late 1840s. The Diocese of Erie records the parish as Established in 1845; local historical accounts date the formal organization of the mission to 1847. The original church was dedicated in 1850 by Bishop O'Connor under Rev. J.J. Burns, and the present church was built in 1869 and dedicated in February 1872 by Bishop Mullen under Very Rev. P.J. Patterson, V.F.
- 1845 – Parish recorded as Established by the Diocese of Erie.
- 1847 – Mission organized at Newell Creek; Fathers Dean and Galligan serve as missionary priests.
- 1848–1850 – Father Smith serves as the first resident pastor.
- 1850 – Rev. J.J. Burns becomes resident priest; original church dedicated by Bishop O'Connor.
- 1853 – Rev. Coady succeeds Father Burns.
- 1856 – Father Madigan arrives in September.
- 1866 – Father Murrill arrives in December.
- 1868 – Very Rev. P.J. Patterson, V.F., arrives in September; he also oversees St. Gabriel's (Port Allegany), St. Raphael's (Eldred), St. John's (Duke Centre), St. Paul's (Costello), and the Austin Mission.
- 1869 – Father Patterson begins building the present church.
- February 1872 – Bishop Mullen dedicates the new church.
- December 21, 1889 – Father Patterson dies; Father Cosgrove succeeds him.
- 20th–21st centuries – St. Mary becomes a Secondary Mission of St. Raphael Parish, Eldred.
Pastor and Parish Staff
St. Mary Mission is served from St. Raphael Parish in Eldred. The pastor of the parish family — which includes St. Raphael, St. Mary, and St. Theresa Mission in Shinglehouse — is Rev. Thomas E. Brown. Parish support staff is Laura M. Quinn. All administrative and sacramental inquiries are routed through the parish office in Eldred.
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas E. Brown
- Parish Support Staff: Laura M. Quinn
- Cluster: St. Raphael Parish (Eldred) with St. Mary Mission (Sartwell/Newell Creek) and St. Theresa Mission (Shinglehouse)
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery
Adjoining the church in Sartwell is St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, the historic burial ground for generations of Catholic families from Annin Township and the surrounding region. Cemetery records — including names, birth and death dates, christenings, and marriages — are maintained at the parish level rather than through the county, in keeping with the practice for Catholic cemeteries in McKean County.
- Location: Sartwell, Annin Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania
- Records include: name, birth and death dates, christenings, and marriages
- Records held by: the parish
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors reach St. Mary Mission through the St. Raphael Parish office in Eldred. The mailing address, phone, fax, and email are shared across the parish family, and the parish website — straphaeleldred.org — serves as the central online hub for St. Raphael, St. Mary, and St. Theresa.
- Mailing: c/o St. Raphael Parish, P.O. Box 252, Eldred, PA 16731
- Phone: (814) 225-4231
- Fax: (814) 225-3172
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.straphaeleldred.org/
- Diocese page: https://www.eriercd.org/Mission20527-St-Mary.html
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fathers Dean and Galligan1847–1848
Missionary priests who first served the Newell Creek Catholic community.
- Father SmithOctober 1848 – June 16, 1850
First resident pastor of the mission.
- Rev. J.J. Burns1850–1853
Resident priest; dedicated the original church under Bishop O'Connor in 1850.
- Rev. Coadyfrom 1853
Succeeded Father Burns.
- Father Madiganfrom September 1856
- Father Murrillfrom December 1866
- Very Rev. P.J. Patterson, V.F.September 1868 – December 21, 1889
Native of Raffeny, County Cavan, Ireland; built the present church, dedicated February 1872 by Bishop Mullen; also oversaw St. Gabriel's Port Allegany, St. Raphael's Eldred, St. John's Duke Centre, St. Paul's Costello, and the Austin Mission.
- Father Cosgrovefrom 1889
Succeeded Father Patterson after his death in 1889.
- Rev. Thomas E. Browncurrent
Pastor of St. Raphael Parish, Eldred, who also serves St. Mary Mission and St. Theresa Mission, Shinglehouse.