Worship services go on at mountain churches
Hymns will be sung and prayers offered at mountain-area churches Sunday morning. For some, it will be worship as usual, but others will feel the effects of the 84 Lumber Classic, as thousands converge on Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa for the PGA golf tournament.
Like other events at the resort, the tournament is expected to bring visitors to St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church, located on Route 40 a few miles west of the resort.
Nemacolin Woodlands provides information about local churches to visitors. In addition, several of the golfers in the tournament, as they do at other PGA Tour stops, met during the week with a chaplain for Bible study.
“I can’t predict the number, but we usually get people from Nemacolin. The last (tournament), we had participants here. It usually helps the attendance, and they have been very generous,’ said the Rev. Paul Whalen, pastor.
St. Joan will offer Masses today at 8 and 11 a.m. Whalen said that attendance at Masses usually goes up 10 to 15 percent during the entire tourist season, from Memorial Day to the end of the fall foliage season. In addition, a number of people stop to visit the shrine to Our Lady of the Mountain at St. Joan, which is the only Roman Catholic Church on the mountain.
In fact, Whalen said the church was thinking of having some things written in Spanish for visitors, who have included a woman from Argentina who asked the priest for a blessing.
Celebrity guests to St. Joan have included the Rooney family, owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jim Leyland, former manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.
“Some sign the guest book, some don’t. I can’t remember them all,’ Whalen said.
One guest from Nemacolin Woodlands who did make an impression was comedian Joe Piscopo, who performed at this past spring’s Royal Reception.
“He came to the sacristy and talked to me after Mass. I had a joke in my homily, and he asked if he could use it. He was friendly and warm. He took extra measures to stop and talk to me,’ said Whalen. “Most of them, I think, have to go out of their way to attend Mass at an event like that, so it says that religion means something to them.’
Sansom Chapel, located on Route 40 in Farmington near the resort, closed down last year in anticipation of traffic problems, according to the Rev. Terry Collins.
In particular, officials worried that Collins, who travels a United Methodist charge, wouldn’t be able to make the services. Each Sunday, Collins leads services at Sugar Loaf in Ohiopyle at 8:45 a.m., and then travels to Sansom in Farmington for worship at 9:50 a.m. and then on to Chalk Hill for a service at 11 a.m.
“I’m like the old circuit rider,’ Collins said.
In 2003, officials decided three weeks before the tournament began to cancel Sansom’s worship service for that Sunday. But, Collins noted, “Last year, it was a rainy season and traffic was not what we expected.’
This year, Collins said, Sansom was expected to remain open for Sunday worship, with someone on site leading the service. Although the traffic expectations forced some changes last year, Collins said he doesn’t want to appear negative about the tournament, and noted the situation is a matter of geography. In fact, Collins said, “We have visitors from Nemacolin all summer.
“We really need a nice day to see how it will affect us. We really can’t tell.’
But the tournament means no change in visitation for Christ Lutheran Chapel in Chalk Hill and Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Farmington. Pastors for the churches said last year’s tournament brought no increase in attendance.
“I didn’t notice anybody new coming to our church,’ said the Rev. Paul N. Frank Jr., who pastors Christ Lutheran Chapel as well as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Uniontown.
Christ Lutheran Chapel, located on Chalk Hill-Ohiopyle Road, offers worship on Saturdays at 7 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through the first Saturday in October.
“We average about 30 people up there, basically,’ said Frank. “It’s a small beautiful setting. We’ve had a couple of visitors, eight to 10 over the summer. Two years ago, people were biking across country to Washington, D.C., and 15 to 20 stopped in for worship.’
The Rev. John Bodine said Mount Calvary, located on Dinner Bell and Five Forks Road, has worship at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today.
“We’re a pretty small church. We’re located a mile from Route 40,’ Bodine said. “We have received a few visitors this summer – not a lot.’