In the 35 years since its birth, the Church of St. Leo the Great has grown from a small but dedicated parish celebrating Mass in a Silver Spring barn to a thriving faith community of 1,700 families embracing more than 5,000 parishioners.

It is a church of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteerism, devotion and pride, and its people are its strength. For all who choose to enter this faith community wholeheartedly, opportunities for spiritual and personal growth are boundless.

A Parish is Created
The Church of St. Leo the Great was born of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Lancaster. In January 1963, the Diocese of Harrisburg purchased property from the Rohrerstown estates of John B. Seitz and Ada H. Aungst, to be used as the site for the new parish.

On February 4, 1964, the Most Rev. George L. Leech, Bishop of Harrisburg, announced that the new parish would be canonically established on February 22 and its patron would be St. Leo the Great. The Rev. Edward J. Deller, assistant rector at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg, was appointed parish administrator. (Father Deller was appointed pastor in 1967.)

The first Mass was celebrated on February 24, 1964, by Bishop Leech. The Mass was offered in what had become known as the "Rustic Barn" in Silver Spring. The barn had been rented to provide a temporary site at which the new parish would conduct its worship and work.

Enthusiasm for the new parish was demonstrated less than a week later in the formation of the Men of St. Leo on March 1, 1964, followed by the Women of St. Leo on April 12, 1964. For the first several weeks, two Masses were offered on Sundays. Because of the small quarters of the Rustic Barn, however, the number of Masses rapidly increased to three, and then to five each weekend. The Jesuit Fathers from Wernersville assisted Father Deller in providing these additional Masses for the growing parish.

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In June of that year, architects for the proposed convent and school were selected. Contracts for construction of the buildings were awarded on April 14, 1965, and construction began just six days later. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the school and convent were held April 28, with Bishop Leech wielding the first shovelful of earth in the presence of joyous parishioners and welcoming members of the Rohrerstown community.

Reflecting on that wonderful time in a 1977 account, Father Deller wrote, "The great enthusiasm of the people of St. Leo was most encouraging as they saw the buildings going up almost overnight. Everyone had his or her own idea of how to raise money for the parish building fund. Card parties, bake sales, dances, a country auction and many more projects helped to defray immediate expenses."

The Solemn Blessing and Dedication of St. Leo the Great School and Convent was held June 19, 1965. Indeed, to further help with costs in the summer of 1965, the Men of St. Leo volunteered to raise corn and tobacco on the parish land and raise steers and hogs to provide needed income for the building plans.

The convent was completed in August 1965, and Mother Regina Isabelle, Sister of St. Joseph, was appointed the first Superior of the new school.

On September 8, 1965, 242 first through sixth graders began classes in the still unfinished St. Leo the Great Elementary School, which was yet without doors, lights, windows or heat. The cornerstone was laid November 11, 1965, with Monsignor Joseph Schmidt, then Executive Director of the Diocesan Mission Board, officiating. (For the next 26 years, Masses were celebrated in what is now the school's gymnasium.)

Several weeks later, founder pastor Father Deller was admitted to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, where he underwent successful surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. The Redemptorist Fathers from Ephrata came to the assistance of the people of St. Leo until Father Deller was able to return to a grateful parish in February 1966.

The previous month, the Rev. Francis J. Taylor, principal of Lancaster Catholic High School, had been assigned to work at St. Leo's as a resident priest. In June 1967, the Rev. Carl T. Tancredi was assigned as the parish's first assistant. Two years later, Father Tancredi was transferred and the Rev. Stephen A. Sheetz took his place. Father Tancredi was reassigned to St. Leo's in June 1971, when Father Sheetz was transferred and the Crosier Fathers were assigned for weekend work. On January 28, 1973, Deacon Robert Kobularik came to the parish and six months later was ordained and assigned as assistant. He was transferred in October 1974 and the Rev. Patrick A. Devine became assistant. Three years later, Father Devine was reassigned and the Rev. Guy D. Marsico became assistant.

According to parish founding member John Pisani, the Men's and Women's organizations of the church "were always looking for ways to make money for the parish." Just a few years after the parish was founded, those fundraising needs led to the first St. Leo's Festival, held for two days every September. Rides, games, entertainment and great food draw out many hundreds of parishioners and community neighbors every year. The church has failed to hold a festival only one year since the late 1960's, Mr. Pisani said.

