Our History
Humble Beginnings
Most Precious Blood
In 1888 Rev. Nasca was appointed the first pastor and started to draw up plans for a small church for the growing amount of immigrants that had congregated in what is now Hazleton. The hardworking and zealous congregation raised money to purchase three lots on what is now Fourth and Seybert Streets, and built a modest church that was consecrated to the Most Precious Blood of our Divine Savior. Rev. Peruzzi succeeded Rev. Nasca and served the church until 1901. During his last year, the small church and all of its important records were destroyed in a fire. Later that year Fr. Lando began as pastor and set about to rebuild the church. Not having the funds to build a magnificent place of worship, he instead built what is now the church hall, and mass was held there until August, 1915, when the actual church was finished being built. In 1921 Fr. Molino arrived and served the parish for fortysix years, during that time he beatified the cemetery, turning it into a landmark for greater Hazleton, instituted a parish school, and saw the building of the beautiful grotto standing outside of the church today. In 1967, in memory of Monsignor Molino's many accomplishments for the parish, a small park across from the church with statue of him when he first came to the country 1921 was dedicated. In 1980 the pastor, Rev. Gugliemelli , began to make plans the renovation of the current church, including the mosaic over the alter, the wood carving of the holy family in the front of the church, and the baptism font, among other things. In 1983 the church was finally completed to look the way it does today.
Our Lady of Grace
The migration of Italian families from the Cilento region of Italy to the Hazleton area in the 1880’s grew slowly but surely when at last, these families petitioned the Bishop of Scranton to build a site of worship to serve their spiritual needs. In 1885, The Bishop of Scranton assigned Father Girimondo to serve the community of what was to become Most Precious Blood Parish. A converted room of a home located on Fourth and Carson streets served as the site of worship until it relocated to a modest wooden church located on Fourth and Sybert streets during the pastorate of Father Rosario Nasca. Then, in 1901, the wooden church was destroyed by fire and Father Dominic Landro began construction of the basement level of the current church structure.
During this period, the parishioners of Most Precious Blood living in the northwest section of Hazleton petitioned the Bishop of Scranton to build another church to serve the needs of some 90 families living in this part of the city. The request for a new parish was granted in 1909 and Father Dominic Landro was assigned as pastor. Now, with over 250 families in the parish, Father Landro sought to build a church which was a wooden structure that stood on the corner of Vine and Twelfth streets. In August of 1910, the church was completed and dedicated under the name of Santa Maria Incoronata.
Father Lino Cembran followed Father Landro as pastor in 1916 and served until 1922. Father Joseph Gotti succeeded Father Cembran in 1922 and to his credit, built the current church on Vine and Twelfth streets with the corner stone reading, “Santa Maria delle Gracie.” When construction of the new church began, the original church was relocated to the corner of Twelfth and Emerald Court, a structure that continued to serve the parish for different functions even after the new church was dedicated. Father Gotti passed away in 1945 and rests in peace at Our Lady of Grace Cemetery. Father Gotti was instrumental in growing the parish with the assistance of many parishioners’ time, talent and treasure.
Father Gotti’s successor, Father Francis Mussari continued to help the parish grow with many successful endeavors; a parish which is known by some as Mother of Grace but to others as Our Lady of Grace Parish. Father Mussari built two parish schools, a convent, a rectory and a larger church sacristy. Many social outreach groups formed under Father Mussari’s pastoral leadership, and the annual festival to the honor of Saint Mauro grew exponentially with Father Mussari’s guidance.
Monsignor Mussari retired in 1985 from Our Lady of Grace Parish and when he passed away in 1988, his funeral was celebrated in Our Lady of Grace Church with great recognition for all he had given so generously and courageously. Father Martin Gaiardo succeeded Monsignor Mussari at a time when the parish census record showed 1300 families and 4000 parishioners of Our Lady of Grace. In 1995, Father Gaiardo was succeeded by Monsignor Neil Gugliemelli, a native son of the parish, who labored generously in the parish until 2001. Father Thomas Cappelloni was assigned as pastor in 2001 and picked up the torch from his predecessors in leading the parish into the new century under his guidance until his retirement in 2012. Just prior to his retirement, Father Cappelloni oversaw the parish leadership and parishioners of Saint Nazarius in Pardeesville, Saint Mary in Lattimer and Sacred Heart of Jesus Shrine (Saint Rafael) in Harleigh and Our Lady of Grace Parishes in the process of consolidation and the ceremonial inauguration of the current Queen of Heaven Parish.
