During this Jubilee Year of Hope, we’re bringing you feature videos and stories highlighting the rich beauty and history of the Diocese’s seven pilgrimage sites. Previously, we shared an introductory story, Preparing for your local Jubilee Journey. We then began a seven-part series that to date has featured a video feature on the Basilica of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Danville and a story on the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Conewago. This story on Corpus Christi in Chambersburg is the third site featured in our series.
Corpus Christi in Chambersburg is the only Diocesan parish named exclusively for the great gift of the Eucharist. Father Allan Wolfe, pastor, notes, “I would hope that any Pilgrims of Hope who have ventured to pilgrim sites closer to their homes would also come to visit us, as a sign that the Eucharist (Corpus Christi) is food for the journey of pilgrims.”
Founded to serve local Catholics as Christ Church in a log cabin in 1792, Father Wolfe notes that a visit “would expand the appreciation of Catholicism in our Diocese on its western frontier for more than 233 years.”
The parish campus has ample parking and sits on a triangular lot near the center of Chambersburg, a borough of Franklin County just 20 minutes north of the Maryland state line, and under two hours southwest of Harrisburg off Interstate 81. Its location one hour west of Conewago makes it possible for pilgrims to also visit the pilgrim site of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in one day’s journey.
Despite the fact that Corpus Christi’s historic church building itself is closed for renovations, it’s still worth a visit to see several exhibits in its attached Parish Narthex complex, which includes an at-grade entrance, pilgrim welcome station, and wheelchair-accessible rest rooms. It is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Sunday from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Pilgrims are also invited to join parishioners for the celebration of Holy Mass following its regular, daily schedule, with all liturgies temporarily being celebrated in its Parish Center, located two buildings south of the church. For pilgrim groups that call in advance, a guide can walk them through the parish history. See the Corpus Christi parish website for more details.
As the only Jubilee site that serves a bilingual community, the parish is anticipating returning to its renovated church for the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.
Several interesting historical notes: The Archdiocese of New York’s initial Archbishop, John Hughes, was once a parishioner of Corpus Christi. Also, Father Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, a former Russian prince, used to minister in Chambersburg, serving the Catholic faithful of America as a priest from 1795 until he passed away in 1840. A century later, Italian prisoners of war arrived at Letterkenny Ordinance Depot outside Chambersburg. They built the Peace Chapel there and were ministered to by Corpus Christi.
In the Parish Narthex, pilgrims can view a unique wall sculpture, sculpted in gratitude and donated to the parish in 2022 by an Italian artist, son of one of the Italian POWs served by the parish. A plaque beneath reads, “The living hands that embrace Christ give witness to the faith and hope of the Italian prisoners of war who prayed at the Letterkenny Chapel.”
Another unique religious artwork is “Señor de las Esquipulas,” patron of Guatemala, a striking image that evokes contemplation and prayer. There is also a large and colorful stained-glass representation of the Lamb of God, modeled after the original high altar of the church.
Corpus Christi was consecrated in 1907, the same year as St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg, and it very much reflects a traditional style of Catholic architecture.
“This traditional approach to Catholic life is reflected in the physical building and in the reverence of the parishioners who gather week after week for Holy Mass,” Father Wolfe explained. “The beauty inside and out caught my attention when I first arrived, from the beautiful, solid stone structure including the bell tower, to the simple, but inspiring high altar and other marble and liturgical features.”
“This is the third church building for the parish that has been the mother church of the region since 1792, and it includes the three characteristics of good Catholic architecture – verticality, permanence, and iconography,” he noted. “Because the church was a little light on iconography, that is one element that is being enhanced in the current renovation.”
Upcoming Special Events
The parish is planning its annual International Food Festival on October 4 and anticipates returning to its renovated worship space for the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.
Learn more about the Jubilee Year and the Diocese’s pilgrimage sites at www.hbgdiocese.org/jubilee-2025-pilgrims-of-hope/.
(Exterior and rendering photos courtesy of Corpus Christi Parish; narthex photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Patrick Brennan, The Catholic Witness
