Catholicism in Lehighton dates back to the year 1850, when there were seven Catholic families in the area. Also during this time, German Catholic immigrants came from their fatherland and located here. They were later followed by the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, and the Slavs. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, these Catholic families were instructed in their faith by Father John G. Freude. Traveling by horse and buggy, Father Freude covered in his missionary work the territory from Mauch Chunk to Berlinsville. He visited the Lehighton territory only once a month, celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Schwartz home on First Street. This later became Smiths Home Appliance Store, now the site of a mini-mall. Father William Heinen, later Monsignor, built a small church to accommodate the Catholics of the town and gave them their own place of worship. This church was dedicated by Bishop Wood. The exact date of the founding of the church is unknown. Seeing a need for missionary work in East Mauch Chunk, Father Heinen selected a few Catholic families from Lehighton and with them, founded the parish of St. Josephs. Once again, the Catholics of Lehighton had no pastor of their own, but were attended by a priest from St. Josephs in East Mauch Chunk. During this period, the elder girls of the parish traveled to East Mauch Chunk, sometimes on foot for their religious instruction. They, in turn, would instruct the younger generation of the parish. According to the official records of the parish, Father Hubert H. Hammeke was the first resident pastor of Sts. Peter & Paul Parish. His residency encompassed the years from 1885 to 1890. During his tenure as pastor, Father Hammeke brought the Sisters of Charity to the parish from St. Josephs in East Mauch Chunk to instruct the Catholic youth of the Lehighton area. Sensing the need for both secular and religious training, he opened the parish school of Ss Peter and Paul in 1886 with an enrollment of 60 pupils. The school was staffed by three sisters from the order of Saint Francis from Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania. The old church was remodeled at this time to serve both as a school and as a place of worship. During this time, the sisters lived in the basement of the old church.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 17:52:53 +0000
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