The church buildings, meanwhile were undergoing physical improvements. In December 1966, electronic bells were installed. In June 1969, the Seveille organ was installed in the sanctuary, which now serves as the school gymnasium and social hall. In December 1971, the construction of the rectory was completed.

But changes and improvements were not limited to the parish buildings. In October 1974, the Parish Planning Task Force began its work, and Parish Council was organized in June 1976.

Throughout the early years, fall spiritual enrichment projects took place, like the Better World Retreat in November 1975, the Faith-at-Work Campaign in October 1976, and the Families for Prayer Program in September 1977. These programs brought parishioners and their families closer in understanding their faith, their own vital importance to the life of the parish, and ways in which they could do God's work in their daily lives.

Reflective of the parish's growing needs, permanent deacons Robert O'Donnell and Paul Bowman were ordained in June 1978. They were joined by Eugene Vannucci six years later. During the 1980s, Deacon Joseph Anders moved into St. Leo's Parish.

The parish had much to celebrate in the late 1970s. On June 11, 1978, a dinner was held for Father Deller at Franklin & Marshall College in commemoration of his Silver Jubilee as a priest. One year later, on June 10, 1979, a Mass marking the 15th anniversary year of the parish was celebrated at the church, followed by a dinner and dance at the Benjamin Franklin dining hall of Franklin & Marshall College.

A New Pastor
June 18, 1981 marked the passing of the torch at St. Leo's. After 17 years of dedicated service, founding pastor Father Deller was given the title of Pastor Emeritus of the Church of St. Leo the Great by the Most Reverend Bishop Joseph T. Daley. At that time, our second and present pastor, the Rev. William J. Sullivan, was appointed to assume leadership of our parish community.

And all the while the parish's work in faith continued. Parish retreats, town meetings, family enrichment programs, the education in faith of our parish's children, scouting for both boys and girls and the St. Leo's Athletic Association were part of parish life, just as they are today. Children's liturgies were inaugurated in February 1981. The following month, the Parish Sector Program began and is still in effect today. Hard work, satisfaction and fine accomplishments over the years have become woven into the rich tapestry that is St. Leo's.

But while parish life was full of hard work, it was also full of good times and laughter, whether intentional or unintentional. As Father Sullivan wrote recently, "October 4, 1981, was the first (and last!) Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. As the prayer was recited about the peace of St. Francis and his love for animal, dogs attacked cats, goldfish bowls were knocked over, cats ran up trees, etc. We haven't had the blessing of animals since!"

As an indication of growth of St. Leo's parish and its generosity, its goal for the 1982 Bishop's Lenten Appeal was $25,150. The following year, it was $29,691. In 1999, our goal for the Lenten appeal was $119,000. St. Leo's has established a fine tradition of not only helping its own, but its brothers and sisters in faith elsewhere as well.

With the passage of time came many improvements to the church facilities. The Pavilion, a favorite activity spot on the parish grounds, was completely paid for and constructed in February, 1983 by the Men of St. Leo organization. The funding came from the many fundraising project staged by the group.

Three months later, Father Marsico was transferred and the Rev. David L. Danneker, a newly ordained priest, was named assistant.

Several important events occurred in September 1984. St. Leo School opened its first kindergarten class and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program was initiated. RCIA is still going strong today teaching prospective adults Catholics the wonders of the faith.

Three months later, on December 9, the parish burned the mortgage to the original buildings. The $700,000 original debt of the parish was finally retired. And immediately, the St. Leo's community began to look ahead, to plan another step forward.

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In August 1985, an ad hoc building committee was formed by Father Sullivan to consider future facility needs for the parish. The Ad Hoc Committee issued its report the following June.

(In May 1986, Father Danneker was reassigned and replaced as assistant by the Rev. Samuel J. Houser, Sr. Jean Holtz, director of Religious Education, was transferred and the parish welcomed Sr. Dorothy Wilkinson, who remains with the parish as DRE.)

In January 1987, a Feasibility Committee met concerning the possibility of building a new church. But while the exciting prospect of a new church building was forming, other church work went on. The same month, the Young Adult Ministry program and the St. Leo's Volunteer Program began.

By May, the Finance/Budget, Liturgical, Publicity, and Building Committees and subcommittees began forming and discussing in earnest the need for a new church building and renovations to existing facilities. By September, David Lynch and Associates Architects submitted preliminary renderings of a new church. The first funding campaign, called "Another Step Forward" began with the publishing of a booklet to be given to parish families. The parish commissioned Kirb y Smith Associates to begin a fundraising campaign, which was kicked off with a dinner on October 3, 1987.

