St. Teresa of Calcutta church upholds legacy of Mother Teresa
MAHANOY CITY — On Palm Sunday, the streets resounded with the sound of cracking whips and the sobbing of mourners as Christ staggered under the weight of his cross.
For the 36th year, Active Christian Teens in Our Neighborhood, or ACTION, held its annual live Stations of the Cross.
'We wanted to show our community how much he sacrificed for us,' said Debbie Walker, ACTION director. 'It was a beautiful start to Holy Week.'
Walker, who has been with the ACTION youth group for 40 years, said the participation of 35 people in the annual ritual is reflective of the deep-rooted faith of the community.
With the exception of several years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the live Stations of the Cross has been held every year since 1982.
Most of the participants were students in eighth grade and high school, as well as some youngsters who portrayed the children of Jerusalem.
ACTION youth group is associated with St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church, named for Saint Mother Teresa.
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Victor Hanley, a senior at Mahanoy Area High School, portrayed Jesus in a live Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday in Mahanoy City. (SUBMITTED)
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Sienna Napoli played Mary, Mother of Jesus, in a live Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday in Mahanoy City. (SUBMITTED)
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Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church in Mahanoy City, pictured Friday, April 25, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Plants adorn the altar at Saint Teresa of Calcutta in Mahanoy City, Friday, April 25, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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The main aisle leads to the altar at Saint Teresa of Calcutta in Mahanoy City, Friday, April 25, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
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Victor Hanley, a senior at Mahanoy Area High School, portrayed Jesus in a live Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday in Mahanoy City. (SUBMITTED)
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A Saint's Visit
On June 17, 1995, Mother Teresa concluded her visit to the United States in Mahanoy City, where a branch of her Missionaries of Charity had been established at then-St. Joseph's Church.
In a town whose churches were founded by immigrant coal miners from Europe, throngs of people reached out to touch Mother Teresa as she walked down the church's aisle with her hands folded in prayer.
A frail, stooped figure, she spoke out against abortion and in support of adoptions after an hourlong Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh of the Allentown Catholic Diocese and priests from a five-county area.
'Families that pray together stay together,' said the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who spoke for 15 minutes inside the church and another 15 minutes to a crowd of faithful outside.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta church will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mother Teresa's visit on June 30.
The Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa's order, still has a convent in Mahanoy City.
Fr. Kevin Gallagher came to Mahanoy City 16 years ago as the founding pastor, when St. Teresa of Calcutta was formed with the merger of six parishes.
He has kept treasures from the previous parishes to preserve their continuity.
'The heritage and the faith of the people is phenomenal,' Gallagher said. 'This town has spawned so many vocations.'
The Sorrowful Way
As the Palm Sunday procession made its way up Catawissa Street to Saint Teresa's, Debbie Walker thought of the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus followed on his way to crucifixion.
'It was very much like Jesus' walk to Calvary,' recalls Walker. 'We were right there with him.'
As Jesus, Victor Hanley, a senior at Mahanoy Area High School, carried the cross. Sienna Napoli, a junior at Mahanoy Area, played Mary, watching in agony as her son endured his fate at the hands of Roman guards.
The ACTION presentation of the live Stations of the Cross was dedicated to Carlos Acutis, the late 15-year-old Italian boy who was to be canonized on Sunday, April 27. It was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis.
The event was also dedicated to the memory of John Usalis, a former Republican Herald reporter, who wrote extensively about religious affairs.
'The live stations deepen their understanding of faith,' said Walker, office manager at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Pottsville. 'They are feeling the pain of the fall, the nails and the sadness of Jesus' mother Mary.'
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