About St. Nicholas · Mayport, Pennsylvania
St. Nicholas of Tolentino Church is a historic Catholic mission church located in rural Mayport (also locally called Crates), Clarion County, Pennsylvania, about seven miles outside of New Bethlehem. Established in 1828 by missionary priest Fr. John O'Neill as a congregation of pioneer Catholic families along Redbank Creek, it is one of the oldest Catholic communities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie. Today it serves as a Secondary Mission of St. Charles Parish in New Bethlehem, sharing staff and clergy with that parish, and is celebrated for an astonishing 69 religious vocations nurtured over nearly two centuries.
- Established
- 1828
- Patron
- St. Nicholas of Tolentino
- Rector
- Rev. Samuel Bungo
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Nicholas of Tolentino is a living link to nearly two centuries of Catholic life in rural Clarion County, founded in 1828 by pioneer families who hewed a log chapel from the forest. Worshipping here means joining one of the oldest continuous Catholic communities in the Diocese of Erie — a community that has nurtured 69 religious vocations over its lifetime. As a small mission supported by St. Charles Parish in New Bethlehem, it offers an intimate, generational congregation where the same families have worshipped for generations, the parish cemetery still rests on the 1835 hill, and the 1893 church remains the spiritual heart of the Mayport/Crates countryside.
Mass times at St. Nicholas
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday before Mass (approximately 7:45 a.m.)
- By appointment (through St. Charles Parish, New Bethlehem)
History of St. Nicholas of Tolentino Mission
St. Nicholas was organized as a pioneer Catholic congregation in 1828 by the missionary priest Rev. John O'Neill of St. Patrick's Parish in Butler County, who rode into the Redbank wilderness of what is now Clarion County to minister to scattered Catholic families. On June 5, 1834 Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick of Philadelphia visited and confirmed twenty-five souls in the home of Solomon Cyphert, and the community then built a 36-foot log chapel on a hill (land deeded by Joseph Aaron) which was dedicated under the title St. Nicholas of Tolentino on September 9, 1835. As the congregation grew, the log chapel was replaced in 1854 by a fifty-foot frame church on the present site (land from George Aaron and Charles Crate), and that second church in turn was razed in the early 1890s under the leadership of Rev. John Ruddy and replaced by the present church, dedicated in 1893 by Bishop Tobias Mullen.
- 1828 — Congregation organized by Fr. John O'Neill among pioneer Catholics at Redbank/Arondale
- 1834 (June 5) — Bishop Kenrick of Philadelphia visits, confirms 25 in the Cyphert home
- 1835 (September 9) — First church, a 36-foot log chapel, dedicated under the title of St. Nicholas of Tolentino
- 1854 — Second church (frame, 50 × 36 ft) dedicated by Bishop Michael Young, the first Bishop of Erie to visit
- 1893 — Third and present church dedicated by Bishop Tobias Mullen of Erie under Fr. John Ruddy's leadership
- 1978 — 150th anniversary Jubilee celebrated with Papal Blessing from Pope Paul VI, parishioners led by Fr. Donald J. Cooper
Parish Clergy & Staff
St. Nicholas Mission is currently served by Fr. Samuel Bungo, listed on the Diocese of Erie directory as its pastor. Supporting staff and faith-formation leadership are shared with the parent parish, St. Charles in New Bethlehem: Dan Landers serves as Parish Support Staff and Tina Roy as Religious Education Leader. Pastoral and sacramental needs beyond what the mission itself offers are handled through the St. Charles Parish office in New Bethlehem.
- Pastor: Rev. Samuel Bungo
- Parish Support Staff: Dan Landers
- Religious Education Leader: Tina Roy
- Parent parish for records, mail, and appointments: St. Charles Parish, 201 Washington St., New Bethlehem, PA 16242, (814) 275-3446
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
As a small rural mission, St. Nicholas offers a focused weekly schedule. Holy Mass is celebrated on Wednesday morning and on Sunday morning, with the Sacrament of Penance offered just before Sunday Mass or by appointment through St. Charles Parish.
- Sunday — 8:00 a.m. (English)
- Wednesday — 9:00 a.m. (English)
- Sacrament of Penance — Sundays before Mass, or by appointment
- Daily Mass on other days is available at the parent parish, St. Charles, New Bethlehem
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for the children of the mission is coordinated by Religious Education Leader Tina Roy, working through the St. Charles Parish office. The parish's extraordinary harvest of 69 religious vocations across nearly two centuries testifies to the deep Catholic culture nurtured in families tied to the mission.
- Religious Education (CCD) for parish children — coordinated by Tina Roy
- Sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation) coordinated through St. Charles Parish
- RCIA and adult faith formation inquiries handled through the New Bethlehem parish office
Parish Cemetery
The historic St. Nicholas Cemetery sits on the original 1835 hilltop in Limestone Township, Clarion County — the same parcel deeded by Joseph Aaron where the first log chapel was erected. It continues to serve as the resting place of generations of mission families and is a regular site of interment following funeral Masses celebrated in the church.
- Location: St. Nicholas Cemetery, Limestone Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania
- Established on the original 1835 church site deeded by Joseph Aaron
- Funeral arrangements coordinated through St. Charles Parish, New Bethlehem
Visiting & Contact Information
The church itself is in rural Mayport, but all mail and phone contacts are routed through St. Charles Parish in New Bethlehem, which administers the mission. The Diocese of Erie asks visitors not to send mail directly to the Mayport address.
- Physical/GPS address: 3028 Shannondale Street (Road), Mayport, PA 16240 — about 7 miles outside New Bethlehem
- Mailing address: c/o St. Charles Parish, 201 Washington Street, New Bethlehem, PA 16242
- Phone: (814) 275-3446
- Fax: (814) 275-7550
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese directory page: https://www.eriercd.org/Mission30923-St-Nicholas.html
Relationship with St. Charles Parish, New Bethlehem
St. Nicholas Mission has long functioned as a Secondary Mission of St. Charles Parish in New Bethlehem. The two share clergy coverage, support staff, religious education leadership, and administrative infrastructure, while St. Nicholas retains its own building, cemetery, and Sunday/weekly Mass schedule for the Mayport/Crates farming community.
- St. Charles Parish, New Bethlehem, serves as the parent parish for administration and sacramental records
- Clergy, staff, and faith-formation personnel are shared between the two communities
- Daily Masses not celebrated at St. Nicholas (Mon/Tue/Thu, Saturday Vigil) are available at St. Charles
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John O'Neill1828–
Missionary priest from St. Patrick's, Butler County, who organized the pioneer Catholic congregation at Redbank in 1828 and accompanied Bishop Kenrick in 1834.
- Father Prince Galitzen
First resident missionary priest assigned to the Redbank/Arondale congregation, described as 'the beloved Father Prince Galitzen' in the 1978 sesquicentennial history.
- Rev. John Ruddyearly 1890s
Led the decision to demolish the 1854 church and erect the third (present) church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, dedicated in 1893.
- Rev. Donald J. Cooper1978
Pastor of St. Nicholas of Tolentino Mission at the time of the 1978 sesquicentennial; corresponded with Rome and received Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Blessing for the Jubilee.
- Rev. Samuel Bungo
Listed as Pastor of St. Nicholas Mission and also officiated funerals and services at the mission through the 2010s.