Nearly ninety years of Sundays
What follows is the record as we have it so far: the building, the parish, and the people who kept both going. If you have photographs, documents or memories of St. Francis de Sales, we would be grateful for them.
A hand-drawn postcard of the church, sold and posted when the parish was young. The tower, the arched windows and the Main Street setting are all still recognisable today.
The dedication, reported in the local paper two years after construction. It is the earliest written account of the church we have found.
A first communion class on the church steps. Several of these children still have family in the area. If you can name anyone in this photograph, please write to us.
“Under New Ownership” — the front page from January 2026 announcing the sale, including the reported sale price and our plans for the building. Read the story online.
The cover of a Saint Francis de Sales Parish booklet, with two early photographs of the church and grounds.
A painted view of the church from Main Street, shared with us along with the family’s photographs.
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1920
The church is built
Built on Main Street in Mount Carbon, with a barrel-vault ceiling of metal lathe and concrete, thirty-foot ceilings, and stained glass throughout. To place it here, the builders hand-dug a tunnel to carry the stream that runs beneath the site.
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1921
The parish era begins
Mass is celebrated at St. Francis de Sales from 1921 to 2008 — nearly ninety years of baptisms, first communions, weddings and funerals for the families of Mount Carbon and the surrounding coal patch towns.
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1922
Dedication
St. Francis de Sales is dedicated and reported in the local press.
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2008
The doors close
The parish closes and the building goes quiet. The interior is eventually stripped, but the vault, the tower bell and the stained glass all stay where they are.
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2025
Under new ownership
Sam and Mike Kinsel buy the church in December 2025 and begin restoration. A new roof goes on first. An application to the National Register of Historic Places is in preparation.
Some dates are still being confirmed against parish and county records. Corrections are welcome and will be credited — hello@mainstreetsanctuary.com.
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