Earliest records find Catholic settlers in and near the present town of Scranton by 1855. The original pioneer settlers in this area were from Ireland and Germany mostly, some had settled for a while in Maryland or Kentucky and then moved to Scranton.

It was about twelve years after the first Catholics arrived that the first Mass was celebrated. This Mass was said by Fr. Defouri in the residence of Michael Luby. Between the years of 1861 and 1865 Catholic settlers moved in and out of the area in search of better prospects. Fr. Bononcini, L. L. D., D. D., came from Topeka and would say Mass in private residences. Fr. Perrier succeeded him and looked after the Catholics in Scranton until 1870. In 1872, the little mission increasing in size move services to the court house in Burlingame, then the county seat of Osage County. Here Fr. Perrier alternated with Fr. Swembaugh in saying Mass. Occasionally it was possible for the priest to celebrate Mass here on Sundays.

After about one year at Burlingame Court House, a small church building was attempted. Two lots were bought for a small consideration (about $25) in the southwest part of Burlingame. A subscription was taken up for lots and church amounting to $250 and a part of the brick was hauled in from the brick yard in Burlingame to the church site. The building was never built for lack of funds. The brick was disposed of and the project abandoned. After this failure to build a church at Burlingame, Mass was discontinued there and was once again celebrated in the Luby home and others including Supple, Mahoney, and others.

In the meantime miners had begun to settle in Carbondale. The first Mass to be celebrated in Carbondale by Fr. Will Smith in 1875 was at the home of Thomas Peters, superintendent of the Carbon Coal Company’s mines and a convert to Catholicism. Up to this time the mission numbered about ten families. Mass was celebrated about once a month on weekdays and occasionally on Sundays. All the while, Scranton began to be settled, so the people returned to Scranton for services. Like the chosen people of old, this parish of Scranton was a migratory one; first at Scranton, then Burlingame, then Carbondale and now in 1876 we find them back in Scranton again.

The first Mass said in the new Town of Scranton was held at the Ryan Boarding House. Other Masses were held in other private residences but the second Mass at the Ryan Boarding House a subscription was taken up to build a church at Scranton. In spite of the failure at Burlingame a few years previous, the people had so increased in number that they built a small frame church. The people of Carbondale wanted the church to be built in Carbondale and likewise the people of Scranton wanted the church to be built in Scranton. The people of Scranton despite the refusal of Carbondale to help went ahead with their project of a new church.

Mr. Henry Throop, builder of Throop Hotel in Topeka gave the property which is the present church site. On August 15, 1877 Throop deeded to Bishop L.M. Fink of Leavenworth for the consideration of one dollar. Fr. Smith was pastor and began the erection of the church. The stone was donated by Patrick Ryan and hauled by members of the parish. The little frame church build in 1876 seated 120 people and was used for worship about once a month. In 1878, the mines opened in Scranton and the population rapidly increased. The building was increased in size to seat about 200.

Fr. Cavanaugh came to Scranton in 1887 and was pastor for about eight years. During his pastorate he became well acquainted the Catholics and people of the town and was well loved by all who knew him. He returned to Scranton in 1902 and died in 1903 as pastor of Osage City, Scranton and other missions. He was buried in the Scranton Catholic Cemetery.

Fr. Degan began a re-surveying of the cemetery and progressed in expanding it. While Fr. Degan was looking after the cemetery, he also began work on the new church. The last Mass celebrated in the old church was May 21, 1916. At this Mass a building committee was commissioned.

On May 24, 1916, workmen under the supervision of Mr. Frank Gilday began to tear down the old church. Ground was broken on June 27, 1916 for the new building. Work progressed rapidly and on October 2, 1917 the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Ward of Leavenworth. The granite stone had the inscription “Saint Patrick Church A.D. 1917” engraved upon it. Beneath the cornerstone, parishioners place a sealed copper box that contained the history of Scranton and St. Patrick Church, daily newspapers from Scranton and other areas, and various other items and hallmarks.

The laying of the cornerstone was an occasion of great celebration in Scranton. School was dismissed for the day and people came from miles to hear the words of the Bishop. The parish had grown to over twenty families. By this time such names as Heise, Bodine, Lutes, O’Kiefe, Greene, Murphy, Oberle, and Hamaker had appeared on the church roster. Some descendant of the earliest settlers remained as well as families alas from Carbondale and Burlingame which included Towle, Ditman, Vawter and Quaney. The first marriage in the new church was Al Slatter and Alma Hamaker and the second a few days later was Edward Heise and Georgia Bodine.

Although the outside of the building has not changed, the interior has suffered two catastrophic incidents. On August 9, 1964 a gas line breakage caused an explosion which wrecked the interior or the building. It was then refurbished and decorated to its present décor. On August 25, 1974 a severe storm whirled through and destroyed many windows and did considerable damage. Surviving both of these calamities are the two stained glass windows which were donated in 1941 by Mr. & Mrs. Michael Towle. The church has aged and settle over time. Assessors from the Archdiocesan inspected the building and declared it sound enough to hold services but in need of some desperate repairs.

Fr. Anthony Ouellette was named pastor in the Fall of 2009. Under the advice of the Archdiocese, Fr. Anthony lead the repairs to the church and roof. Unfortunately, the repairs never fixed the foundational problems with the church. St. Patrick Scranton had to make the decision to build a new church or dismantle the parish.

Under the leadership of Fr. Anthony Kiplagat, who was named the parochial administrator in July, 2012, the parish began the process of raising money to build a new church. Fr. Kip began the annual Walking in Prayer in the Fall of 2015.

In March of 2016, Fr. Larry Bowers was named pastor of St. Patrick. With his leadership, the parish was able to raise money for the new church. The ground breaking began on May 14, 2018.

Fr. Konda Reddy Nusi was named the parochial administrator in October 2018. The new church was dedicated on December 16, 2018 by Archbishop Joseph Naumann. Change is good but often hard. The old church was torn down September 11, 2019. St. Patrick Scranton is now moving forward with plans to build a new parish hall.