About St. Paul · Scranton, Pennsylvania
St. Paul Parish is a Roman Catholic faith community in the Green Ridge section of Scranton, Pennsylvania, founded in 1887 by Bishop William O'Hara. A parish of the Diocese of Scranton, it worships at its main church on Penn Avenue and at its mission church, St. Clare, on North Washington Avenue. The parish serves over 1,600 families and is paired with St. Clare / St. Paul School, a PreK-8th-grade Catholic elementary school known for its championship athletics and long list of notable alumni, including Vice President Joe Biden. The current pastor, Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F., leads a staff that includes a deacon, a director of religious education, a director of liturgical music, an operations manager, and an administrative assistant.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- Saint Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F.
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
Why belong here
St. Paul Parish welcomes Catholics and newcomers of every age, race, culture, and social background into a faith community that has served the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton since 1887. Worshippers enjoy a full schedule of Masses in two churches (St. Paul and the mission church of St. Clare), weekday Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary, Saturday confessions, and a thriving St. Clare / St. Paul School for PreK through 8th grade. The parish also runs a Friday food pantry, Knights of Columbus and Legion of Mary chapters, RCIA, ministries to the homebound, and a vibrant Music Ministry — making it easy for any family or single adult to plug in and serve.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM (St. Paul Church)
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration, Monday–Friday, 4:00 PM–5:00 PM at St. Clare Church
- Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary, Monday–Friday, 3:00 PM–4:00 PM with Rosary at 3:30 PM at St. Clare Church
Parish History
St. Paul Parish traces its roots to 1886, when Bishop William O'Hara purchased three lots on Penn Avenue in the then-sparsely settled Green Ridge section of Scranton and combined sections of St. Peter's Cathedral, Holy Rosary, and St. Mary's in Dunmore into a new parish under the patronage of Saint Paul. The first pastor, Rev. P. J. McManus, celebrated the parish's first Mass on March 1, 1887, in a 30-by-100-foot hemlock chapel called 'The Tabernacle' or 'The Wigwam.' Within three years a permanent combined church-school-hall had replaced it, and in 1892 the I.H.M. Sisters arrived to teach. Through the 20th century the parish built a rectory (1912), a new school (cornerstone 1927), and the present St. Paul Church (dedicated March 23, 1952), and spawned the mission of St. Clare's in the 1950s. After 42 years as a separate parish, St. Clare's rejoined St. Paul in June 2009, and the merged parish has since grown to more than 1,600 families.
- 1886: Bishop O'Hara purchases Penn Avenue lots; appoints Rev. P. J. McManus as first pastor
- March 1, 1887: First Mass celebrated in the hemlock 'Wigwam' chapel
- December 21, 1890: Permanent church-school-hall dedicated
- 1892: I.H.M. Sisters begin teaching in the parish school
- 1898: I.H.M. convent completed
- 1912: Rectory completed under Rev. Peter C. Winters
- November 20, 1927: Cornerstone laid for new school (Rev. James Hussie, pastor)
- 1940: Monsignor John J. Vaughan appointed pastor
- January 10, 1951: Groundbreaking for the new St. Paul Church
- March 23, 1952: Current St. Paul Church dedicated
- September 1954: St. Clare School opens
- March 1955: St. Clare Church dedicated as mission church of St. Paul Parish
- February 1958: St. Clare Convent completed
- June 1967: St. Clare declared a separate parish
- 2007: St. Paul and St. Clare share one pastor
- June 2009: St. Clare and St. Paul merge; St. Clare returns to mission-church status
St. Clare Church — Mission Church
St. Clare Church, located at 2235 North Washington Avenue in Scranton, is the mission church of St. Paul Parish. It was originally dedicated in March 1955 as a mission of St. Paul, became its own parish in June 1967, and rejoined St. Paul in June 2009. Today it is available for funerals, baptisms, and weddings, and it hosts the parish's Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary each weekday, as well as school Masses for the St. Clare / St. Paul School Primary Campus. The food pantry is also operated out of the St. Clare Church basement.
- St. Clare School opened September 1954
- St. Clare Church dedicated March 1955
- St. Clare Convent completed February 1958
- Declared an independent parish June 1967
- Rejoined St. Paul Parish June 2009
Parish Staff and Clergy
St. Paul Parish is led by Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F., who also serves as Dean of the Scranton Deanery of the Diocese of Scranton. He is assisted by Deacon Christian Saunders and a lay staff that handles operations, liturgy, music, and faith formation.
- Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F. — Pastor
- Deacon Christian Saunders
- Phoebe Wilson — Operations Manager (ext. 100; [email protected])
- Marci Scanlon — Parish Administrative Assistant (ext. 101)
- Eugene Mentz — Director of Liturgical Music (ext. 113; [email protected])
- Rita Cicco — Director of Religious Education (ext. 114)
- Jeanne Evans — Pastoral Associate and Director of Religious Formation
St. Clare / St. Paul School
St. Clare / St. Paul School is the parish's Catholic elementary school, a regional PreK through 8th-grade school of the Diocese of Scranton, divided across two campuses. The Primary Campus at St. Clare Church houses PreK through 2nd grade; the Main Campus at St. Paul Church houses 3rd through 8th grades. The school has long been known for its state-championship-winning junior high basketball teams and counts Vice President Joe Biden and former Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey among its notable alumni.
