Faith has a solid foundation in our area. A listing taken from the Luzerne County’s Municipal Cooperation Community Toolkit 2005 (www.luzernecounty.org) lists nearly 500 different places to worship! I think that’s rather impressive.

Even before the Civil War, the Wyoming Valley started to receive immigrants. One of the first groups to arrive was the Irish, Scottish and Welsh who created their communities around their churches. From 1870 to 1915, nearly another 100,000 immigrants from all over Europe came here. Laborers were needed to build the canals and the rails that would eventually establish our infamous coal mines. Skilled miners were needed to work the mines and they came in abundance. The Polish, Italian, Slovak, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian found a new life here. These groups, too, settled their neighborhoods around their religion. A simple primary reason was so they could attend a service presided over by someone who spoke their language. Faith was an important part of their lives. Thus, the rich and diverse religions of our area were born.

The great majority of the religions were Roman Catholic, but there were a large number or Byzantine Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish. Their communities, schools and even their taverns were established with the common bond of religion. Since that time, we’ve seen lots of changes in the valley. These cultures mixed, inter-married and fused in many ways. We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining the heritage as we continue to receive foreign born immigrants. In the 1990’s, it was mostly Russian-born immigrants. As of 2005, Latino/Hispanics represent 2.7% of the county’s population (www.quickfacts.census.gov).

Many places of worship exist from the 1800’s and are still active. These are important architectural landmarks in our communities. As diverse as the religions, the styles are as varied: gothic, vernacular, medieval, and hints of Georgian, to name a few. Some of these buildings are just so beautiful that I’m tempted to start attending a different service at a different location every week, just to get a glimpse of their insides!

But this is not exactly about the buildings; it’s about what you can’t see. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (www.thearda.com) far more of the Luzerne County population claim a religious affiliation than not. The majority of its residents are Catholic, followed by Mainline Protestants (Episcopal, Lutherans, Presbyterian, etc.), Evangelical Protestants (Assemblies of God, Baptist, Christian Churches, etc.), Orthodox and Jewish. A good number cite their religion as “unclaimed”, not necessarily meaning atheist, but not identifying with one specific sect.

Living here, my Protestant family went to church every single Sunday. We always went together, sat together in the same pew and dressed formally (wearing jeans was not an option). All my friends went to church with their families. It was just how Sunday was. Stores weren’t open. Nothing was open - ever - on Christmas or Easter. Bingos and bazaars were a way of life. My friends went to Catholic schools, they were taught by nuns (who dressed the part) and they observed most holy days. A few of my friends were Jewish and one was a Jehovah’s Witness. Our parents and their parents took religion seriously and we were taught never, ever to mock others. It was okay to pray in school because heaven knows, I needed to. I can honestly say I still attend weekly services (more often than not).

It amazes me sometimes that this topic is such a button-pusher when I’ve heard that religious service attendance today is lower than in my yesteryears. This just doesn’t have to be as controversial as people sometimes make it. Regardless of whomever your Higher Power is, living charitably and respecting the lives of others is a good thing. It certainly can’t hurt to be thankful for health, family, food and shelter. Thank whomever you wish, but be grateful.

Whenever I meet someone who goes overboard, though, I back away. Extremes scare me a little. Unfortunately, it’s the extremes that get all the press.

Some final thoughts: I’m fairly certain that most who lived here their entire lives will relate to my experiences. Those new to the area should have no trouble finding somewhere to hang their religious hat. Besides religions mentioned above, you can also find Buddhist, Islam, Quaker or the Baha’i Faith in the Wilkes-Barre area. Our ancestors established a strong base of faith that perseveres to this day. So try not to judge others and pick a faith, any faith. In an afterlife, we’ll be glad we did.