About St. Philip · Edinboro, Pennsylvania
St. Philip Church is a Roman Catholic mission church located at 25797 State Highway 98 in Edinboro (Crossingville), Pennsylvania. It is a secondary mission of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Albion, PA, within the Diocese of Erie. One of the oldest Catholic communities in the Diocese of Erie, St. Philip offers Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m. and Sunday confessions at 7:30 a.m., and shares its clergy and many ministries with its sister parish, St. Lawrence the Martyr.
- Established
- 1840
- Patron
- Saint Philip Benizi
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Kesicki
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
St. Philip offers a small, historic Catholic community in the Crossingville/Edinboro countryside where the faithful gather each Sunday at 8:00 a.m. for Mass and at 7:30 a.m. for the Sacrament of Penance. As a mission of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Albion, it shares the same pastor (Rev. Michael Kesicki) and deacon (Deacon Paul McCoy), while maintaining its own ministries such as the Altar Rosary Society. It is a place where longtime parishioners, newcomers, and visitors are welcomed as part of one family of faith across two worship sites.
Mass times at St. Philip
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday — 7:30 a.m.
St. Philip Mission Church
St. Philip Church is a mission church located in the rural Crossingville community (Edinboro mailing address) at 25797 State Highway 98. Since February 13, 2017 it has been a secondary mission of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Albion, sharing clergy and ministries while keeping its own identity and Sunday worship schedule. The parish office, mail, and phone lines are handled through the St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish offices in Albion.
- Physical address: 25797 State Highway 98, Edinboro, PA 16412
- Mailing address: c/o St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, 180 E. State St., Albion, PA 16401
- Parish phone: (814) 756-3623
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Established as a Catholic community: late 1790s
- Current church building begun: 1840
- Current church blessed: September 9, 1847
History
The Crossingville Catholic community that became St. Philip Parish traces its roots to Irish immigrants who arrived between 1798 and 1800. A Catholic cemetery was laid out by 1802, and the first Mass was celebrated at the site on August 23, 1807. Construction of the present St. Philip church, placed under the patronage of Saint Philip Benizi, began in 1840; it was blessed on September 9, 1847. For its first decades it functioned as a mission of St. Patrick Parish in Erie; in 1850 it was formally erected as its own parish. In its heyday the parish included more than 500 families and was the mother church of Catholic life across the surrounding countryside — traveling priests from St. Philip once served the small Catholic settlements in Girard, Albion, North Springfield, Fairview, and Swanville before those communities built their own parishes. By 2015 the parish had dwindled to 86 households, and on February 13, 2017 Bishop Lawrence T. Persico's decree merged St. Philip Parish (extinctive union) into St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Albion, with St. Philip Church retained as a secondary mission church.
- Patron: Saint Philip Benizi (feast day August 22)
- First Mass at the site: August 23, 1807
- Original mission of St. Patrick Parish, Erie
- Erected as a parish: 1850
- Merged into St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish (Albion): effective February 13, 2017
- Status today: secondary mission church
Clergy and Staff
St. Philip is served by the pastor and deacon of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish. Day-to-day parish support and faith-formation leadership are provided through the shared parish staff in Albion.
- Pastor: Rev. Michael Kesicki
- Deacon Assistant: Deacon Paul McCoy
- Support Staff: Lori Adamson
- Religious Education Leaders: Carrie Sawin (814-440-0487) and Criss Rotko (814-449-0192)
Ministries and Organizations
St. Philip participates in the combined ministry life of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish. The parish website's Ministries page lists the active organizations and leaders, including the Altar Rosary Society based specifically at St. Philip.
- Altar Rosary Society (St. Philip) — President: Jan Petrus
- Pastoral/Finance Council
- Knights of Columbus — President: John Shade
- Ladies of the Rosary (St. Lawrence) — President: Tammy Maskrey
- Cursillo (chairperson needed)
- Prayer Shawl Ministry (chairperson needed)
- Homebound Visits — Darcy Paradise
- St. James Cemetery Caretaking Committee
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Religious education for children from both St. Philip and St. Lawrence the Martyr parishes is coordinated through the shared parish staff. Two Religious Education Leaders are listed on the Diocese of Erie directory for St. Philip.
- Religious Education Leader: Carrie Sawin — (814) 440-0487
- Religious Education Leader: Criss Rotko — (814) 449-0192
- Programs are run jointly with St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish
Connection to St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish (Albion)
Since the February 2017 merger, the parishes operate as one family of faith with two worship sites: St. Lawrence the Martyr in Albion (the parish church) and St. Philip in Edinboro/Crossingville (the secondary mission). They share a pastor, deacon, staff, pastoral/finance council, religious education program, and many ministries, while each site keeps its own Mass and confession schedule.
- Parish church: St. Lawrence the Martyr, 180 E. State St., Albion, PA 16401
- Mission church: St. Philip, 25797 State Highway 98, Edinboro, PA 16412
- Combined welcome statement: "We are St. Lawrence-St. Philip Church!"
- Combined ministries and councils listed on stlawrencealbion.org
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors are encouraged to reach out through the St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish office, which administers both worship sites. The Diocese of Erie directory also lists a dedicated St. Philip contact line.
- Phone: (814) 756-3623
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stlawrencealbion.org
- Religious Education contacts: Carrie Sawin (814-440-0487), Criss Rotko (814-449-0192)