St. Patrick Church in Milford will celebrate groundbreaking for the construction of a new church on Sunday, Oct. 2. The celebration will begin with Mass at 11 a.m. followed immediately by the groundbreaking ceremony (approximately 12:15 p.m.).

Father Richard J. Loch, Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Pastoral Region of the Diocese of Scranton, will represent Bishop Joseph F. Martino at the event. Father Loch will be the principal celebrant of the Mass and preside at the ceremony to follow.

St. Patrick is one of the five Catholic parishes in Pike County, the fastest-growing county in the state of Pennsylvania. The parish has also experienced dramatic growth increasing, from 200 households in 1988 to over 750 in 2005. The new church is necessary to accommodate the growing congregation, according to the pastor, Very Rev. Gerald F. Mullally, V.F.

The cost of the new church is estimated to be $3.2 million. Parishioners have already pledged more than $1.2 million in support of the project.