Annunciation Parish has announced a $1,250,000 capital campaign to address the most critical of structural needs of St. Gabriel’s Church in Hazleton, Father Mariusz Beczek announced.

The campaign, called Restore His House, will make structural repairs to the exterior of the Church. Work includes masonry repairs and restorative maintenance to the windows and roof.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, the current St. Gabriel’s Church is the largest Catholic Church in the city of Hazleton.

“While the repairs will maintain our worship space, this work is also critical to the community ministry we provide,” Fr. Beczek said.

The church is a high French Gothic Revival steel frame building clad in pink granite ashlar with Indiana limestone trim. It features twin bell towers with triple entrance portals at the front façade. This architectural masterpiece boasts stained glass windows that are amongst the finest examples of religious art in the country. In 2000, Monsignor Michael Delaney oversaw a capital campaign which restored and repaired the interior of St. Gabriel’s to its original grandeur.

The campaign was announced by Fr. Beczek at all Masses the weekend of April 13 and 14. In announcing the project, he also shared that $500,000 has already been raised toward the goal.

Those interested in learning more about the project and of ways to support the effort should contact Fr. Beczek, or co-chairs Tom Kennedy and Juan Peralta through the parish office.