Back Mountain priests are reassigned to Lackawanna County

The Dallas Post // News

July 5

Back Mountain priests are reassigned to Lackawanna County

The Rev. Kevin Mulhern and The Rev. E. Francis Kelly leaving area; The Rev. Daniel A. Toomey will return.

By Rebecca Bria rbria@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Two Back Mountain Roman Catholic priests have been reassigned to duties in Lackawanna County.

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The Rev. Kevin Mulhern, pastor of Gate of Heaven Church in Dallas, will be transferred to Our Lady of the Abingtons Church in Dalton.

The Rev. E. Francis Kelly, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Church in Harveys Lake, will become the chaplain at Holy Family Residence, the home for the Little Sisters of the Poor and their aged guests in Scranton.

The Rev. Daniel A. Toomey will become the new pastor of both Gate of Heaven and Our Lady of Victory churches.

The Rev. Toomey was formerly the chaplain at Misericordia University and the pastor of Saint Frances X. Cabrini Church and Blessed Sacrament Church, both in Carverton.

While serving in the Back Mountain, the Rev. Toomey also helped out at Our Lady of Victory, usually celebrating the former 7:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays. He was most recently an administrator at Corpus Christi Church in Montdale.

Each priest’s reassignment will take effect on July 15.

“I’ve enjoyed my assignment here very much,” the Rev. Kelly said of his nearly four years at Our Lady of Victory. “I certainly have enjoyed being on the lake and the beautiful views I have from the church of the lake. But I’ve also enjoyed the people very much and working with them, being part of their life here. They have been very supportive to me and they certainly love their parish very much.”

A farewell Mass for the Rev. Mulhern, who as been pastor of Gate of Heaven since June 2003, will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, at Gate of Heaven Church.

Following the Mass, refreshments will be served from noon to 2 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

“I’m ever grateful that I had six wonderful years at the Gate of Heaven parish,” said the Rev. Mulhern. “I am very sad to leave, but it’s part of the priesthood. You serve the people but you have to serve the greater priesthood and the greater need. Parting is bittersweet. It’s hard but, nonetheless, I’m very thankful because I carry many wonderful memories of wonderful events.”

The Rev. Mulhern says although some of his parishioners know the Rev. Toomey, most of them do not; however, they are all anxious to meet and greet him.

A welcome reception for the Rev. Toomey will be held at Gate of Heaven at a later date.

“I know that I’ve always enjoyed my assignments and I know several people back there (in the Back Mountain) so I’m looking forward to going back,” the Rev. Toomey said. “I think both of them are wonderful parishes and I feel privileged to be the pastor of both of them. In some ways I feel that I’m coming back to a place I know a little bit and I’ll get to know it more.”

Gate of Heaven Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1951 as an outgrowth of St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown as the population in the Back Mountain was rising.

Gate of Heaven Elementary School also opened in 1951 as the first and only Roman Catholic elementary school in the Back Mountain.

Our Lady of Victory Church, which once served as a mission church for Gate of Heaven, became an independent parish in 1969 to accommodate the growing number of Catholics who were moving to Harveys Lake.

As part of parish restructuring in the Diocese of Scranton, Gate of Heaven and Our Lady of Victory will link, working toward consolidation no later than July 2011, at the Gate of Heaven site.

There will be an additional worship site at Our Lady of Victory (Masses as needed on weekends and occasional use for weddings and funerals) which will be reviewed in two years based on geography, attendance, fiscal realities and the availability of priests.

“I feel very strongly this restructuring will be a benefit for both parishes as they try to come together,” the Rev. Kelly said. “I think it will give them an opportunity to work very closely together as they become a faith-based community in the times that lie ahead.”