• Founding of Pennsylvania Religious Tolerance and Freedom
• Catholic Faith in Western Pennsylvania
• First Parishes in Southwestern Pennsylvania
• The Location
• Parish Beginnings
• Saints Among Us

CATHOLIC FAITH IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA – THE SEEDS OF FAITH

It is probable that the first mass was conducted by Father Bonnecamp, a Jesuit priest, who accompanied Celeron in his exploration along the Allegheny and Ohio rivers in 1749.  Other records show the First Mass was celebrated by Father Denis Baron in 1754, chaplain at Fort Duquesne.

The first known place of public worship was a chapel erected by the French in the stockade of Fort Duquesne some time in 1754 and dedicated under the title "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of the Beautiful River". In those days and for a long time afterwards, the Ohio -on account of its clear water and rugged scenery- was known as the "beautiful river". After the departure of the French, for thirty to forty years the Catholic religion was almost without adherents in Western Pennsylvania.
As the western part of the state was settled, the Catholics gained a foothold. In 1784 with about 75 catholic families along the Chartiers creek and up the Monongahela valley, the superior of clergy in the United States, the Reverend John Carroll, was petitioned in Baltimore to send a priest to the area once or twice a year. Priests were scarce and the request could not be met. The first priest to pass through western Pennsylvania and minister to the Catholics there was a Carmelite, Father Paul, who came in 1785. In 1787 a Capuchin, Father Whalen remained in the area a short time. In 1793 the Reverends Banden and Barrieres came to Pittsburgh and remained from September through November. In the winter of 1796-97, The Reverend Fournier was here for fourteen weeks.

The Faith Takes Root

In 1787, the first permanent Catholic settlement known as "Sportsman's Hall" in Unity Township, Westmoreland County (near present day Latrobe) was established. The site later became Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the United States. Catholic settlements migrated

from this point to Greensburg in 1789 and Waynesburg in Greene County in 1799. Also In 1799 the Reverend Demetrius Gallitzin (Prince Gallitzin) came to reside with a colony of Catholics in Loretto in Cambria County. Father Gallitzin's mission field included much of what became the diocese of Pittsburgh. In 1805 the Reverend Phaelan established a church in Sugar Creek, in Armstrong County.

The First Church

In 1808 the Reverend O'Brian became the first resident pastor in Pittsburgh and established the first church, Saint Patrick’s. The church was built on a parcel of land from a Revolutionary war veteran. The present day Saint Patrick's church of this parish is the direct decedent of this first church. In 1811 Saint Patrick's was dedicated by Bishop Egan and the sacrament of confirmation was administered. It was the first visit by a bishop to this part of the state. In 1820 due to ill health Father O'Brian retired. He was succeeded by the Reverend Maguire. In 1827 work was begun on a new church, Saint Paul's. It was finished and dedicated May 4, 1834 and was the largest and most imposing church edifice in the United States. In 1828 the Poor Claire nuns came to Pittsburgh and established a convent and academy on Nunnery Hill in Allegheny City -present day North Side of Pittsburgh. Father O'Brian died of cholera in 1833. Reverend O'Reilly succeeded him.

The first community of religious men was established in Pittsburgh in April of 1839, the Fathers of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.  In 1843 the division of the State of Pennsylvania into two ' dioceses was approved and the Diocese of Pittsburgh was established from the Diocese of Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh Diocese covered "western" Pennsylvania. There were 33 churches, 16 priests and just under 25,000 Catholics.  In 1844 the "Pittsburgh Catholic" began publication and is the oldest Catholic newspaper in continuous publication in the United States. Visit the Pittsburgh Catholic web site at www.pittsburghcatholic.org.

Founded in 1808. This 1850 drawing shows the Pennsylvania Canal and the footbridge at Liberty and Washington Streets. Faber's Foundry in left center and Saint Patrick Church (circled) at the footbridge.

The Second Parish - Saint Paul

St. Paul was founded in 1834. Before St. Paul was established, the city had only one Catholic parish, St. Patrick. As the population of the city grew in the 1820's, it soon became obvious that the city would need another church to accommodate the growing Catholic congregation. The committee chose a lot on the corner of Grant

Street and Fifth Avenue. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on June 24, 1829. However, the congregation was not wealthy and fund raising was slow. As a result, the church was not ready for occupancy until 1834. Even at that time, the church was not completed as the tower was not finished (it never was finished). On May 4, 1834, St. Paul was dedicated. 

The Third Parish - Saint Philomena

Saint Philomena was founded in 1839, the first German ethnic parish in the diocese. It was called the "factory church" since the first worship site was in a former industrial building. The church was first located in the Strip District of Pittsburgh. Among the priests who served at Saint Philomena were Saint John Neumann

and Blessed Francis Seelos.  Saint John Neumann remarked that during his Pittsburgh stay he did the impossible by building a church when the parish had no money. Also during his time here he wrote two catechisms that were widely used for decades after their completion. Saint John Neumann is also noted for his establishment and support of the parochial school system.  The cornerstone of the second church was laid on May 26, 1842 and the completed church was dedicated on October 4, 1846

Due to the growing commercialization of the Strip District over time, the parish was no longer viable in its original location. On April 15, 1922, the church was sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The last Mass held in Saint Philomena in the Strip District on November 16, 1925.  Saint Philomena was then relocated in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. The first Mass was held in the new Saint Philomena occurred on June 4, 1922. The church served the community for 70 years, but eventually, population loss in the city led to the closing of the parish. As part of the Diocesan reorganization and revitalization, Saint Philomena closed in 1993 and the church was sold shortly afterwards.

The Fourth Parish

By 1838, the local Catholics decided to build a church. Land was purchased on August 20, 1838, and work soon began on a small brick church. This church was dedicated on July 25,1839. At first, the parish was a mission of St. Paul, but in 1840 became a mission of St. Patrick in Pittsburgh. When St. James parish, West

End, was founded in 1854, St. Philip was attached to that parish as a mission. Sometime during the 1860's the church was enlarged by a 25 foot addition. In 1870, St. Luke, Carnegie was founded and took responsibility for St. Philip. Four years later, St. Philip became an independent parish with the assignment of its first resident pastor.  The church has since has been modernized and renovated, but the basic structure still remains and the church continues to serve the congregation.

The Fifth Parish

Saint Mary was founded in 1840 in the area then called Pine Creek, now Glenshaw. The origins of the church can be traced to 1835 when a group of local Catholics took it upon themselves to build a log church.  The church served as a mission of Saint Patrick, Strip District until 1839, when it became a mission of Saint Philomena. On August

15, 1840, the property upon which the church was located was transferred by deed to the Bishop of Pittsburgh. This marks the beginning of the parish, although it still continued as a mission of Saint Philomena. Not until November 1847 was a resident pastor assigned to the church. This church served the congregation until 1866 when it was torn down and replaced by a larger brick church in 1867. This second church served the congregation for nearly a century. The movement of population from the city of Pittsburgh to the suburbs in the 1950's and 1960's led to the need of a larger church. The new church was dedicated on August 30, 1964