News

June 30, 2008

One final ‘Amen’

St. John the Baptist closes

JANINE UNGVARSKY Times Leader Correspondent

PITTSTON – They packed the pews and the balcony, the back of the church, the side aisles and even the vestibule as they came to say farewell to the third Pittston Catholic church to close in three months.

Most of the 630 registered parishioners of St. John the Baptist parish seemed to be in attendance as Monsignor John Bendik presided over the final Mass and closing ritual for the William Street church.

There were some tears and a few grumbles from people who pointed out that if this many people attended Mass every week, they’d be opening churches instead of closing them.

But most said they accepted the closing.

Helen Kelleman said she was “very, very upset” when she learned the church was to be closed. “I belonged here all my life,” said Kelleman as she handed out programs. “Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, getting married -- it all happened here,” she said, adding she graduated from the church’s grade school, which closed in 2004, and also served as the school’s cafeteria manager for 20 years.

“I took care of the sanctuary here for about the same amount of time,” she said. “It’s been my whole life. Every important experience in my life happened here.”

She looked around at the overflowing church. “But I’ll go to the church across the street (St. John the Evangelist) now,” she said. “You just have to accept it.”

Tom and Cheryl Warabak brought daughter Jillian, 7, to the service because she was part of her family’s fourth generation to attend.

Warabak said his wife’s parents and grandparents were married there, and he and Cheryl were wed there in 1999 as well.

“To see the place closing down takes a lot of the community away,” he said. “When the churches come together, it’s not as tight knit. We wanted Jillian here to say goodbye to this part of her history.”

Despite the sadness, there was an air of celebration in the church, which was established by Slovak immigrants in 1892. The congregation sang with enthusiasm and laughed more than once as Bendik recalled memories of priests and events from the church’s history.

“As I walked to the church, I was very down,” said Bendik, who already presided over the closing of two Pittston churches -- St. Joseph and St. Casimir --since April. “Knowing I was doing this for the third time was sad, but being in there now with these people was very spiritual. They are celebrating this church as something special to their faith. These people worship with gusto.

“They’re not happy the church is closing, but they are happy St. John the Baptist Church was here for them for the last 116 years.”

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