Pastor's Message

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Website Visitor,

 

Welcome to the St. Rocco’s Parish Web site, where I hope you will find a lot of information about our Parish and the programs and activities we offer to you and your family.

 

We are a growing parish serving the Lower Mt Bethel, Forks Township, and Bangor areas. Our church is located at 6658 School Street, Martins Creek, PA.  We are just one block

off Route 611 in the center of town.  To find directions on how to get here from your home, just go to the Directions section on this Web site.

 

The Parish was established from a mission in 1930.  The original mission church was founded in the 1920’s to serve an Italian community, which for the most part, worked in the cement and clothing industries.  Over the years things changed – the importance of both of these industries has lessened in our area and the people find work not only in the  immediate Lehigh Valley area, but also in New Jersey and beyond to New York City in a wide variety of industries and technologies. 

 

In addition, we have many families moving into our area from New Jersey, New York, as well as from the Philadelphia area.  In this way, we have been able to maintain our rich cultural heritage and blend it with the new cultures and technologies that form the growth engine of our community and its economy.  

 

We are a Catholic community who work together in fostering our Faith.  The young people hold a very special interest to us because they are our future.  We participate in a regional Catholic grammar school, the Immaculate Conception School.  We are blessed to have six teaching Dominican Daughters of the Immaculate Mother. I think we are the only Catholic school in Pennsylvania with this many Sisters.

 

Given the number of children in our community, our CCD program is one of our priorities.  It serves grades 1st to 8th.  It meets Monday evenings here in the Parish Center from 6PM to 7PM, September through May.  Our Director is Mrs. Lori Koch and she is assisted by four dedicated Parishioners and four Dominican Daughters of the Immaculate Mother.

 

For youth who do not attend the regional Catholic High School at Pius X or Notre Dame, we have a youth group that meets Wednesday evenings.

 

One of the highlights of parish life at St. Rocco’s is the St. Rocco’s Annual Festival, which is celebrated during the week that contains our patron Saint’s feast day – August 17.  This tradition has been in existence longer than our Parish itself!  Our Parishioners work on a four-day Feast for the entire community, which includes our famous porketta sandwiches, crispellis, and many more summertime favorites, coupled with music, games, and fun for all!

 

You can learn more about all of the above and much more just by browsing through our Web site.  There is sure to be much of interest for you.

 

If you are new to our area, I extend a warm invitation to you and your family to join our Parish and become a member of our growing community.  If you are not so new, but have drifted away, I invite you to come and spend a little while with us; we’d like to see you and you will be welcome.

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

Rev. Msgr. James J. Reichert