About St. Michael The Archangel · Du Bois, Pennsylvania
St. Michael the Archangel is a historic Roman Catholic church at 15 Robinson Street in DuBois, Pennsylvania, founded in 1912 by Bishop Edmund Fitzmaurice as a personal parish for the Polish and Slovak immigrant community of the DuBois area. For more than a century it served those families until 2017, when St. Joseph Parish was merged into it, and again until December 2, 2023, when St. Michael, together with St. Catherine of Siena (DuBois), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sykesville), St. Bernard (Falls Creek), and St. Mary (Reynoldsville), was merged into the new Holy Spirit Parish of DuBois. Today the church is a secondary church of Holy Spirit Parish — no longer offering Sunday Mass on a regular basis, but still open for occasional weekday Masses, funerals, weddings, and the annual Mass on its patron's feast, the Solemnity of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29. Pastoral care is provided by the priests of Holy Spirit Parish under the Diocese of Erie.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. John Malthaner (Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, of which St. Michael the Archangel is a secondary church)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Michael the Archangel remains a living part of the DuBois-area Catholic community more than a century after its founding. Even though it has been brought into Holy Spirit Parish, the church still opens its doors for weekday Masses, funerals, weddings, and the annual September 29 celebration of its patron, and it continues to host the Prayer Chain (375-1156 or 603-2493) that has prayed for parishioners for decades. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into the broader Holy Spirit Parish family — which combines the historic Slovak and Polish heritage of St. Michael with the larger DuBois Catholic community, its faith-formation program at DuBois Central Catholic, and its outreach through the Diocesan regional pastoral council.
Mass times at St. Michael The Archangel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 7:15–7:45 a.m. (pre-merger schedule at St. Michael)
- Anytime by appointment
History of St. Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel was born out of the faith of Slovak and Polish immigrants to the DuBois coal-and-timber region. In 1893 Bishop Tobias Mullen had established St. Joseph as a personal parish to serve Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak newcomers; by the early 1900s the Slovak faithful found St. Catherine and St. Joseph too crowded. Their petition for a new parish was initially refused by Bishop Edmund Fitzmaurice — but they began building anyway. The bishop then consented, and St. Michael the Archangel was erected in 1912 as a personal parish for the Polish and Slovak people of DuBois. A commemorative parish history, 'St. Michael Archangel 1912–1962,' documents those founding decades.
- 1893 — Bishop Tobias Mullen establishes St. Joseph as a personal parish for Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak immigrants
- Early 1900s — Slovak community petitions for a new parish; Bishop Edmund Fitzmaurice initially declines
- Parishioners begin construction of the church on their own initiative
- 1912 — Bishop Fitzmaurice erects St. Michael the Archangel as a personal parish for the Polish and Slovak faithful
- 2017 — St. Joseph Parish is merged into St. Michael
- 2022 — The five DuBois-area parishes enter formal pastoral planning
- October 7, 2023 — Bishop Lawrence T. Persico announces the merger of the five parishes into Holy Spirit Parish
- December 2, 2023 — Holy Spirit Parish is canonically erected; St. Michael becomes a secondary church
Merger into Holy Spirit Parish (2023)
After years of cooperative pastoral planning across the DuBois region, on August 18, 2023 Monsignor Richard Siefer — then pastor of the five partnered parishes — formally petitioned Bishop Lawrence T. Persico to merge them into one new territorial parish. The diocesan Presbyteral Council unanimously recommended acceptance. The resulting decree, effective December 2, 2023, established Holy Spirit Parish with St. Catherine of Siena as the parish church, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sykesville) as a secondary mission church, and St. Michael (DuBois), St. Bernard (Falls Creek), and St. Mary (Reynoldsville) as secondary churches without mission status. The decree explicitly preserves the right of Mass to be celebrated in St. Michael each year on its titular solemnity, September 29.
