WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It's the end of an era Sunday for one of the oldest houses of worship in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday afternoon for the final mass at the iconic church in Wilkes-Barre and reflected on its nearly two centuries of history.
It was more than two months ago when church leaders recommended Saint Mary's of the Immaculate Conception Church close its doors and on Sunday, that day finally arrived.
As sunlight shined through stained glass windows, voices in song echoed one last time inside Saint Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception.
The rejoicing of faith was accompanied by sorrow.
"I feel very sad to see what was, traditionally, the mother church of Luzerne County, close," said Saint Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception parishioner Eileen Melone.
Melone has been a parishioner here for more than 50 years.
Like many, she celebrated baptisms, weddings, and confirmations at this beloved church.
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"It's hard but, you know what, life goes on, and we will do what we have to do," Melone continued.
The beginning of the end came when Saint Mary's merged with Saint Nicholas Church in 2023 to form one parish.
Since that merger, there has not been enough money, church staffing, or parishioners to keep both churches open.
Saint Mary's was founded in 1845 along South Washington Street.
To say it's history runs deep is an understatement. It opened nearly two decades before the Civil War started.
"This was the downtown: Church people came from the courthouse, business people would come for holy days, so we go back, a long way with the church," Melone added.
Back so far, it came after railroads were first built in the 1920s, before cars were invented, and during James Knox Polk's term as the 11th President of the United States.
"This was our church and it meant a lot to us," said Mary Elizabeth O'Conner, former parishioner, Saint Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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For O'Connor, a specific day in 1955 stands out.
"I think the day I was the Queen of the May. That was a great honor and I'll always appreciate that," O'Connor explained.
Sunday's mass included closing rituals with a blessing before the statue of Mary and at the baptismal pool, the altar, and the ambo.
People venerated the altar with a touch or a kiss.
They then gathered outside where the doors were shut and a ribbon was tied by one of the church's oldest parishioners.
Melone says it's a chapter that is difficult to close but the legacy here will live on forever.
"I'm going to remember all the happy times I experienced in this church. My faith is the fabric of my life," Melone said.
Following the mass, people processed with the eucharist to Saint Nicholas Church a block away on South Washington Street.
Parishioners from both churches will now attend mass.
