Group building grotto for church community

SUSQUEHANNA, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A church in Susquehanna County is getting an upgrade, thanks to a hardworking group of members.

Most Holy Trinity’s Saint John the Evangelist Church in Susquehanna dates back to the 1800s, but it stays in tip-top condition with much credit to its Men’s Club.

“We started many years ago, about 25 years ago, replacing the road in front of this church, it’s a brick road,” says Edward Chianese, president, St. John’s Men’s Club.

“Replacing the altar, we put in a marble floor and wooden steps. Then the next project was to do the aisles of the church,” Chianese continues.

All the hard work put in by the club is now expanding stone by stone next door. Soon to be a completed grotto.

“A grotto is an artificial cave made of stone, usually in a lawn or a garden,” said Joe Bucci, member, St. John’s Men’s Club

The grotto will be 16 feet wide and eight feet tall and a statue of the Virgin Mary will be placed in the middle.

The project has been months in the making with the club first ordering the Virgin Mary statue back in May. It will reside in front of the church until the grotto is complete.

“Being a large church, we wanted to have a large grotto and yes, there are a lot of stones out there and we’ve aged a little bit through the years. We’re not quite as old as the stones, but we’re getting there,” said Chianese

With the help of donations from construction companies and community members the Men’s Club, that has an average age of 70 years old, has been working around the clock to complete the project by October.

“It is hard, physical work, but you just feel different when you get done with a project. It’s very, very rewarding and the community senses that in us,” said Chianese.

If you’d like to donate to Most Holy Trinity’s grotto, you can send a check to 15 East Church Street, Susquehanna, PA 18847, call (570) 853-4634 for more information, or visit their website at Most Holy Trinity Parish Susquehanna – Diocese of Scranton

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