USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > A history of the Catholic church in the dioceses of Pittsburg and Allegheny from its establishment to the present time > Part 12
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ST. JOHN'S CHURCH ENLARGED.
have become still more numerous had it not been for the opening of a chapel at the Passionist Monastery, on the hill overlooking the town, and another at the seminary, which drew off a number of families near Six Mile Ferry, on the Monongahela. Still the church was too small, and it was necessary to enlarge it. As a preliminary step, additional lots were purchased adjoining the church, on which, in 1861, a commodious and substantial brick school-house was built, to permit the schools to be transferred from the basement of the church. The plane of the floor was then lowered, and the whole sacred edifice entirely remodelled. This done, it was rededicated by Bishop Domenec April 2d, 1865. Not long before this time an assistant was assigned to the pastor, an arrangement that still continues to exist.
The pastoral residence, which was too small and by no means prepossessing in appearance, was next enlarged and re- modelled, and it is now a credit to the congregation and a comfortable home for the pastor. During the years immedi- ately after the close of the rebellion the congregation increased very rapidly. But the erection of St. Malachy's Church in 1869 drew off a large number of families from the western extremity ; and later St. Peter's German Church may also have taken a few from the eastern. The church was yet too small, and an enlargement became necessary. It was under- taken in 1872, when an addition was put to the front, making the church 110 feet in length by 55 in width. At the same time a tower was erected to the left of the entrance, which greatly improved the appearance of the edifice. The building is brick, with the front coated with cement, and pointed in imitation of stone, and approaches more nearly to the Gothic than to any other style of architecture. There are three beautiful altars, and a gallery over the entrance. The interior has been neatly frescoed.
The duty of ministering to the Catholic inmates of the Poor House at City Farm, a few miles up the Monongahela River, devolves upon the pastor of St. John's.
In 1856 the Sisters of Mercy took charge of the school, . and continued to teach it until the erection of the new orphan asylum in 1867, when they withdrew from the South Side,
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ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
and were succeeded by the Sisters of St. Francis. These in turn gave place to the Sisters of Charity, from Altoona, for whom a home was purchased adjoining the pastoral residence in June, 1876, which they took possession of on the 8th of August of the same year.
Of the English congregations of the diocese St. John's is the second in size, and will number almost, if not quite, 1000 families. It was at one time the intention to erect a church in the eastern part of the South Side, and had it not been for the financial crisis of 1873 it would have been done. It is needed, and cannot be deferred for any great length of time. St. John's congregation will continue to increase with the growth of the city.
ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
When St. Michael's Ecclesiastical Seminary was trans- ferred to Glenwood, on the eastern bank of the Monongahela River about five miles from its mouth, in September, 1857, a chapel was opened for the accommodation of the Catholics living in the neighborhood. Prior to that date they heard Mass at the Cathedral or at St. John's Church. At first one of the larger halls was fitted up for a chapel; but in 1862, when the congregation had increased, an additional wing was built to the seminary, the lower story of which became a perma- nent chapel. A considerable congregation was soon formed, consisting principally of laborers from the Frankstown fur- naces and miners from the opposite side of the river at Six Mile Ferry. One of the priests connected with the seminary was pastor. Soon the congregation became too large for the chapel, many families having purchased lots and built in the vicinity after the construction of the railroad in 1862. Be- sides, it was from the beginning a temporary arrangement, and to those acquainted with the requirements of an ecclesias- tical seminary by no means desirable.
To apply a remedy at once to both evils, Rev. S. Wall, president of the seminary, purchased a large lot at Grove Station, more than half a mile below the seminary, in Febru- ary, 1867, as a site for a church. For the next two years
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DEATH OF REV. P. M. WARD.
