Bartuska's is closing

The last furniture store in Nanticoke, and one of the few remaining active businesses in Nanticoke, is going out of business.

Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice: Bartuska's Furniture closure leaves void in Nanticoke

This is a sad but almost inevitable development. As the owners note, it was hard enough selling moderately-priced American-made furniture when the major chain competitors are selling cheap junk from China. But in an economy where discretionary incomes have dropped to zero, where people don't even have the money to pay for the gas to go to their jobs (if they're lucky enough to have jobs), furniture purchases are not a priority.

Bartuska's closing will leave a major void on Main Street in Nanticoke. Two voids - they also own a warehouse across the street, though the city has announced plans to purchase that. In a slightly better economy this might be a prime opportunity for a new business to set up shop in the old building. (Bartuska's has an enormous room-sized elevator in the back for transporting furniture from one floor to the next - how cool is that?) But at this point I cannot envision anyone else opening a business downtown.  I hope to be proved wrong.

New business in Nanticoke: Coffee's Coffee!

WHAT: 
Coffee's Coffee, a coffee shop and cafe in downtown Nanticoke, PA

WHERE: 
71 East Main Street in Nanticoke
(the old location of McDonald's Newsstand, across the street from Luzerne County Community College's Health Sciences Center, formerly the Kanjorski Building)

WHEN: 
Monday-Friday 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM  
Saturday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM 
Sunday 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Nearly three years ago Nanticoke lost one of its oldest businesses when McDonald's Newsstand closed its doors. Since that time the building has been empty and closed, a sad reminder of better days that really weren't that much better.

A few months ago I became involved with an individual with a vision for a revitalized downtown Nanticoke. The centerpiece and cornerstone of his vision was the recent establishment of new educational centers from Luzerne County Community College: the Health Sciences Center on the corner of Main and Broadway (in the old Kanjorski Building) and the Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Arts Institute located just two blocks away on the corner of Main and Nanticoke Avenue. These places were bringing students to the area, students who needed services provided to them and who, in turn, would do business with businesses providing those services.

The project was eventually put on the back burner for a variety of reasons, but I was inspired with my own vision: the old McDonald's Newsstand building would be a perfect location for a coffee shop designed to meet the needs of L.C.C.C. students looking to meet, grab a quick coffee, and check the internet before and between classes. For months I have dwelled on this vision, wondering what could be done to make it a reality.

It turns out that for the past two years, someone has been working to make this vision a reality.

Coffee's Coffee is the dreamchild of proprietor Kim Coffee. (Yes, that's her real name.) I was a little disappointed when I parked across the street and walked towards the building and noticed that the neon OPEN sign was no longer flashing like it had been a few hours earlier. I decided to take some photos anyway. Having a distressingly large man taking pictures of your business with a distressingly small camera tends to get a reaction - and the woman who was cleaning up for the day unlocked the door and motioned for me to come in.

Location, location, location: Directly across the street from the Luzerne County Community College Health Sciences Center, and a quick walk from the Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Arts Institute

We talked for a while, more than a while, and Kim Coffee showed me around the place. I was wrapped in double-vision with each step as I remembered the space as it was - dodging around a phantom counter that wasn't there anymore - and drank in the space as it is now.

Candy, a coat rack, and a jukebox! Notice the cast-iron radiator against the wall.

Except for tidbits like the cast-iron radiator above, Coffee's Coffee doesn't bear much resemblance to the old newsstand. Having just opened a few days ago (a "soft opening;" the Grand Opening won't be until this coming Wednesday, March 21), everything is shiny and new, and there is a sense of anticipation and ambition about the place.

Get a load of that backsplash!

And beauty: this is a very beautiful place. There is something to see everywhere you turn, and as much as I tried to photograph every inch of the place, I am sure there are things I missed.

Close-up of backsplash

Of course, Coffee's Coffee a place of business, specifically there to sell you food and drink. So what do they have to offer?

