The History of our parish

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Our Lady of the Lake Church

Our roots go back to the mid 1920s when Catholic families in Edinboro traveled to Cambridge Springs PA for Mass and the sacraments.  By 1932 Father Harold Simpson and Father George Dwyer, priests of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, were extremely gracious in celebrating the liturgy on the campus of Edinboro Normal School, now Penn West Edinboro University.  The Mass was celebrated in a humble classroom, gathering what became the seeds of the first families of our parish.

In 1949 the families were granted permission to establish a mission chapel.  After securing the appropriate land, the cornerstone was blessed and laid on August 8, 1950, and the building was blessed by Bishop John Mark Gannon on June 17, 1951.  By decree of Bishop John Gannon, we were canonically erected as a parish of the Diocese of Erie PA on May 26, 1953, with Father George Dwyer named at our founding pastor.

Over time and by God's blessings, we grew to the point of needing to build a new church building which was dedicated on March 31, 2007 by the Bishop Donald W. Trautman, bishop of the Diocese of Erie Pennsylvania.

Interior renovations and a new roof, begun in August 2024 were completed on November 5, 2024 with the blessing of the new Baptismal Font by Bishop Lawrence Persico.  The project also addressed a completely new roof with improved ventilation and condensation prevention measures.  Further, the chapel, reconciliation room, reliquary and media room were improved or added as needed.

Saint Anthony of Padua Church

The Catholic faith was in the Cambridge Springs area during the late 1800's, brought there by people who had their faith roots in Poland.

Those early Catholics celebrated Mass in a rented small hall in the downtown area.  In 1889, these Catholic families purchased a former Methodist Church after that congregation built a new facility.  It served the Catholic families until the current St. Anthony Church was completed.

In 1906, the Catholic community was a mission of St. Brigid Church in Meadville, headed by Msgr. James H. Dunn.

At the end of 1906, Father John M. Gannon was appointed as the first resident pastor of the new St. Anthony of Padua Parish.  Father Gannon with only 265 families built the present church.  On September 25, 1911, Bishop Fitzmaurice dedicated the new church.  Nine years later, those original 26 families, plus one, paid off the final mortgage.

Since that time after Father (later, Bishop) Gannon, the parish has had a number of wonderful pastors, including Father Harvey, Father Simpson, Father Radziszewski, Father Dobosiewicz, and others.  

Recently, Father Mark Nowak, who was greatly respected by the parishioners, retired as the parish merged into Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Edinboro and is now under the pastoral care of Father Mark Hoffman.

Saint Bernadette Church

In 1950, a group of Catholic laypersons organized the first Catholic Community in Saegertown.  Sr. Mary Rita Grace, SSJ of St. Brigid School, Meadville and Sr. Regina Marie, SSJ of St. Agatha School, Meadville, came each Saturday morning to the old Saegertown Firehall to teach the children of that area.  By 1953, a small building was purchased to hold classes for the students.  By 1975, there were over 200 students in the faith formation program.

By the end of the 1950s, Mass was celebrated in part of the renovated building.  With the steady growth of the Catholic families, a new church was built in 1966, originally begun by Msg. Weschler of St. Agatha Parish, Meadville, and continued by Father Walter Lohse.  The title of St. Bernadette was chosen because of the 200th anniversary of the appearance of the Blessed Mother to a peasant girl named Bernadette, who would later become a saint!

While originally served by Monsignor Weschler and Father Lohse, Father Groucutt, and Father Bicsey, and Father Glenn Whitman.   Perhaps the most beloved pastor was Monsignor Henry Schauerman.

Assisting Msgr. Schauerman were his faithful assistants, including Father Richard Siefer, Father Phil Pinczewski, Father Mark Hoffman, Father Richard Allen, and others over those years.

St. Bernadette never had "parish" status, but was a mission of St. Agatha Parish, Meadville, later-- St. Anthony Parish, Cambridge Springs, and now, with the merger of St. Anthony into Our Lady of the Lake, it is considered a secondary church of Our Lady of the Lake, Edinboro.

Father Mark Hoffman, former assistant, is now the pastor of St. Bernadette