History of St. Callistus

Welcome to
St. Callistus Catholic Church
342 Chase St.
Kane, PA
Rectory Fax: 814-837- 4304
Parish Hall: 814-837-7913 Religious Education: 814-837- 6997

BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. CALLISTUS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

With the completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad through Kane in 1864, many employees and their families took up permanent residence here. The men were mostly Irish and German descent and were Catholics. The faith was strong in those early settlers and thoughts of a permanent church were uppermost in their minds.

In the year 1866, the first church was built in Kane, located on Fraley St., at a cost of $686 and was named St. Thomas Church. The Rev. Thomas Lonergan attended the early mission church and was in charge of the church while it was being built. The first resident pastor, the Rev. Bernard Klocker, came in 1878. He built a church rectory on the corner of Fraley and Field Street at that time.

Disaster came to that first church in 1880 when it burned down. Services were held in a stone building known as “Temperance Hall” until the completion of the present church on Chase St. The new church building was started and the corner stoned placed on October 14, 1888, the feast day of St. Callistus, for whom the new church and parish were named. In the Fall of 1889, with the steeple towering 131 feet into the air, the new church was completed at a cost of $24,000 and still stands today, as a monument to the faith and courage of those early 150 Catholic families and their pastor, Father George Winkler, who served until 1898. The steeple was destroyed during the tornado which struck Kane on June 28, 1924.

The present parochial school building was built in 1898 under the direction of Rev. James Lavery who was pastor here until 1905. Approximately 60 Benedictine Sisters served in Kane, until the school closed in 1970.

In November, 1905, the Rev. Dennis Curley was named pastor and under his direction a large building program was started with the construction of two brick buildings, the rectory and convent, completing the church property. The convent building was designed by Sister Margaret Rudolph, Benedictine Sister who was serving in Kane at that time.

Over the next several years, many pastors served our parish community. During the term of the Rev. Daniel Dougherty, 1941-1952, a major improvement program to repair the church property, which had suffered for lack of care during the depression and through inability to secure material during the World War II years, was completed. Following the death of Fr. Dougherty in 1952, the Rev. Carl Lippert was named pastor and undertook the interior renovations, serving until June of 1970.

Fr. Lippert started immediately to do what needed done - to try to rebuild the parish both spiritually and physically. He repaired the school, installing a complete new basement with all new kitchen facilities. He built a new garage while at the same time, repairing the cemetery, having it surveyed and setting up a permanent system of records. Knowing the needs of the Sisters, he re-furbished the convent, painting the rooms and halls, and building a new kitchen and enclosing the back porch. He also improved the rectory and enclosed both porches. The area behind the church and the school was paved, providing the convenience of off-street parking for parishioners.

Having put everything into first class condition, he left the largest endeavor for last, the Church. Over the years, Kane winters took their toll on the exterior of the church building. A perma-stone applique was added to the outside of the church, covering the brick exterior. The interior was entirely renovated with many new additions such as the new sacristy, exits, and confessionals. The confessionals were removed from the back of the church to the side aisles. Padded kneelers were installed and the basement was improved with a new stage, all of which made St. Callistus Church one of the most beautiful in the Erie Diocese and a definite memorial to the untiring efforts of Fr. Lippert.

A dramatic change took place with the closing of St. Callistus’ School at the end of the 1969-70 school year. Parishioners greeted the arrival of the Bishop for the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation with placards and banners demonstrating their negative reaction to the decision. As a result of the school closing, the Religious Education Program within the parish was greatly expanded, with the reliance on lay teachers and parents to “hand on the faith”.

In 1970, Rev. Joseph W. Jerge was appointed Pastor, serving until 1990. Many changes resulted from Vatican II, an ecumenical council of the bishops of all the world, held during 1962-65. The changes were particularly made in the liturgy. The language of the Mass was changed from Latin to English, or the language used by the people of a given area, thereby, allowing more participation by those in attendance. Changes at St. Callistus were visible in the new altar, situated so that the celebrant faced the worshipping community, and the removal of the altar railing.