- Catholic school of the Diocese of Scranton, PreK–8
- Primary Campus: St. Clare Church, 2235 N. Washington Ave. (PreK–2)
- Main Campus: St. Paul Church, 1510 Penn Ave. (3rd–8th)
- Principal: Mrs. Kara Kennedy Ware
- Assistant to the Principal: Mrs. Katie Musso (Technology/STREAM Coordinator)
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish runs a full Religious Education program for children and adults, directed by Rita Cicco and supported by Jeanne Evans as Pastoral Associate and Director of Religious Formation. Adult candidates seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are prepared through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and parents of infants prepare for Baptism through a required Baptism Preparation class. The school community takes an active part in parish liturgical life, with school Masses celebrated at St. Clare Church and school-hosted Stations of the Cross during Lent.
- Director of Religious Education: Rita Cicco (ext. 114)
- Pastoral Associate and Director of Religious Formation: Jeanne Evans
- RCIA for adult candidates — contact [email protected]
- Baptism Preparation class for first-time parents — contact [email protected]
- Stations of the Cross during Lent (school and parish schedules)
Parish Ministries and Organizations
St. Paul Parish supports a wide range of lay ministries and parish organizations, all coordinated through the rectory office and through the Parish Pastoral Council. The Music Ministry is led by Director of Liturgical Music Eugene Mentz; liturgical roles include altar servers (grades 4+), senior altar servers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and ushers. Pastoral care is provided by Ministers to the Homebound, who visit parishioners in nursing or assisted-living facilities once a month with Communion. The parish also hosts the Knights of Columbus, the Legion of Mary, a St. Thomas More Society chapter for Catholic converts from the Episcopal tradition, and several youth and support groups that meet in the parish center.
- Music Ministry — Eugene Mentz, [email protected]
- Altar Servers (grades 4+) and Senior Altar Servers — [email protected]
- Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, and Ushers — [email protected]
- Baptism Preparation — [email protected]
- Ministers to the Homebound — [email protected]
- RCIA — [email protected]
- Parish Pastoral Council — [email protected]
- Finance Council and Offertory Counters — [email protected]
- Knights of Columbus
- Legion of Mary
- St. Thomas More Society (Episcopalian-convert chapter)
- Youth Groups and parish Support Groups
Food Pantry Outreach
St. Paul Parish operates a Food Pantry out of the basement of St. Clare Church (also called the Parish Center) at 2251 N. Washington Avenue, serving local families in need. Clients must register with proof of need and, thanks to generous donors, the pantry is able to welcome registered clients twice a month. The pantry is open on Fridays during the school year from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, with reduced summer hours of 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. It is closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
- Location: St. Clare Church Basement / Parish Center, 2251 N. Washington Ave. (corner of Park St. and N. Washington Ave.)
- Rear/Park Street ramp entrance
- Year-round hours: Fridays 3:00 PM–4:30 PM
- Summer hours: Fridays 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
- Closed the Friday after Thanksgiving
- Registration required with proof of need — contact [email protected]
Sacraments
The parish prepares parishioners for and celebrates all the usual sacraments. Baptisms, weddings, and funerals are hosted at both St. Paul Church and the mission church of St. Clare. First-time parents are asked to attend a Baptism Preparation class before their child's baptism, and adult candidates for full communion enter through the RCIA process.
- Baptism — preparation class required for first-time parents
- Marriage — weddings hosted at St. Paul and St. Clare Churches
- Funerals — St. Clare Church is available for funeral Masses
- First Communion and Confirmation — through the Religious Education program
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Visit, Register, and Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at both St. Paul Church and St. Clare Church. The rectory office at St. Paul Church (1510 Penn Avenue) is open Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, with summer hours of Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM–2:30 PM and Friday 8:30 AM–12:00 PM. The parish also has an online registration form for new families. Masses are livestreamed on the parish Facebook page ('St Pauls Parish' @stpaulscranton).
- Phone: (570) 961-1549
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 1510 Penn Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–2:30 PM; summer: Mon–Thu 8:30 AM–2:30 PM, Fri 8:30 AM–12:00 PM
- Online registration form linked from the parish homepage
- Livestreamed Mass: Facebook @stpaulscranton
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. P. J. McManus1886–c. early 1900s
First pastor; built the original 'Wigwam' log chapel, the 1890 permanent church, brought in the I.H.M. Sisters in 1892, and oversaw the 1898 convent.
- Rev. Peter C. Wintersearly 1900s–c. 1921
Initiated construction of the rectory, completed in 1912.
- Rev. M. F. O'Rourke1921–c. 1925
Secured the site for a larger church.
- Rev. D. J. Connorc. 1925
Faced the choice of building a new school versus a new church; parishioners chose the school.
- Rev. James Hussiec. 1927
Laid the cornerstone of the new school on November 20, 1927.
- Monsignor John J. Vaughan1940–c. 1952+
Led the parish out of Depression-era debt; broke ground on the new church on January 10, 1951, and dedicated it on March 23, 1952.
- Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F.2007–present (as pastor of linked parishes from 2007; sole pastor of merged St. Paul/St. Clare from June 2009)
Current pastor and Dean of the Scranton Deanery. Previously served as Episcopal Vicar of the Western Pastoral Region.