[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   SAINT MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS CHURCH CELEBRATES 150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the 
House of Representatives to the 150th anniversary of the founding of 
St. Mary, Help of Christians Church in Pittston, Pennsylvania.
  To mark this milestone, Bishop James C. Timlin will serve as 
principal celebrant of a Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving on Sept. 9, which 
will be followed by an anniversary banquet and program with the theme 
``Remembering . . . Rejoicing . . . Renewing.'' The parish will 
continue its celebration by participating in a ``RENEW 2000 & Beyond'' 
mission on Sept. 12.
  The first Catholic church established in Pittston, St. Mary's dates 
its origins back to a small frame chapel built in 1851 on what was 
known as Church Hill in Upper Pittston, or the so-called Junction 
section. The chapel was quite modest. It had no pews, although some 
families brought movable benches for their own convenience. The street 
is now appropriately named Chapel Street, with the parish cemetery 
located near the site.
  St. Mary's has been an integral part of the community since its 
founding. In 1896, the church served as a pillar of strength and a 
source of comfort during a prominent tragedy. Many of its members lost 
loved ones when the Susquehanna River bed gave way and rushed into a 
mine tunnel in what became known as the Twin Shaft Disaster. Thirty-two 
of the 58 workmen who were killed were members of St. Mary's, and they 
left behind their wives and 72 children.
  In 1992, following a Mass that was held at St. Mary's in memory of 
the Twin Shaft victims, the congregation walked to the intersection of 
Main and Union streets for the unveiling of a historical market near 
the site of the disaster.
  The present church was built and dedicated in 1905. Among the many 
improvements and generous donations made over the years are the stained 
glass windows above the front doors, dedicated in memory of President 
John F. Kennedy, and the new organ purchased and installed in 1997, 
which was donated in memory of Helen Caslin Gill. The rectory contains 
a stained glass window donated by Mary T. Gallagher and installed in 
1996 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the merger of the parish with 
St. Mary's Assumption Church.
  The parish even has a home on the Internet to reach out across the 
World Wide Web, located at http://www.stmarys-pittston.org. This is one 
of many accomplishments and improvements made under the leadership of 
the current pastor, Rev. Richard J. Jalmounter, M.S., who was appointed 
in 1990. He has revitalized the Altar and Rosary Society, the Vacation 
Bible School, and the annual St. Jude Novena begun under Father Andrew 
P. Maloney, who served as parish administrator from 1956 to 1963 and 
pastor from 1963 to 1967. In 1995, Father Polmounter and Sister Anne 
Therese Peach founded St. Mary's Early Childhood Learning Center, which 
is located at the rectory in Upper Pittston.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to call to the attention of the House of 
Representatives the 150 years of dedication and devotion of the pastors 
and people of St. Mary, Help of Christians Church, and I wish them all 
the best.

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