WE ARE NOW ADVOCATING FOR A MEMPORIAL TO BE PUT UP IN THE CHURCH'S PLACE!

In the early 1800s, Henry Flannery came here from Tipperary, Ireland. He went on to make a big name for himself and eventually married and settled in Douglassville, PA.

Soon, Henry donated some of his land for the purpose of building the very first Catholic church in the area! St. Paul's Mission Church was erected in the 1840s and still stand to this day. Directly across the street from the Flannery Homestead, the Flannery family were the caretakers and most devoted parishioners up until the 1980s. Within that massive time period, hundreds of people have been buried on the grounds. Those people include not only Flannery's, but Italian immigrants, victims of the 1918 pandemic, and multiple former enslaved people who had been saved via the Underground Railroad by the Flannery's! The most recent burials have been that of my cousin Sean Flannery who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, my grandparents Daniel and Clare Flannery, and just this year, my great uncle Dr. Richard Flannery. Dr. Flannery was a well known sports Hall of Famer and Principal teacher in Berks.

Since the last mass was held in the 1980s, the local Parish who oversees the property has become stubborn. They have thwarted every effort to maintain the Chapel. The Flannery family, as well as locals, and nearby heritage societies have not only donated money, but have made countless offers to renovate and/or buy the building!

These efforts have never ceased, as the property is such an amazing, rich part of our area's history. The Immaculate Conception Church under the charge of the Diocese of Allentown however, have remained hypocritical in their counter measures. They have consistently refused to allow complete restorations be made. 

Upon a recent visit to the grave site, a Flannery noticed that some of the windows had been taken from the Chapel. When they looked in, they realized to their horror that it had been gutted. They of course reached out to the Immaculate Conception Church for explanation. It was then and only then, that they were informed of the plans they had made to destroy the building. The Church never even so much as bothered to include the Flannery's in the decision nor were they going to notify them. They claim a whole handful of half truths in a letter they sent to our family and to parisoners. They claim to have plans to erect a memorial. Their words are difficult to trust at this point and not only that, but the money they plan to put into the memorial and destruction should be put into restoring the location as a historical site!! We hope dearly that if this place does indeed get torn down, that they include the Flannery family in their plans for the memorial and do it justice. 

This is the last effort to save St. Paul's and have it respected as the historical site it truly is!

Please, I beg you, help us stop this piece of history from being ruined!

Please also feel free to call the Immaculate Conception Church and voice your support for this petition! 610-582-2411
They need to hear how much this places means to so many!

Link to donate - https://gofund.me/021253de

I thank you so much for your time!