History of Epiphany Parish, Sayre Pennsylvania

When Father John Costello was made Pastor of Holy Ghost Church at Athens in 1875, I don’t think he had any idea how much his parish would grow and expand during his 24 year stay in the “Valley.” Holy Ghost Parish included all of Athens Township. What is Sayre today was then Pine Plains, a section of the township, and what became South Waverly was Athens Township. The parish also included Ridgebury and Windham. Father Costello was 28 years old as he began his fruitful success here.

In 1878 Sayre became the division headquarters for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Two years later, the population stood at 800. The repair facility for the Lehigh continued to grow and by 1890 the population had grown to 3,200. With this growth came many immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Eastern Europe, many of them having strong ties to the Roman Catholic faith. And so begins the history of Epiphany Parish in Sayre…to continue reading, download our full history in pdf here.