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| The first Holy Sepulcher Church, 2002 | Interior of the first church, 2002 | The second Holy Sepulcher Church, 2005 |
Holy Sepulcher, Glade Mills
Holy Sepulcher was established in 1955. However, the origin of the parish can be traced back to 1944. On Christmas Day of 1944, the first Mass in Glade Mills was celebrated by a priest of the Missionary Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (MCCD). The diocese formed the MCCD to bring religious instruction to Catholics living in small, isolated communities who lacked access to an existing church. This first Mass was celebrated in the back room of an inn.
Land for a church was purchased in December of 1945 and construction of a church began in February of 1946. Initially, only the basement of the building was to be constructed and used as a church and a social hall. A superstructure was planned for a later date. The cornerstone of the building was laid on November 17, 1946, and the completed basement church was dedicated on November 24, 1946.
Holy Sepulcher remained a mission of the MCCD until 1953, when responsibility for the parish was assigned to St. Matthias, Evans City. In that year, the social hall was removed from the church building and the entire space used as a church. On June 15, 1955, the parish was formally established and a resident pastor assigned. In 1960, the plans for adding a superstructure to the church were abandoned and a roof was added to the structure. The church was renovated in the 1960's and the 1970's.
As the century progressed, however, the population of the area continued to grow. By the end of the century, it became obvious that the church could no longer accommodate the congregation. Fund raising for a new church began in December of 2000. Ground for the new church was broken on May 23, 2004. The last Mass in the original church was celebrated at 9:00 am on July 31, 2005 and the new church was dedicated late that same day. The old church was later converted to a parish hall.
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| The first Holy Sepulcher Church, 2002 | Interior of the first church, 2002 | The second Holy Sepulcher Church, 2005 |
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