Category: History, Mon Valley Miscellany, Politics || By

The continuing population decline of Western Pennsylvania and the nationwide shortage of Roman Catholic priests claimed three more victims in the Mon-Yough area this week.

On Sunday, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced that nine church buildings would permanently close, including St. Peter's on Market Street and Sacred Heart on Shaw Avenue in the city, and St. Paulinus in Clairton.

Although Sunday Masses were no longer being celebrated at the buildings, they were still in use for weekday Masses and on special occasions.

St. Peter's and Sacred Heart, along with St. Mary's German on Olive Street, became part of St. Martin de Porres Parish in 1993, while St. Paulinus had merged with St. Joseph Church to become St. Clare of Assisi Parish in 1994. St. Mary's German has since been demolished; new houses have been erected on part of the old parish grounds.

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Among the Oldest Catholic Churches: Of the three churches, St. Peter's is by far the most historic. The Diocese of Pittsburgh's website claims that St. Peter's was founded in 1846.

But according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Peter's predates the Diocese of Pittsburgh itself. According to the Encyclopedia, St. Peter's was one of seven Catholic churches in Allegheny County that were taken over by the new diocese at its creation in 1843. The first pastor, Father A.P. Gibbs, split his time between St. Peter's and three other parishes in Wexford, Pine Creek and Crafton.

Three years later, Catholics in McKeesport (mostly German immigrants) purchased the plot of land at the corner of Seventh and Market streets to erect the first permanent sanctuary. The first permanent pastor was Father Nicholas Haeres. No matter what you consider St. Peter's official founding date, it's clearly one of the oldest Catholic churches west of the Alleghenies, and possibly among the first 100 in the United States.

The present church, which would do many smaller dioceses proud as a cathedral, was built between 1873 and 1875. (When it was dedicated on Sept. 12, 1875, one of the local Swedish newspapers commented sarcastically that the building was dedicated with "all the pomp that catholics are capable of.") Though a little bit worn now, it remains majestic.

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Mother Church: Many if not all of the Catholic parishes surrounding McKeesport that were founded before 1900 started as "mission churches" or "daughter parishes" of St. Peter's. St. Peter's also was the site of the city's first Catholic high school until its students were absorbed into the new Serra High School in 1963.

Sacred Heart, an ethnic Croatian church, was founded in 1906 and the first permanent sanctuary was on Jenny Lind Street, in a former Swedish Baptist church. When Sacred Heart School opened in 1928, the church moved its sanctuary to the third floor and sold the old building to the Greek Orthodox Church. The present Sacred Heart building was constructed in 1955.

St. Paulinus was founded in 1923 in Clairton's Wilson neighborhood (the independent Borough of Wilson until 1921), and the first Masses were celebrated in the old Wilson Municipal Building or the Walnut Street School. The church was built during the Depression by laid-off mill workers using salvaged stones, bricks and lumber.

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Reusing St. Peter's?: Two years ago, the Christian Science Monitor reported on a number of possible uses for old church buildings, including housing.

Unless some Protestant or other congregation purchases Sacred Heart and St. Paulinus, I fear the future of those church buildings will be grim. They're destined to sit empty for years or even a decade until they're torn down or purchased as a "development opportunity" like St. Stephen's Magyar Church, which I wrote about in July.

Because of its history, I hope St. Peter's can escape that fate. It's within one block of the marina and Gergely Riverfront Park, a few blocks from the Palisades, and visible throughout Downtown. There's ample parking nearby, and the historic building would make an ideal performance space for the McKeesport Symphony and other groups; it would also be a wonderful place for a banquet hall, a meeting facility, or a restaurant like the Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh.

I think the need could be demonstrated. Other than the auditorium at McKeesport Senior High School, the city lacks a large indoor performance space (the Palisades is a nice dance hall, but the acoustics leave a lot to be desired) and there also aren't many dining options within easy distance of the marina.

So, do you know someone who's looking to start a business? Would they rather be in some pre-fab building with no character, or a building that's more than 125 years old?

Tell them to take a chance. Call the Diocese of Pittsburgh at (412) 456-3000.

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In Other Business: The new school year for former Duquesne High School students started without a hitch at East Allegheny and West Mifflin, according to Tim Puko in the Tribune-Review.

One mom says her son seems to be happier at his new school. "Duquesne just made him miserable," she said.

Will there be problems in the future? Sure. But there will always be problems; let's allow the students and faculty to solve those without finger-pointing and micro-management.

So, despite the best efforts of shameless politicians and a few hysterical parents, everyone got along. The "kids are all right," and the teachers are too.

Thank God for common sense and simple human decency. Personally, I'll take it wherever I can find it.

Posted by jt3y at August 28, 2007 08:06 AM