Menu 1: Specializing in paninis, hot dogs, and soup

In the breakfast and lunch departments, there are paninis, hot pressed grill sandwiches, and hot dogs, soup, and some breakfast things as well - egg on an English muffin, bagels, and tuna on a bagel.

Menu 2: Coffee and tea (and there are already requests for bubble tea!)

Of course, there's a selection of coffees to choose from, along with espresso, cappuccino, latte, and chai ( a personal favorite), as well as green tea. (I've already been asked to relay a request for bubble tea, which is increasingly popular, though it hasn't reached the level of cupcakes and bacon yet.)

Menu 3: Smoothies and Frappes

Then there are smoothies and frappes, too - it would take a while just to run the drinks menu!

The Persistence of Memory - or, Hello, Dali!

A Dali-inspired clock is one of several throughout the cafe.

The smoothie, panini, hot dog, cappuccino, and espresso bar. Check out that woodwork!

The self-serve coffee section

There's also a self-serve coffee section in the back, near an expanded area for group gatherings. So now Nanticoke's bloggers, writers, and artists will have a place to hang out and share ideas!

And, of course, there is a wide selection of pastries!

Spoon and Fork time

Bouquets of flowers expressing well-wishes for the new business. The one on the right is from the City of Nanticoke!

Fresh flowers on every table in memory of Kim Coffee's father, Michael Coffee

The Coffee name is well-known throughout the region. Tragically, Kim's father was killed by a drunk driver several years ago (a drunk driver who was subsequently given an outrageously short sentence), and she has added many touches in his memory, including the fresh flowers at every table. Kim's father saw fresh flowers as the sign of a quality establishment; plastic flowers on a table were only dust collectors, and who wanted dust on their food?

Close-up of clock table

Coffee's Coffee fills several needs that have existed in Nanticoke for a while. Its existence is a reason to have hope for the gradual rebirth of the city. I wish Kim and her staff the best of luck in their new endeavor, and may they do business as robust as their coffee!

Stained glass windows and the passing of an old world

A while ago I was invited to give a presentation at the first-ever Pecha Kucha night in Scranton. I decided to create a presentation that combined my study of the stained glass windows of St. Mary's Church with some of my "The Churches of Nanticoke" project, along with commentary on church consolidation, closure, and demolition. You can see the images used in this presentation, and read a version of what I said, here:

Another Monkey: Against the Dying of the Light

Musicfest 2011

Nanticoke Musicfest 2011 starts TOMORROW!

Friday - June 17, 2011
5-8 PM: Farmer's Daughter
8-11 PM: Pop Rox

Saturday - June 18, 2011
4-5 PM: GNA Ed Center Idol on Tour
5-8 PM: Johnny Unit
8-11 PM: Tyme Band

Patriot's Park in Nanticoke, Pa.

MusicFest 2011 will feature bands, games, refreshments and fun for the whole family!

For details: Musicfest 2011

Kids and Family Festival, 6/25/11

The Kids and Family Festival is coming to Patriots' Square, June 25 2011! See here for more information:

Nanticoke 6/25/11 NEPA Cycling Event Promotions

2011 Nanticoke city-wide yard sale - Saturday, June 4

From the Nanticoke City website:

(2011) City Wide Yard Sale

Saturday June 4th 8am to 2PM. Rain date Sunday June 5th. Maps and a list of sellers can be picked up Saturday morning at City Hall, 15 E. Ridge St. Nanticoke.

If anyone is interested in participating call 735-2800 to leave your address. Deadline to register is June 1st by noon.

Here's a link to the yard sale flyer.

Diamond's Candy Shoppe is back, for a limited time!

One of the things that made Nanticoke special for much of my life was Diamond's Candy Shoppe.  A fixture since long before I was born, Diamond's was a place where you could get the best chocolates anywhere, in a dizzying array of shapes - or my favorite, the chunk chocolate, broken into thumb-sized pieces with sharp cleavage planes everywhere.

