The oldest Catholic church in Scranton, the Nativity of Our Lord Church, recently held its final Mass. For 120 years, it stood as a cornerstone of city’s South Side, a space where generations gathered to worship, connect, and create memories. But due to declining attendance and rising maintenance costs, the doors have closed. Closures are painful to parishioners, of course, but the absence of a church is felt by the larger community as well.
Churches, synagogues, mosques, meetinghouses, and temples are sites of worship, yes, but their importance extends beyond that. These sacred places...