ST. ELIZABETH'S CHAPEL
LAVELLE, PA
St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Chapel holds a humble history. The Lavelle, Pennsylvania landmark since 1936
was originally a green pasture for milking cows owned by Clement and Elizabeth Scheuren who were dairy farmers.
As Catholics, Clement and Elizabeth shared with fellow Catholics of the small, rural community a dream.
That dream was to attend Mass in their own village. Consider a typical Sunday or Holyday for a Catholic of
Lavelle before 1936. In order to be "on time" for Mass, an individual had to travel, most likely by foot
to Locust Dale or Ashland. The convenience of a church in town was in reality, just a dream.
Over time, however, residents of Lavelle were realizing their need for a church. The pastor
of St. Mauritius, The Rev. Henry A. Kuss, had also realized the need for services in Lavelle as forty Catholic
families were living there. On May 15, 1932 Mass was said by Father Kuss for the first time in Lavelle.
Permission had been granted by Cardinal Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia, to establish a mission
in Lavelle and the surrounding farm areas. At first Mass was celebrated in the home of George Quinton, Sr.
and also in Krapf's Hall, an apratment building.
The need for a church building was evident! Elizabeth Scheuren, now a widow, wasted little time in ensuring
the permanent establishment of a Catholic chapel in Lavelle. On May 6, 1935, Archbishop Dougherty
gave permission to Father Kuss's successor, Father William Bruckman, to accept from Elizabeth a gift of sixty by
one hundred foot piece of green pasture. The dream was about to become a reality!
Father Bruckman went to work, identifying three architects. Upon deciding on one of the three, the architects
designed three blue prints for three unique chapels. The result of their designs was a chapel which was constructed
for $4,000. But what to name the chapel, a decision had to be made!
Elizabeth Scheuren was a religious woman and a woman with great business sense. She was the chief operating officer
of the family dairy business, which she operated in a profitable manner. As a business owner and manager and mother
of eleven children, Elizabeth was a decision maker. Now Elizabeth was about to become a decision maker for the
Archbishop of Philadelphia.
Cardinal Dougherty, Archbiship, asked Elizabeth to make a decision for him which would require wisdom. Bishops,
Archbishops typically name religious buildings. Cardinal Dougherty, however, allowed Elizabeth to select the name of the
chapel but limited her choices to either her patron saint or that of her late husband, Clement.
Father Bruckman, preaching at the dedication of the chapel, informed the crowd of three hundred people that Elizabeth
had chosen St. Clement in memory of her husband, but members of her family prevailed upon her to change this
decision. Elizabeth changed her mind and chose the name of her own patron saint, Elizabeth.
The tale of St. Elizabeth's Chapel is not just a tale of a dream, construction and name. St. Elizabeth's
is a tale of people and service. They vary from large families to small families.
****Excerpts taken from "St. Joseph's, St. Mauritius, St. Elizabeth's 1856-1998" book with permission from Fr. Caesar to this webmaster, 1999
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