Diamond's used to be open all the time, or so it seemed; I never had a problem stopping in to pick up some chocolates for my friends any time of the year.  But about four years ago the store began closing temporarily at some times of the year.  At first it was closed during the Summer.  Then it was only open for a few weeks before Christmas and Easter, and maybe Valentine's Day, too.  Then it wasn't open at all.

And then it closed.  Diamond's Candy Shoppe closed a year or so ago.  It had been mostly closed for some time, but when they sold off the chocolate-making equipment, the copper kettles and other such things, everyone knew it was over.  Diamond's was gone for good.

Except it wasn't.

Just before last Christmas I was driving by the store with  a friend who was in town for a visit.  On a whim I drove him past the chocolate store, and there was the proprietor, Mr. Panagakos - unfortunately, locking up and leaving.  I tried again early on Christmas Eve, and the old neon OPEN sign in the window was lit up.  At least, it was lit up when I pulled up and parked, but as I got out of the car I saw Mr. Panagakos locking up again.  Fortunately, this time he saw me, and he quickly reopened and waved me in.  I came in, pulled out all the money in my wallet, and asked him to give me however much chocolate that would buy.

A week or so ago a sign appeared in the window of the old candy store informing interested parties that Mr. Panagakos would be taking orders for Easter candy.  Even better: he is keeping the store open for a few hours each day - 9:00 to 2:00 - up until Easter.  He has a few of his old display cabinets back up, filled with chocolate bunnies and ducks and race cars and a wide variety of Easter Eggs. 

I stopped by today, pulled out a $50 bill I had been saving since Christmas, and used it to buy as much chocolate as I could.

Diamond's Candy Shoppe will be open, I think, for a few more days, or until Mr. Panagakos runs out of candy.  I don't know when - or if - he will be opening again.  If you want to grab a taste of this legendary chocolate, the time is now.  Call ahead to the number shown above if you want to place a special order.  This may be your last chance!

Nanticoke Historical Society on Facebook!

The Nanticoke Historical Society has a new website and a Facebook page!

The new Nanticoke Historical Society website: http://nanticokehistoryonline.org/

The Nanticoke Historical Society Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nanticoke-Historical-Society/105746839496952

You can also still access the old website: http://www.nanticokepa.com/nanticoke-history.htm

Church closings in Nanticoke

A while back I did a series of posts on the Churches of Nanticoke. Since that time many of those churches have closed - and not just the Catholic churches.

At a Firemen's Breakfast in Honeypot last November I overheard a couple talking about how they used to go to St. George's Episcopal Church - until it closed earlier in the year. I believe the First Presbyterian Church of Nanticoke was reported to be in dire straits financially earlier this year. And it seemed like the steps of the First United Methodist Church went unshoveled for several Sundays this Winter without the snow being trod upon. (These three churches can be seen here.)

Things with the Catholic churches in Nanticoke continue to go according to former Bishop Martino's plan. St. Francis has been closed for some time, since a leaking roof rendered the building unsafe for use, but its formal closure as a church took place more recently. St. Joseph's closed for good several weeks ago. St. Mary's and Holy Trinity have had formal closing ceremonies, although neither of these buildings will be closed in reality: Holy Trinity will be the primary worship site for the consolidated St. Faustina parish, and St. Mary's will serve as the secondary worship site. (The problem of extremely limited parking at the primary worship site has still not been resolved, and the building remains without air conditioning.) In two years, according to Martino's plan, the continued use of the secondary worship site "will be evaluated no later than two years after the consolidation, based on geography, attendance, fiscal realities and the availability of priests. ."

This coming Sunday - tomorrow, as I write this - St. Stanislaus will have its closing ceremony. Like St. Joseph's, this will be a for-real closing, not merely a formality. And, barring a miracle, Holy Child in Sheatown will be closing June 27, bringing the first wave of consolidations in Nanticoke to completion.