Within one short month, pledges for funding for the new church totaled $1.17 million.

The Lenten Season of 1987 marked the beginning of a beloved tradition at the parish, one that has survived to this day and has become well known outside the parish community as well. Each Friday evening during Lent (with exception of Good Friday), volunteers stage simple, affordably priced and nourishing meatless meals in the school gymnasium. The meals not only assist families in maintaining the meatless Friday tradition in their homes, but also serve to unite parishioners in an atmosphere of friendship and fun. The dinners, which routinely draw several hundred people, are not intended to draw any profit for the church. Any money that is realized is given to needy projects in the Lancaster area. In 1987, Lenten meals cost $1 each. Incredibly, that price held until 1999, when it was raised to $1.50.

The ear-splitting din of conversation and children at play after the meal has become the standard of these gatherings. One cannot attend without "making the rounds" from table to table greeting friends and catching up on the latest parish news. The Lenten meals' popularity is testament to the social nature of the St. Leo's community. It's not just a meal, but a time for sharing as well.

The Lenten Meals were the subject of a feature story in the early 1990s in the Lancaster New Era, the local evening newspaper.

Pastor Honored
In December 1987, Father Sullivan was appointed Dean of the Lancaster Deanery by the Most Reverend William H. Killer, Bishop of Harrisburg. Father Sullivan retained his position as pastor of St. Leo's. Though the original appointment was for a three-year term, Father Sullivan retained the post until September 1998.

In May 1988, an outdoor Mass was celebrated on the site of the new church, which would be located between the school and convent.

But 1988 was significant also for its faith accomplishments. Parish Renewal in April and the revival of the Outreach Sector Program kept the parish bond of faith strong. That fall, the St. Leo's community was instrumental in reuniting the family of Huyn Duc Vu, whom the parish had sponsored previously, by also sponsoring his mother and brother in their journey to the United States from Vietnam.

Christmas of that year marked the end of a beloved tradition at St. Leo's, that of placing two floor-to-ceiling natural Christmas trees in the sanctuary, one on either side of the altar. The decision was made that year to replace the trees with safer large artificial trees to decorate the sanctuary. While the artificial trees were beautiful and indeed safer, the wonderful aroma of pine permeating the sanctuary during Masses throughout Advent was missed by many and will never be forgotten.

A Parish Celebrates
In 1989, St. Leo's joyfully celebrated the parish's 25th anniversary. Festivities began Sunday, February 19, with a special noon Mass of thanksgiving, concelebrated by Father Deller, Father Sullivan, and Father Houser. The Most Reverend Nicholas C Dattilo, Bishop of Harrisburg, chose St. Leo's as the site of a Stational Mass he celebrated for Lancaster County on April 30. Other festivities for the Jubilee Year included a Living Rosary with children taking part on May 5 in front of the school, and a May Procession May 21.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new church building was held August 26, 1990. By October, the first building campaign was completed and indicated the parish would need to take on a debt of $1.3 million for the new church, an amount considered unacceptable. As a result, a second building fund campaign was initiated, with Kirby Smith Associates again commissioned to solicit funds from parishioners to make the dream of a new church a reality. This second campaign realized nearly $900,000.

In December 1990, Father Houser was transferred and the Reverend John Bostwick became Assistant.

Work on the new church progressed steadily. In July 1991, the cross on the steeple was set in place and in September, Masses were moved to the new sanctuary. The new facility has a seating capacity 925, compared to the 425-seat capacity of the former sanctuary.

In October, Father Bostwick was transferred an the Reverend Robert Gillelan came to St.Leo's as assistant.

A New Church is Dedicated
The formal dedication of the church was held on the afternoon of Sunday, November 3, 1991. In the presence of 900 parishioners, Bishop Dattilo formally dedicated the church. For more than 27 years, the family of St. Leo the Great had worshiped together, first in a barn and later in a school gymnasium. But now, the amazing dream had been fulfilled an the congregation finally had a true home.

Father Deller joined the Bishop, Father Sullivan, and a number of other priests for the two-hour Mass. The Pastor Emeritus was thrilled at the beauty of the new church. "It's what we dreamed of since the beginning, but it's even better than I dreamed," he said. Father Deller's enthusiasm was evident before the dedication as well, when he dressed in the Bishop's vestments by mistake. "I guess I wanted to take over the show," he joked.

