Mr. Wolfgang Erhart, along with his immediate family, first came to
Erie in 1928. They were one of the first prominent German Catholic
families to settle in the area, and Erhart served the community as a
prominent business owner for the majority of his life in the city. For
many years he managed an equestrian tack shop at the intersection of
State and Tenth, and soon a community of similar ethnicity and faith
began to crop up in the region. The Erharts and other families in the
area decided to unite together in order to form one congregation in
1933, and Father Mosquelette gave the first mass in a log house
belonging to Mr. Erhart soon after.
It would not be until 1937 that a lot was bought to serve as a more
permanent residence for the congregation. A small parcel of land was
purchased by the community of German Catholics on Ninth and German
streets, and the first St. Mary’s Church would be completed on that
spot in 1839. On August 2nd, 1840, the church was officially blessed
and named by Fr. Ivo Levitz. This incarnation of St. Mary’s Church
served the German Catholic community well into the 1850’s and served as
a staple of community and faith for those who were just entering into
American society.
The modern building was built from 1853 to 1855 out of the
parishioners’ pockets. Upon the completion of the project, the church’s
onion-candle domed towers stood as a focal point on the Erie landscape,
looming over the community as a symbol of faith and ethnic unity. After
the project was completed, the arrival of the Benedictine Sisters would
only serve to further advance the blossoming church and its
congregation. Attempting to cross through Erie toward Minnesota, the
four Bavarian Benedictine Sisters were persuaded to stay and aid St.
Mary’s parish school. In 1859 a motherhouse was built adjacent to the
church for the sisters, allowing them to serve the church and encourage
the community for an elongated time of worship and spiritual education.
St. Benedict’s Academy, the motherhouse, was in use for over 100 years
until another was constructed in 1970. The sisters continue the
tradition of spiritual outreach and education into the present day, and
their work remains exceedingly important in the face of Erie’s poverty
and secularism of the modern age.
There are a multitude of ministries that the Benedictine Sisters
continually offer the city, including the Saint Benedict Child
Development Center, Saint Benedict Educational Center, the Neighborhood
Art House, Emmaus Ministries and Soup Kitchen, and many more. The
church and its affiliated Benedictine Sisters are a foundation of the
surrounding community, offering spiritual support for those in need and
continuing the faithful traditions of Mr. Wolfgang Erhart and the
original German Catholic settlers of the 19th century.
Unfortunately, St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church closed on June
26th, 2015. They merged with the traditionally polish St. Stanislaus
Catholic Church on East 13th Street earlier this year due to financial
burdens and a dwindling congregation. It was no longer practical for
the church to stay open under these conditions, and St. Stanislaus has
welcomed the parishioners with open arms. Luckily, the Benedictine
Sisters are continuing their educational efforts in Erie and are still
devoted to the needs of city citizens.
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