- Five merged parishes: St. Catherine of Siena, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Bernard, St. Mary, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Parish church: St. Catherine of Siena, DuBois
- Secondary mission church: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sykesville
- Secondary churches without mission status: St. Michael (DuBois), St. Bernard (Falls Creek), St. Mary (Reynoldsville)
- Annual Mass on September 29 (Solemnity of St. Michael the Archangel) preserved by the decree
- Secondary churches remain available for weekday Masses, funerals, and weddings
Clergy and Staff
Following the 2023 merger, pastoral care of St. Michael the Archangel is exercised through Holy Spirit Parish, whose offices are at 118 S. State St., DuBois. The pastor, parochial vicar, and deacon listed on the Diocese of Erie parish directory for Holy Spirit Parish serve the entire region, including St. Michael.
- Pastor — Rev. John Malthaner
- Parochial Vicar — Rev. Michael Scanga
- Permanent Deacon — Deacon Daniel Satterlee
- Religious Education Leader — Mary Jo Yebernetsky
- Support Staff — Debra Steiner, Elaine Fike
- Parish Office — 118 S. State St., DuBois, PA 15801; (814) 371-8556; [email protected]
Former Pastoral Leadership
Most recently, Msgr. Richard Siefer served as pastor of the partnered DuBois-area parishes — including St. Michael the Archangel — and was the priest who formally petitioned Bishop Persico for the merger that created Holy Spirit Parish in 2023. Earlier pastoral assignments at the partnered parishes are documented in the 1912–1962 parish history PDF archived on the diocesan website.
- Msgr. Richard Siefer — Pastor of the partnered DuBois parishes; petitioner for the 2023 merger
- Parochial Vicar under the partnered arrangement — Fr. Benjamin Daghir
- Senior Associate — Fr. Edward Walk
- Pastoral Associate — Mary Ann Nicholls
- Deacons — Deacon Daniel Satterlee, Deacon Steve Rowan
Prayer Chain
One of St. Michael's longest-running ministries is its Prayer Chain, which has interceded for parishioners and friends for decades. Requests can be renewed monthly if ongoing prayers are needed.
- Prayer Chain contact for St. Michael — call (814) 375-1156 or (814) 603-2493
- Requests should be renewed monthly if continued prayers are desired
Sacraments
St. Michael's the Archangel continues to serve as a venue for the celebration of the sacraments even after its incorporation into Holy Spirit Parish. Funerals and weddings are still scheduled at the church by arrangement, and baptisms, marriages, and anointing of the sick are coordinated through the Holy Spirit Parish office.
- Baptism — register online through the parish office of Holy Spirit Parish
- Marriage — preparation and celebration available at St. Michael by arrangement
- Reconciliation (Penance) — Wednesday morning at the church (pre-merger schedule); also by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick and Funerals — by arrangement through the parish office
Faith Formation and DuBois Central Catholic
Religious education for the children of the region, including those of St. Michael, is provided through the regional Faith Formation program. Classes meet from September through May at DuBois Central Catholic, the regional parish school serving Pre-K through 12th grade.
- Faith Formation Director — Mary Jo Yebernetsky
- Phone — (814) 371-4082
- Email — [email protected]
- Classes meet September–May at DuBois Central Catholic
- DuBois Central Catholic (Pre-K through 12) — 200 Central Christian Road, DuBois, PA 15801; (814) 371-3060
Parish Office and Contact
All administrative and pastoral business for St. Michael is now handled through the offices of Holy Spirit Parish in DuBois. Office hours run 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
- Parish Office — 118 S. State St., DuBois, PA 15801
- Phone — (814) 371-8556
- Fax — (814) 371-0592
- Parish Email — [email protected]
- Legacy St. Michael Email — [email protected]
- Office Hours — Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Parish Identity and Mission
The mission of the DuBois-area Catholic community, articulated in the parish bulletins, is: 'We, the Roman Catholic Community of DuBois, accept our mission to celebrate God's unconditional love of humanity through our practice and growth in community, Word, worship, and service.' That mission continues to guide Holy Spirit Parish and its secondary church of St. Michael the Archangel today.
- Four pillars of mission: community, Word, worship, and service
- Heritage as a Polish and Slovak parish founded in 1912
- Continuing role within Holy Spirit Parish as a secondary church since December 2, 2023
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Richard Sieferprior to 2022 – 2023
Pastor of the partnered DuBois parishes (St. Catherine of Siena and St. Michael the Archangel) who in August 2023 formally petitioned Bishop Persico for the merger that became Holy Spirit Parish.