Embarking on a melancholy project like this is like attending the funeral of an old friend who lived a good life, but you’re never going to be the same without him. In late 2024, I decided I wanted to document the architectural beauty and spiritual splendor of Scranton’s oldest church when it was certain our parish community would not have the means to keep two churches operational due to a lack of attendance. This will be the first of several updates I intend to dedicate to the Nativity Of Our Lord Church on 633 Orchard Street, where regular masses will only be conducted through June when it closes forever.
Nativity Stained Glass Window Scranton Copyright2025 MJMelisky
I have been attending various masses at Nativity for most of my adult life, which is quite a long time I won’t admit! My first experience was when I covered one of my very first wedding ceremonies here at age 16 while still in high school.
These few photographs you see here are just the start of my work on his project, which I hope to share with the public in general when everything is assembled.
I cut my teeth in photography in this and few other local parishes in Scranton but for some reason, this church always captivated me with it’s imposing Tudor-Gothic style stone construction, massive walls of stained glass and vaulted interior dome that carries resounding musical notes, beautiful hymns or any spoken word like a world-class opera house.
As I remember, throughout the 1970s and continuing through the new millennium, the Christmas masses, especially midnight masses, were a thing of beauty with incredible ornate décor and a full musical/choral contingent. Every available pew seat was taken and everyone dressed in their finest attire.
Historically, the first small, plain church built on this site in 1847 was destroyed by a severe hurricane shortly after it was dedicated and then there were a series of short-lived temporary church locations in the interim, both onsite and remotely located in other Scranton churches which were all built with toil and fortunes of the business owners, miners and iron workers who served and donated their time, treasures and talents; leading up to the completion of this magnificent church.
The historic marker placed on the convent in 1958 reads:
On this site, in 1847 was built the first Catholic church in Scranton.
This church was placed under the patronage of Saint Bonaventure and dedicated to God by
Most Reverend Francis Patrick Kenrick,
Archbishop of Baltimore.
The Eucharistic chalice shown in these close-up photographs was donated to the church by the parishioners at Christmas in 1934 and was crafted from the actual wedding rings, jewels, and treasures of hundreds of ‘Servants of God’ in gratitude to their ‘Beloved Saviour’.
Please stay in touch with my updates here on this and other topics over the course of the next few months for more interesting updates and beautiful images.