It's not just churches that are closing. Diamond's Candy Shoppe is gone. McDonald's Newsstand is gone. WNAK is gone, again, not just from Nanticoke but completely removed from the airwaves. The senior citizens' center - the old post office - is gone, (The steps and front arches were reportedly going to be preserved and incorporated into the new structure going up there, but I believe they were "accidentally" demolished along with the rest of the building. The steps and front entrance to the adjacent Susquehanna Coal building, which was demolished at the same time, were inexplicably preserved for a few days, but as these were of no special architectural significance they were also removed after a while.)

Oddly, one new pizza place has opened up downtown, near the post office, and business is booming.

Nanticoke Facebook Groups

If you are on Facebook, there are several groups dedicated to Nanticoke.

St. Mary's Parochial School in Nanticoke, PA was started by Theresa Yankoski Wyzinski as a place where former students of the little red-brick school can reminisce about their schooldays.

I SURVIVED THE NANTICOKE EVACUATION 1987 - Who can forget the day that the fire at Riley Plating reminded us of the importance of Mr. Yastremski's frequent admonition, "Acid into water, NEVER water into acid"? As clouds of chlorine gas spread across the city, everyone in Nanticoke was evacuated until the gas had cleared. Even if tou were somewhere else when it happened, if you were from Nanticoke, you're still a survivor.

Nanticokians Unite!!!!!!!!!!!

John S Fine High School

Sanitary Bakery Pizza

Nanticoke Gang - This one is actually for Nanticoke, Ontario. There are quite a few Nanticokes out there, including one in New York and one in Maryland!

St. Mary's Church Bazaar

The Parish Festival for Our Lady of Czestochowa, Nanticoke, a.k.a. Saint Mary's, will be held this Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, 2009, at the Holy Child Grove in Sheatown (directions, sort of; these are to Guardian Elder Care, a nursing home located in front of the grove.)

I could really just repost my entry about this from last year. Here is an excerpt:

Saint Mary's Parish Festival, or Church Bazaar, or "Picnic" (to use the more genteel term) used to be a thing of legend. For years these were held in the parking lot behind the church and school and were three-day events, starting Friday night and wrapping up Sunday night. Sounds of polkas could be heard for blocks around, and the smell of frying food permeated the area for days. Beer flowed like water, parked cars clogged the streets in the neighborhood, and young punks rubbed elbows with the elderly. Yet somehow, I never remember any fights or other disturbances.

This will be the very last St. Mary's Church Bazaar. Ever. St. Mary's Church will be closing in a few months...technically. It will continue to function as a "secondary worship site" for as long as it so pleases His Excellency Bishop Martino of Scranton, with whom all ultimate authority for the direction of the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Scranton rests. The primary worship site will be the building currently known as Holy Trinity Church, which features inadequate ventilation, inadequate handicapped access, and a parking lot which can comfortably fit about twenty cars - twice that many if the cars are parked so the ones that are parked in marked spaces are blocked in by the ones that are parked on every other square inch of asphalt.

I don't know when the technical "closing" of Holy Trinity will be held. Nor do I know when the actual closings of St. Joseph's, St. Stanislaus, and Holy Family will take place. (The parishioners of Holy Family, located several miles from Holy Trinity, have formally appealed their closure to the Vatican. ) Once upon a time, not long ago, each of these parishes as well as all the already-closed parishes in Nanticoke held individual church bazaars. Some were larger, some were smaller, but all were well-attended by people from throughout the city regardless of parish affiliation, and all turned a profit (as far as I know.) With all of these parishes consolidated into one, how many church bazaars will have to be held to equal the combined revenue of all of the consolidated parishes' bazaars? And if there is to be only one, how long will it have to run to bring in that sort of money?

And how will His Excellency the Bishop of Scranton react when he sees that the money coming in to his office from his cut of the church bazaars in Nanticoke has dropped drastically since consolidation?

