Bath, Pennsylvania, October 20, 2025
Photo: greekreporter.com
His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania of the Orthodox Church in America has issued a statement addressing the recent demolition of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, responding to one-sided and distorted media coverage that has invited “speculation and agitation” against the diocese.
The cathedral building, which had housed the community since 1972, was demolished this week following the discovery of serious structural issues in 2024. The problems first became apparent when chunks of plaster began falling from the dome, prompting parish leadership to request permission to worship at nearby Holy Trinity Church in March 2024. Repairs would have required hundreds of thousands of dollars that the small parish could not afford, particularly as their priest had retired due to health issues.
Following the closure, the diocese oversaw the distribution of sacred items to various OCA institutions. Only icons that were irreparably damaged or deemed unsalvageable by professionals were left with the building. Stained glass windows and all salvageable materials were professionally removed in a process that took more than a year.
Abp. Mark also addressed recent media reports, noting that speculation about the demolition has come from “persons who were not directly involved or affected by this sad event.” He pointed out that the former community members themselves “have had nothing to say contrary to the decisions that have been made as painful as it undoubtedly is for them to witness.”
Though the Archbishop’s statement doesn’t address specific media claims, several points could be made. While true that St. Alexis Toth founded the Holy Resurrection parish community, the church that was demolished was built in 1972, long after his 1909 repose. Thus, the building itself wasn’t connected to St. Alexis.
Also, the man who had hoped to purchase the building is, in fact, a member of a schismatic Orthodox group, which the canonical Church, of course, cannot support or allow to use a consecrated space. Further, he did not actually have the $200,000 that he offered, but hoped to do fundraising. Meanwhile, the dome of the church was literally falling apart.
The Archbishop concluded by emphasizing that “the Church is first made of living stones and that the legacy of any parish community is in the living faith of its members traditioned down the generations.”
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Read the Archbishop’s full statement:
Dear Rev. Frs. and faithful,
Christ is in our midst! This week marked the end of Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre with the demolition of the building which had housed the community since 1972. This end is truly sad, most especially for those who worshipped and served there up until 2024, when it became clear that there were serious structural issues that needed assessment and then remediation if possible. Falling chunks of plaster from the dome inspired the parish to request a blessing to attend Holy Trinity in March 2024 until matters could be clarified and hopefully resolved. The assessment that followed revealed several serious structural issues which would require hundreds of thousands of dollars the parish did not have, given the small number of regular members and the retirement of their priest during this time due to health issues. As mentioned previously, water was running between the interior walls and through the ductwork itself which further damaged the plaster and created the possibility of mold in the ductwork and walls.
The parish consulted and voted on three occasions to request the hierarchical blessing to close the parish and continue participation as members of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Wilkes-Barre. This was reviewed by the Diocesan Council which concurred and recommended the request to the Archbishop who blessed the closing. At that time the parish assets became the responsibility of the diocese which oversaw the distribution of the sacred items of the Cathedral to various institutions of the Orthodox Church in America, including those in our own diocese. All liturgical items requested by the former members of Holy Resurrection were gifted to Holy Trinity. Only those icons which were irreparably damaged or professionally deemed unsalvageable were left to the demolition which afforded them the opportunity to be buried. All that could be saved was professionally removed including the stain glass windows. This process to salvage as much as possible involved countless hours and taken more than a year to complete.
Months of work on this task included also numerous interactions with electric, water and sewer authorities as the Cathedral and rectory were commingled. Asbestos in the ceiling, floors and caulk around windows also needed mitigation. This immense project was managed with exceptional care and effort, and this sad task is recognized with profound gratitude by the former community of Holy Resurrection, our diocesan Council and the archbishop. The undoubted painfulness of this exercise for all involved has been exacerbated by media coverage that has offered speculation and invited agitation against the diocese and the archbishop in response to the perceived wrongs of the process and decision by persons who were not directly involved or affected by this sad event in the life of our diocese. Ironically, those most intimately affected, the former community members have had nothing to say contrary to the decisions that have been made as painful as it undoubtedly is for them to witness. They have dedicated themselves to continuing to build up the life of the Church in Wilkes-Barre as members of Holy Trinity, where the legacy of Holy Resurrection, the mother church of Holy Trinity, will be remembered in visible, tangible ways. The parishioners of Holy Trinity have shown themselves to be exemplars of Christian hospitality and brotherhood, welcoming their former neighbors with a spirit of compassion and generosity.
We pray for the continued growth of the Church in Wilkes-Barre, recognizing that the Church is first made of living stones and that the legacy of any parish community is in the living faith of its members traditioned down the generations. That legacy now lives at Holy Trinity, which now embodies as completely as is possible the mission and ministry formerly embodied at Holy Resurrection Cathedral.
Your unworthy father in Christ,
+ MARK
Archbishop of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania
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