SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP – On a picturesque September morning, with sun streaming through the historic stained-glass windows, Saint Augustine Church celebrated a momentous milestone: 200 years of Catholic faith and community.
The bicentennial Mass, held at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2025, drew a packed church filled with current parishioners and returning families who came from far and wide.
The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as the principal celebrant and homilist for the special liturgy at the oldest Catholic church in the Diocese of Scranton.
“This is a big milestone in our history. It’s not a small thing,” said Father Thomas Augustine, Pastor of Saint Brigid Parish, of which Saint Augustine Church is a worship site. “It calls back the memories that were planted many years ago and now we can see the fruit of what was planted here.”
CELEBRATING MORE THAN A BUILDING
While the anniversary honored the physical structure built by Irish immigrants in the 1800s, the true celebration was much more about a celebration of faith that has withstood the test of time.
“Our biggest thing was to not just celebrate 200 years of a building, but to celebrate 200 years of faith,” parishioner Mary Homan said.
Homan represents the fifth generation of her family to worship at Saint Augustine Church.
“My grandchildren are the seventh generation of families who have been in this parish,” she added. “That is what the party is really about.”
Founded through the missionary efforts of Father Jeremiah Francis O’Flynn in the early 19th century, Saint Augustine Church began as a simple place of worship in what was then a rural frontier.
Despite hardships, including a devastating fire in the 1870s and even a temporary closure during diocesan consolidations, the church has endured.
“We’re the first to celebrate 200 years in our diocese,” Human said proudly. “What makes this so significant is the resilience of the people.”
Parishioner Cott Demaree, whose family has also worshipped at Saint Augustine Church for generations, also reflected on the church’s humble origins.
“To think what they went through 200 years ago. They didn’t have power tools. They didn’t have everything we’re used to now, but all these Irish people came together and made this magnificent building, and it was also a community, which still stands right now,” she said.
A COMMUNITY STILL ALIVE AND THRIVING
Despite its rural location in Susquehanna County, Saint Augustine Church remains a vibrant, active parish with weekly Sunday Mass, an Adoration Chapel open daily, and events that continue to draw large crowds.
“We have a big following,” Homan said. “In the summer, the church is packed.”
“This is more than a church, it’s “Christ’s community,” Demaree added. “It’s a community of love, sharing, and endearment.”
Patti Dudock, who moved into the area and now has found herself involved in many parish initiatives, said the Mass highlighted the church’s universality.
“To hear Father Augustine, who is not from our country, to bring his insight and faith, shows this is a universal church,” she said. “When the Bishop spoke, what a blessing! The homily was phenomenal. Then he brought up a young boy whose birthday it was – that is our future – to watch that, I got goosebumps. I just got absolute goosebumps.”
CELEBRATION TO REMEMBER
Following the anniversary Mass, the celebration moved outdoors, where guests enjoyed a catered buffet meal, live Irish music, dancing, and decades of memorabilia on display.
“It is better than Christmas,” Dudock said with a laugh. “This is where people were born and raised. This is where they made all their sacraments. It’s their hometown and they’ve come back.”
Even as the parish looked back on 200 years of history, parishioners of Saint Augustine Church remain focused on the future.
When asked what her favorite part of the day was, Demaree didn’t hesitate in her answer.
“I just think it’s all the love. People are just smiling. They’re thrilled to be here. It’s God’s graciousness in all its majesty,” she said.