Audio postcard from Nanticoke

As part of the radio series "100 Days: On the Road in Troubled Times", NPR reporter David Greene posted a report from Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke:

Lessons From The Recession In The Classroom

...But things are different at a public institution in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I arrived a few days ago.

"I have a very full load. My classes are packed these semesters," says Jim McAndrew, a professor of economics and management at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pa. He says Luzerne is "affordably priced" and has seen a "huge increase" in enrollment.

Unfortunately, the radio report somehow manages to omit mentioning where Luzerne County Community College is located, beyond "Northeastern Pennsylvania." At least Nanticoke is mentioned in the online version!

City-Data: Nanticoke

City-Data.com is a nifty site that provides demographic information about various localities. It also provides discussion forums for people who want to talk about a particular city, which is especially useful for former residents who want to keep in touch with how things are going at the place they still think of as home. Nanticoke's entry on City-Data can be found here:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Nanticoke-Pennsylvania.html

Here are the current (as of this writing) forums about Nanticoke, and the current number of comments in each:

Reminisce about Nanticoke (39 replies)
Greater Nanticoke Area School DRESS CODE !! (32 replies)
Nanticoke Spider Infestation? (9 replies)
How's Nanticoke?? (46 replies)
Wilkes-Barre/Nanticoke Restaurants (0 replies)
Nanticoke bar/restaurant with stuffed turkey hanging over the bar? (2 replies)

Diamond's Candy Shoppe

Originally published on Another Monkey on March 28, 2005

Diamond's has been a fixture of Nanticoke all of my life. It is located just off our city square, in a not-very-good neighborhood. Their chocolate is, I think, the best I have ever had, not too waxy or too sugary and with a strong chocolate aroma, but I am probably biased in this regard.


Diamond's Candy Shoppe, October 30 2004

I walked into the store this morning and was greeted by the proprietor, Mr. Panagakos, who was still reeling from the Easter rush. I told him I was looking for some unusual shapes, that my friends had told me he had chocolate knives and guns and Darth Vader heads. He didn't know about these shapes, but he did show me some other unusual ones - a chocolate Empire State Building for $26.50, a chocolate dancing pig and dog, and another chocolate pig. While he was going through the comical chocolate animals he came across the chocolate handgun, which surprised him quite a bit. I also spotted a fleet of chocolate submarines on his shelf and asked him to get one down for me. I thought I spotted a chocolate knife in the front display case, but it turned out to be the blade of a pair of chocolate scissors. Near the scissors was a whole tray of chocolate American flags, with the message "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN" barely visible at the bottom.


Some chocolate shapes from Diamond's

I bought all of these, which Mr. Panagakos gave to me at the traditional discount given by most local shopkeepers (who tend to round down all of their prices), and he also threw in some cream-filled Easter Eggs free of charge ("Everybody likes Easter Eggs!" he enthused in his thick Greek accent as he shoveled them into the bag.)

I asked him for a business card as I paid for my goodies, and he pointed out that his clear plastic business card case was empty save for the one taped to the front - which he pulled off and gave to me, noting that the guy who takes care of printing his cards should be getting him more soon.


Diamond's business card

If you ever find yourself in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it's worth your while to visit Nanticoke and get some delicious chocolate from Diamond's Candy Shoppe at 4 East Broad Street. You'll be glad you did!

Nanticoke Church Consolidations

The final report is out on parish closings and consolidations in the Diocese of Scranton. Erin Moody, who wrote the newspaper article on The Stained Glass Project several months ago, also wrote a comprehensive article on the closings and consolidations for the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice. The official announcement from the Diocese of Scranton can be found here.

