Welcome to Good Shepherd Church – Drums, Pennsylvania

Welcome to the “new” website of Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church of Drums, Pennsylvania. If you have been a visitor to our website in the past, you will note that the look, feel, and organization of the site has changed. Let us know what you think about our “new” look by sending an email to our webmaster. You can do so by clicking on “Contact Us” in the sidebar to the left. On the page you will be directed to, you will find a link to send an email to our webmaster.

From the Pastor…Fr. McHugh

I am happy to observe my 40th Anniversary in the priesthood. It is a privilege to be able to offer Mass each day, or in the past couple of decades with the shortage of priests, multiple Masses often. Among the highlights of my seminary years include serving as a deacon with Rev. Peter Young of the Albany Diocese, who in my opinion, holds the all-time record for helping people. Fr. Young served as Pastor, Prison Chaplain, head of New York State alcohol crisis center, and did work in mental health as well. He rehabilitated countless alcoholics, established programs where people released from prison would receive education for job placement, etc. He bought houses with his own money to provide shelter for those down and out. Fr. Peter Young is still going strong today and is certainly worth a “Google.” My interest in Scripture was aided by Fr. Robert Barone of Hazleton and Fr. John O’Grady, originally a Vincentian priest who is a well-published author, usually with Paulist Press, from whom I took multiple courses. Fr. O’Grady is, and was, a very creative thinker. Often while Fr. Barone was alive, I had him for Scripture presentations at the various parishes I served. Fr. Harold Mulrooney, who served 26 years as Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, West Hazleton, along with Fr. Peter Young, were the most generous priests I ever encountered. Fr. Mulrooney contributed an extraordinary amount of money to the Parish of St. Francis, the Diocese, and many worthwhile charities. Among the many dedicated priests of our Diocese, my good friend and classmate, Fr. Frank Callahan’s welcoming manner, generosity, devotion to serving the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital despite being in sub par health for many years and awful health the past couple of years, made a lasting impression on me. While I taught at the former Bishop Hafey High School for 10 years, from 1975 - 1985, I appreciated the dedication of Fr. Maurice Raymond, who after my first year teaching at Hafey, always gave me the first pick of the classes I wanted to teach. The great Yankee manager, Casey Stengel, always penciled in Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra first in the Yankee lineup card in their golden years, and Fr. Raymond gave me similar treatment. I know being part of Good Shepherd has rekindled an interest in my priesthood spiritually and academically. I am grateful for the opportunity. I wish I were made Pastor here at a younger age, but we cannot have everything we want. I am also indebted to the parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi where I served 9-1/2 years as an associate Pastor and 13 years as Pastor and to the parishioners of St. Patrick’s, White Haven, where I was Pastor for 9-1/2 years.

New Section – Pastoral Council

A new section devoted to the Parish Pastoral Council and its activities has been added to the Good Shepherd website as you can see in the navigation bar to the left. In this section we invite you to learn about the Parish Pastoral Council Ministry and the four committees that will be maintained by the Council to support the growth and ministry of Good Shepherd Parish. There is also a page listing the Council members, and finally a Parish Pastoral Council Nomination Form that may be filled out and submitted online if you are interested in serving on the Council.

Quick Links: Good Shepherd Events – Sun, May 13 to Sun, May 20

New Ministry Schedules Available

Ministry schedules for the second quarter of 2012 (April – June) are available on the “Downloads” page of our website.

Looking for St. John Bosco Information?

Because Good Shepherd Church and St. John Bosco Church of Conyngham, Pennsylvania are no longer “linked,” you will note that this site is devoted to matters related primarily to Good Shepherd Church. You may contact St. John Bosco by phone: (570) 788-1997, or by email: stjb@ptd.net.