In common with all the faith communities of the early Church, Holy Spirit began as a house church. In September 2013, a handful of persons aglow with awe and excitement at the direction God was taking them began gathering at the home of Fr. Kerry for Taizé chanting, Bible study, prayer and fellowship. Fr. Kerry, who was ordained in 2005 in the Episcopal Church, was received as a priest in the ANCC in December 2013 and celebrated the fledgling parish’s first Mass shortly after Christmas.
In January 2014, after much prayer and discussion, members felt called to name the parish in honor of the Holy Spirit.
As we grew in membership, we needed larger worship space. In 2014 we began renting a chapel in a local UCC church, and the following year an additional venue in a local Episcopal church. But because we could only reserve space for Saturdays at each of these sites, the parish started looking for a place of our own that would allow both Sunday and weekday worship as well as other events.
We discovered our current location in the village of Montandon in late 2016. The site needed a good deal of renovation, and for a while, until the sanctuary was completed, worship was held in the gathering room. By the middle of May 2017 the entire renovation was complete, and we celebrated our first Mass in the sanctuary on the 17th of that month.
We look forward to continuing to offer the radically profligate love of Christ to everyone in the Susquehanna Valley. As our parish Mission Statement says, we “aim to embody the zeal of the early Christian community in ways relevant to 21st century seekers.” Although we are no longer a house church, we retain and cherish the glow of those first days in our journey together. We invite you to come and experience the difference!