Here is the information that pertains specifically to Nanticoke:

CLUSTER # 8 – the parishes of Holy Trinity, Nanticoke; St. Stanislaus, Nanticoke; St. Mary of Czestochowa, Nanticoke; St. Francis, Nanticoke; St. Joseph (Slovak), Nanticoke; Holy Child, Sheatown:

Holy Trinity, Nanticoke; St. Stanislaus, Nanticoke; St. Mary Czestochowa, Nanticoke; St. Francis, Nanticoke; St. Joseph (Slovak), Nanticoke; and Holy Child, Sheatown will consolidate no later than July 2010 at the Holy Trinity site. There will be an additional worship site (Masses as needed per weekend with occasional funerals and weddings) at St. Mary of Czestochowa which will be evaluated no later than two years after the consolidation, based on geography, attendance, fiscal realities and the availability of priests. St. Francis Church building will close no later than July 2009. The Church buildings of St. Stanislaus, St. Joseph, and Holy Child will close no later than July 2010.

Nanticoke Historical Society in the news

Update, 2/12/2011:  The Nanticoke Historical Society has a new website, and a Facebook page.  Details here.

The Nanticoke Historical Society was featured in a story in today's Citizen's Voice:

Nanticoke Historical Society saves, documents pieces of city’s past
BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
STAFF WRITER

Published: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:58 AM EST
NANTICOKE — They’re preservationists, technophiles, detectives and, when the occasion calls for it, Dumpster-divers.

Members of the Nanticoke Historical Society have seen too much of the city’s history reduced to rubble, crumble to dust, get carted to landfills or otherwise irretrievably vanish to be squeamish. When it comes to saving records that might be crucial for charting the South Valley’s history or providing genealogical data, they’ll do what they have to.

“Believe me, it’s a rich, rich history we have in this town,” said Chester Zaremba, the society’s vice president and secretary.

You can read the rest of the article here. You can visit the Nanticoke Historical Society website here.

WNAK is gone

A few days ago I received this comment on my post about Nanticoke's radio station, WNAK:

As a former employee of WNAK it saddens me that Neilson sold the station. I enjoyed the eight years I was there on-air, and the Nightwatch was like saying "goodbye" when the station would go off the air. Mr. Neilson passed away a few years ago but he told me how he made a mistake in the sale and wished we could have all worked together to keep the station alive. Time ran out for all of us and, well under different ownership things changed.

Some good news perhaps, as of Dec 1, 2008, I hear the old sounds could be coming back to WNAK? Let's all hope and prayer!!

I do not know if the format has switched back yet - I haven't tuned in in a very long time. But as of yesterday, the former funeral home that housed WNAK from 1982 until the new owners relocated earlier this year no longer exists.

Former home of WNAK razed for church parking

BY BOB KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
Published: Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:06 AM EST

The residential Nanticoke building that was home to the small, but popular WNAK radio station for decades and launched many successful media careers was demolished Wednesday.

The building at 84 S. Prospect St. has been empty since early this year, when the station’s new owners, West Chester-based Route 81 Radio, moved operations to a multi-station headquarters in Avoca.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Sadly, when I was taking pictures of the churches in the area of WNAK - including the Nebo Baptist Church, which purchased the building and had it torn down to build additional parking - I didn't bother to take any of WNAK itself. I'm not sure if the sign indicating that it once was home to the radio station - an old-style NBC "N" logo, a holdover from the brief period when the station was an NBC affiliate - was still there. (Owner and broadcaster Bob Neilson would refer to the station on-air as "NBC" long after this affiliation ended, saying it stood for "Nielson's Broadcasting Company.")

Another piece of Nanticoke history is gone.


UPDATE: Yes, it's true. The "old sounds" have returned, at least in the form of easy-listening Christmas music. After the season, who knows? But it will never be the same as I remember it, with Hymn Time (an hour of religious music) every day, and commercial-free Sundays (with the special Sunday jingle "There's something missing from this station...it's WNAK!"), and Bob Neilson giving a daily editorial called "Another Point of View" (with the sound of a chattering ticker-tape behind him) and ending it with the disclaimer that the station would broadcast other viewpoints from "responsible persons," although this always seemed to mean only one person, a woman named Marion Dunstan Karsten of Kingston, PA, and of course, Night Watch ending every day's programming.