By the late 1960’s, St. Callistus had lay men installed as commentators/readers of Scripture and in 1983 as Eucharistic Ministers. The increased re-organization of the role of women in the church resulted in the addition of women readers in August, 1986 and eventually as Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Servers

In 1976, the interior of the church was painted and the aisles carpeted; a new pipe organ was purchased and placed in the front of the church, making an impressive appearing and sounding instrument for worship services.

Concern and involvement of parishioners of St. Callistus reaches beyond parish limits. Members of the parish were instrumental in the establishment of a Food Pantry in Kane in 1983. It is currently housed in the basement of the rectory where hundreds of families have benefited from the generosity of the people of Kane.

As a move toward including the laity more in the church, Parish Councils were mandated. This advisory-consultative body works in close collaboration with the pastor and consists of members nominated and elected by the parishioners, as well as representatives from all the parish organizations and committees.

On May 31, 1985, a tornado swept through the south side of Kane. Although the St. Callistus’ Church Building itself was not damaged, the lack of electricity made the 1985 “Senior Mass” a dramatic liturgy. St. Callistus’ participation in the Kane Ministerium program to help those in the community left homeless by the tornado, was also a milestone in the parish history.

St. Callistus joined in the Diocesan-wide RENEW, a 2 ½ year process of parish renewal begun in 1986. Over two hundred people from the parish met in small faith-sharing groups for the five six-week “seasons” and a good number of them continued beyond the formal ending of RENEW.

Before the winter of 1988, new exterior doors were installed. The doors on the main entrance depict St. Callistus and St. Thomas, in honor of the name of the first Catholic Church established in Kane.

Rev. William Kuba became Pastor of St. Callistus in 1992. Under his leadership, a Finance Council was formed, an Outreach Ministry was implemented, Liturgy Committee begun, the first female altar servers were approved, and the involvement of parishioners in Lay Ministry increased. While Fr. Kuba was pastor, a new roof was put on the church with proper ventilation installed, the ceiling of the church repaired and painted, the cement steps leading into the church had a heating system installed, windows were installed in the church basement, and a much needed, beautiful, state-of-the-art parish hall and kitchen was completed. All of these projects put the condition of the church building in excellent shape.

In the early 1990’s, the two remaining Benedictine Nuns, Sister Julia Caruso, a native of Kane, and Sister Mary David Lecker, moved to St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys, thus closing the Convent Building located on St. Callistus Church property.

In 1994 a Building Committee was formed to study the future of the school building, (which is currently used for Religious Education classes and Headstart classes), the convent building, (which is empty), and the church building.

Our present pastor, Rev. Philip Pinczewski, came to Kane in June, 1997. He came to a parish which was addressing the need for a capital fund campaign to raise money for a future building project. The 651 active families of St. Callistus Church feel a duty to face the necessary changes needed to provide the best possible Religious Education and Liturgies for the New Millennium. Plans are being finalized for an addition to the church building for Religious Education, Gathering Space, and Child Care space.

In the short time Fr. Phil has been pastor, we have begun a pipe organ restoration project, with completion planned for the fall of 2000. Through an anonymous donation, we were able to restore the 14 Stations of the Cross, located in the main body of the church. Under Fr. Phil’s direction, a reconciliation room near the side entrance to the church was built, eliminating the two small, confining confessionals; the exterior of the church was sealed and waterproofed; a new, beautiful altar, hand crafted from the old communion rail by Dennis Galvin, was dedicated by Bishop Donald Trautman on March 13, 1999; and a major renovation of the rectory, creating additional office space on the first floor and moving the pastor’s living quarters to the second floor, has been completed.

The Lord has blessed our parish family in many ways over the years, including vocations to the priesthood, religious sisters and brotherhood. The following entered into a lifetime of service to the Lord from St. Callistus Church: Rev. Harlan J. Davis, deceased, Rev. James A. Cavanagh, deceased, Rev. John Boeckman, Rev. Ted Marconi, Rev. Joseph Reigel, Brother Justin Bickel, deceased, Sister Julia Caruso, OSB, and Sister Denise Mosier, OSB.

The cooperation and energy exhibited by the parish in the past, creates the impression that many more changes could occur as St. Callistus enters the next hundred years!