The story of All Saints Parish is not just the story of a beautiful building, or the story of great accomplishments, or even the story of the thousands of members throughout the years. It is really the story of the love of Christ being poured out on this beautiful and humble place and God’s people responding to His love. Throughout the years, many have been drawn to Christ through the work and witness of faithful Catholics of the Plymouth area. Many have been drawn here and found Christ’s words to be true: “Come to me all you who labor and I will give you rest.” Of course much of this work was done quietly and humbly and will never be recognized and praised by men, and this is right and proper because those who labored did so, not to win praise from fellow human beings, but out of true love of God and neighbor. Whenever we look to our past, it is good for us to look through the mere dates and facts and remember these hidden heroes and be inspired by their example to follow Christ courageously into tomorrow! All Saints Parish is the story of the three different Catholic communities in Plymouth being brought together.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish was founded in June of 1885. The original church was built on the site of the current Holy Child Faith Formation Center and served for almost twenty years until it was destroyed by a fire in 1903. During this first twenty years the parish grew and flourished and gave rise to three daughter churches: St. Casimir’s, St. Stephen’s, and St. John’s. Bishop Hoban dedicated the new church building on May 30^th, 1905, and it has served as a place of worship for over a hundred years. St. Mary’s School was constructed upon the site of the original church in 1908 and was staffed by the Bernardine Sisters. Forty-two years later that building was also destroyed by fire and the current school building was constructed. The church has gone through various renovation and restorations throughout the years, notably in 1918, in 1920 after fire damage, and in 1972 after Hurricane Agnes. The current renovations including the ramp entrance enclosed with stained glass, the wood carvings on either side of the sanctuary, and the brick bell tower were completed in 1984.


The Church of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1872 as only the sixth parish after the establishment of the Diocese of Scranton. As the years passed St. Vincent’s grew in members because of the increasing number of Irish immigrants working in local mines. Along with the Irish immigrants came the Sisters of Mercy who undertook the task of teaching the children. They worked diligently to provide every child with a strong faith foundation and an excellent education. A new church was completed in 1887 and the old church was converted into a school building by 1888. St. Vincent de Paul was one of the most beautiful churches in the area and served until 2006 when it was closed.


(St. Vincent de Paul Church, 2006)

St. Stephen’s Church began humbly in the year 1885 because of the need for a church for the Slovak people of Plymouth. The closest church where the Slovak language was spoken was St. Joseph’s in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In 1886, Father Joseph Kossalko came to Plymouth and began raising funds to build a church. The money was donated by Slovak families all over the area, and in 1894 the church was blessed by Bishop William O’Hara. St. Stephen's Church was one of only three Slovak parishes in the United States at that time.

The church grew steadily over the years, and thanks to the hard work of many parishioners and several pastors a school was eventually opened and staffed by the Sisters of SS Cyril and Methodius. The original church building was demolished in 1953, and construction of the new church was completed in 1955. Hurricane Agnes did extensive damage to all of Plymouth in 1972, and St. Stephen's was no exception. Repairs were done on all the buildings, and a new rectory was built. The centennial celebration of the founding of the parish took place on September 14th, 1986. St. Stephen's Church was merged with Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in 1996.

(the original St. Stephen's church and rectory, 1894)

Over the past decade the Catholic community in Plymouth has undergone many changes because of the realities of a changing demographic in the area and due to the shortage of priests to serve the churches. Rev. Donald Williams became the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in 2002. Upon the departure of Monsignor Vincent Grimalia, Rev. Williams served as the pastor of all three Catholic churches in Plymouth. Within the next several years both St. Vincent de Paul and St. Stephen’s Churches were closed, and in 2006 the three parish communities came together to form All Saints Parish.

It is always difficult to say goodbye to places that have so much history and hold so many memories, but the love of Christ remains alive not because of any building but because of His presence in the hearts and lives of His people. The people of this parish have remained faithful to Christ and to their faith throughout many years, both good and bad. We will continue to do so in the future, whatever the future may hold. May the love of God sustain and inspire us in the love of our neighbor, and may a new generation of saints rise up in response to His call.