UPDATE 2, 12/7/08: Jan Souther, in his column "The Wax Museum" at the Wilkes-Barre Citzens' Voice, confirms that these really are the "old sounds":

The station’s owners realized that what Luzerne County really needs is Adult Standards radio and they wisely kept the music library we listened to for so many years, with a little updating here and there.

Nanticoke churches in the news

Erin Moody of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice wrote an article on The Stained Glass Project that featured several of my photos, including one on the top banner of the front page!

Erin Moody: Framing Stained Glass Snapshots - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice, November 24, 2008


Meanwhile, in other Nanticoke church news...

Nanticoke church will open its doors to Goth community with service

St. George's Episcopal Church is the cool little building described here. According to the article, the Goth service will be held this Saturday, November 29, though I am unclear on the time.

Last Chance to See: Stained Glass Edition

In 1985, Douglas Adams (the bestselling author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series) and Mark Carwardine set out on a series of expeditions to locate and document some of the world's most endangered animals. The book that was later made of these adventures was called Last Chance to See, a title that urged readers to recognize the imminent threat of extinction faced by these animals. See them now, it urged, before it's too late. Save them now, before it's too late.

It was too late for some of these animals. The Baiji Dolphin was probably past the point of no return well before Douglas and Mark made their trip to the Yangtze River, but the Three Gorges Dam sealed its fate. The Northern White Rhino was still "in with a chance," as they say, as long as intensive conservation efforts could be maintained and something like, say, intensive poaching efforts could be avoided. The Northern White Rhino is now extinct in the wild.

Sadly, Douglas Adams died in May of in 2001. But others carry on his work. Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry are shooting a sequel to the original expeditions, and Gareth's Another Chance to See has kept the torch burning and the updates coming.

Animal species aren't the only things that go extinct.

Catholic churches in the Diocese of Scranton and throughout the U.S. face the prospect of imminent parish consolidation. Populations have shifted, fewer men are becoming priests, and economic pressures are making it financially infeasible to keep underperforming parishes open.

When parishes consolidate, churches close.

Some of these churches are well over a century old. Many of them retain aspects of their original construction that may very well qualify them for historical landmark status. Some, like my own church of St. Mary's (Our Lady of Czestochowa) in Nanticoke, contain works of liturgical art that are both priceless and highly immobile, like the stained glass windows that line the walls and bear the names of the donors - many of them historical figures who played major roles in the history of our region.

What fate awaits these churches? Some will remain open. Some will be kept inactive but in reserve, spending most of the year closed to public and parishioners alike and opened only for special occasions. Others will be closed permanently. Some will be deconsecrated and sold, after their liturgical ornaments - such as their stained glass windows - are removed. Some will fall into disrepair, fall victim to fire or vandalism or the ravages of entropy.

In another place and time, the stained glass windows of St. Mary's church in Nanticoke would be a major tourist attraction, drawing visitors from far and wide to marvel at their beauty and the skill of their manufacture and the richness of the symbolism built into each image. (That fellow in the window on the left in the picture above is St. Leo. Read up on him to find out who the dog-dragon at his feet might be.) But in the here and now, these are just ornaments in a church that is probably slated for closure.

In the Hudson Valley of New York there is a tiny church known as the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. This small, simple structure is exceptional for two reasons: its construction was partially funded by the Rockefeller family, and it contains nine stained glass windows by Marc Chagall and one by Henri Matisse. Visitors come from all over to see them. I've been there, twice. They're beautiful. They're worth the trip.

So are the windows of St. Mary's.

St. Mary's, however, is not set up as a tourist attraction. For security reasons it is usually kept locked when services are not being conducted. But the Union Church of Pocantico Hills literature notes that the best time to observe and fully appreciate the beauty of church windows is during a service, in the company of the congregation.

How much longer does St. Mary's have to be open? How many more services will be held under its steeple? How many more opportunities will people have to visit this church and marvel at the beauty of its windows?

The answer is, I don't know. I have no idea. Not yet, anyway.