Combining the sanctity of Baptism and Confirmation, the Bishop blessed the sanctuary with holy water and anointed the walls with oil. The walls were anointed in 12 places in the form of a cross, representing each of the 12 disciples.

Each year, the congregation commemorates the dedication on the Sunday closest to November 3.

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The opening of the new church building also paved the way for more activities in the already busy parish. The additional meeting rooms were soon filled with church members engaged in a variety of activities. To this day, rarely does a day go by that an activity is not scheduled at the parish. The church is truly a site for God's work in our community.

Immediately following the completion of the new church construction, renovations were made to the school. The "parish Center", where Mass was held for the first 27 years of the parish, was converted to a cafeteria/gymnasium. Also, additions were made to the school facility and included a kindergarten classroom, several Parish School of Religion offices, and a new faculty room.

In 1994, a Fine Arts Wing was built in the lower level; this wing houses the library, music room, art room and computer lab. In 1995, a temporary building that had been erected in 1989 was converted to a science lab.

While the physical growing pains of our congregation were met, the spiritual needs of its members are ever growing and evolving, as throughout the diocese. To this end, a diocesan survey, "Growing in Faith Together", was conducted in the fall of 1992 to assess the degree to which the parishes were meeting the needs of members. St. Leo's members have always taken seriously their commitment to helping the church and each other. Since 1991, a Sunday in November has been designated "Commitment Sunday". On this day, members are asked to inform the parish of their special talents and abilities. The forms are compiled and the resulting list of parishioners matched with specific skills enables the church to best utilize its resources to accomplish the many and varied tasks necessary to keep things running smoothly.

September 1992 saw the inauguration of a new parish bulletin, featuring a beautiful color photo of the new church on the cover. The bulletin was funded completely from the sale of advertisements appearing on the back page. The design has remained unchanged since.

Other additions during that time include the monthly Coffee and Donut Social after all Masses, the St. Leo's singles group, and the special caring relationship established with the small community of Sunnyside, whose residents the church frequently assists.

Also in that year, the Youth in Action group was formed to provide a God-centered activity for post-confirmation teens. Organized as a way to continue the church's role in the lives of the parish's young people, YIA served as both a social and service organization. (In its continuing efforts to meet the needs of its teen-agers, the parish in 1998 hired its first full-time youth minister, Miss Michelle Lee Loy, a native of Canada and graduate of the University of Steubenville in Ohio.)

September 1993 brought another Parish Festival, but this time things didn't run quite as smoothly. On Friday, the first evening of the festival, Father Sullivan was injured while serving as a "catching, human target" at one of the festival games. He fell from a chair, severely breaking his leg. After surgery and many weeks of recuperation confined to the rectory, he was able to return to his duties in fine form several months later.

In April 1995, the Reverend Kenneth G. Smith came to St. Leo's and for several months, the parish had the luxury of three priests to attend to congregational needs. That luxury was short-lived, however, and ended when Father Bob left for his new assignment in early June. Father Ken stayed on as assistant.

Both Father Bob and Father Ken were known for their affection for the youngsters of the parish. Father Bob frequently joined the school students at recess, for example, and made wonderful musical contributions on his trumpet. Father Ken's warmth was obvious, especially when he briefly halted the processional during Mass one Sunday to bless a month-old baby girl who smiled at him from the shoulder of her father.

In the summer of 1995, Pastor Emeritus Father Deller fell ill in a recurrence of the brain tumors that had appeared several times since his first illness during his pastorship. This time, however, Father Deller's earthly work had been completed and he died in September, 1995. A frequent visitor to St. Leo's over the years, he was brought home one last time for his funeral Mass. The parish said a loving farewell to a beloved leader and friend. The children formed a line of honor as Father Deller's body was driven pas the school.

That fall, the Parish School of Religion (PSR) added Sunday School classes for three- and four-year-olds to the classes already existing for kindergartners and first-graders. Children in grades 2 through 8 attend weekday evening or afternoon PSR sessions.

Father Ken served as parochial vicar at St. Leo's until June 1998, when the Reverend Charles Ukwe came to us from Nigeria to serve in that capacity. The parish has learned much from Father Charles' life experiences in his native Africa.

No story of St. Leo's will ever be complete... it is a vital parish that is changing, growing and renewing itself even as these words are set to the page.

The best way to understand this community of God is to become a part of it, see the faith of its members in action. Every day holds opportunities to find out what the Church of St. Leo the Great is all about.

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