In The Stained Glass Project I am making an effort to photograph and document these windows, to save them for posterity and share them with the world. This started out as a personal wish, a "...wouldn't it be nice if somebody..." sort of plan, which only started to become a reality almost on a whim when I found myself in the church, camera in hand, waiting for my cousin to begin her march down the aisle. At the moment I'm doing it entirely on my own, without official approval from either the parish priest or the Bishop of Scranton. I will carry on with it as long as I am able. I encourage others in other parishes do do the same thing, for as long as their churches are open and the opportunity exists.

It may be a matter of weeks, or months, or perhaps years, but someday the doors of St. Mary's will be closed and locked for good. And then the only way to appreciate these works of art will be from the outside, looking in.

So hurry, hurry, hurry. Do not miss what may be your final opportunity to gaze upon these works of art with your own eyes. Masses at St. Mary's are currently held Saturday evenings at 5:30 PM - too late to appreciate the windows at this time of year - and Sunday mornings at 11:30 AM. Directions to St. Mary's can be found here. Stop in, attend Mass, throw a few dollars in the collection basket. On the way out at the end of the services tell the priest how much you appreciate having the opportunity to see St. Mary's stained glass windows for yourself.

This may just be your last chance to see.

In a different light

I was able to get some decent images of the twelve major stained glass windows at St. Mary's Church in Nanticoke this past Sunday. The one above is of St. Hedwig and St. Edward (also known as King Edward the Confessor.) To get the image full length and relatively undistorted I had to take the picture from the central aisle of the church, while bracing myself against the pews - something that would not have been possible if I were not the only person taking advantage of the open Day of Prayer at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon. (And yes, I did spend some time in prayer before, during, and after the taking of these photos.)

These full-length images capture every major part of the windows, which is what I was trying to accomplish. I don't know if there are technical names for each of these parts, but if there are I expect I shall be learning them over the next few weeks. In the meantime I'll just use my own terms.

For now I want to focus on the lower part of the window, which is where the sponsor tag is included when it is actually still attached to the window.

This window - well, pair of windows - has a single tag that extends across both windows and reads "PRESENTED BY" (under St. Hedwig) and "K.M. SMITH" (under St. Edward.) Anyone familiar with Nanticoke will recognize the name K.M. Smith, which has been memorialized in the K.M. Smith school located just a few blocks from St. Mary's church. Unfortunately, references to the school dominate the results for any online search for "K.M. Smith," so I may have to resort to more old-fashioned means of investigation. The Nanticoke Historical Society may be able to help me locate information on this donor, as well as information on other donors (like "WILLIAM EVANS") whose names are not distinct enough (like, for example, "F.H. KOHLBRAKER") to provide a clean hit online.

I made a quick attempt to gather the names of the window donors / sponsors / presenters on Saturday evening after Mass, but by then the light had faded enough that I needed to use my flash to get the images. Which meant that I captured images of the windows by reflected, rather than transmitted, light. So while the image above shows what the bottom of the St. Edward window looked like with the sun shining through it at 1:20 on Sunday afternoon, here's what that same window looked like at 6:30 Saturday evening:


Notice the very unsubtle stripes of color, particularly in the middle of the row of five tablet-shaped panes, and how these fade to nuances and subtle distinctions of color once the sun shines through. I never did like seeing these windows after sunset, or when the sun was clouded over. But as a kid I served plenty of evening Masses and Masses on rainy days, so I got to see these windows under all different lighting conditions.


(Note for the uninitiated: "ORA PRO NOBIS", which can be seen under most (possibly all) of the images of the saints, is Latin for "Pray for us." While many outsiders believe that Catholics treat saints as a pantheon of demigods and pray directly to them, in reality Catholics pray only for the intercession of the saints - they ask the saint to put in a good word for them with the Big Guy. I know that saints are not unique to the Catholic church, though I have no idea how other Christian sects deal with the relationship of the individual to the saint.)