nothing further was done than collecting money to pay for the lot ; but at the end of that time Rev. P. M. Ward was transferred from Alpsville to the seminary, and appointed pastor of the congregation. Work was begun on the new church in the summer of 1870, and the corner-stone was laid by the Bishop on the 13th of November. The dedication did not take place, however, until May 5th, 1872, when it was performed by the same prelate with unusual pomp. The church, which is brick, is about 90 feet in length by 45 in width, and has a short tower at the left front through which the entrance is made. The church differs in style from all the others in the diocese, but is one of the most beautiful. The ceiling follows the pitch of the roof, and is finished in wood. The main altar stands in an arched recess, with the sacristies on either side. The finish of the interior, especially of the woodwork, is in a high style of art. After the comple- tion of the building, Father Ward erected a small brick pas- toral residence, and removed from the seminary, where he had held a professorship for many years ; and it was not without feelings of regret on the part of all that he was seen to withdraw. But his health was so much impaired by his untiring devotion to his many duties that it became necessary for him to relinquish part of them. But in the summer of 1874 it began to decline so rapidly as to excite the liveliest apprehensions of his friends ; and despite the skill and atten- tion of his physicians he continued to decline, till, after a pro- tracted illness, he gave up his pure soul to God on the morn- ing of November 26th. The funeral was attended by more than fifty priests, and the remains were deposited in St. Mary's Cemetery.
REV. PATRICK MARTIN WARD was a native of Ireland, but was brought to this country by his parents, who emigrated in his infancy and settled at Hollidaysburg. Here he spent his youth and commenced his studies. At a suitable age he was sent to St. Vincent's College, Westmoreland County, where he remained until the fall of 1856, when he entered St. Mich- ael's Seminary, then opened at Summitville. He came with it to Glenwood when the seminary was transferred thither, a year later, and in the spring of 1860 was sent to Rome to
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CHANGE OF PASTORS AT ST. STEPHEN S.
finish his course in the American College. He was ordained by Cardinal Patrizi September 19th, 1863, but did not return to America until the following June. At the opening of the September session at the seminary he was appointed Profes- sor of Dogmatic Theology and Ecclesiastical History, which he continued to teach with but little interruption till within a short time before his death. In connection with this he was for a time assistant to Father Mullen at St. Peter's Church, Allegheny, and was afterwards appointed pastor of Alpsville, where he built a church, as we shall see further on. He was finally transferred to St. Stephen's, from which he was called to his reward in the 37th year of his age. In stature he was a little above medium, slender and erect, and in appearance and deportment, in mind and heart, he was a model priest.
Rev. John Ward, younger brother of the deceased, suc- ceeded him at St. Stephen's, where he remained until April, 1876, when it fell to the lot of Father Wall, of the seminary. In January, 1878, he gave place to Rev. M. Ryan, and he, in July, 1879, to the present pastor, Rev. Daniel Devlin.
About the year 1866 a lot was purchased in Frankstown, about two miles below the seminary, where the greater part of the congregation resided; and a school-house was soon af- ter built upon it. A school was opened by a lady teacher, and continued until the circumstances of the congregation forced it to be closed in the summer of 1876.
The financial crisis of 1873 fell heavily on St. Stephen's. The greater part of the people were thrown out of employ- ment, and many of them were forced to go elsewhere; and the church, which was a great undertaking had prosperity continued, was left deeply in debt. Not without the greatest difficulty, and by means of assistance from other places, will it be able to clear itself, and this cannot be for many years. The congregation is smaller than it was when the church was built, and will number no more perhaps than one hundred and fifty families, few of which are in independent circum- stances. But it must increase in time and even become large.
The territory embraced within the congregation was re- ceived into the city January Ist, 1867, and now forms the eastern wards.
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ST. AGNES' CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
ST. AGNES' CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
St. Agnes' was the first of the congregations more re- cently formed from that of the Cathedral. The impulse given to trade and manufacture during the war and immedi- ately after its close accelerated the building up of all the sub- urbs, but of none more rapidly than of Soho and Oakland. The Catholic population being thus increased, and the dis- tance to the Cathedral being considerable, the people re- quested that a church should be erected in their midst. Their request was complied with by the rector of the Cathedral, who purchased a site near Oakland in the spring of 1868. But the ground, being too steep for building purposes, was re. jected. In April of the same year Rev. James Holland, then assistant at the Cathedral, was appointed pastor of the pro- spective congregation. His first step was to lease a small building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Soho Street, which he fitted up for a temporary church. While organizing the congregation he lodged at the Cathedral. But failing health obliged him to seek a less arduous mission, and he was succeed- ed July 20th by Rev. W. A. Burke, also of the Cathedral. Adopting the plan of his predecessor, he purchased a lot on the right of Fifth Avenue, almost two miles east of the Point and about four squares from the Monongahela. Of the buildings, all of which were old and ill-looking, he fitted up one for a church, another for a school, and a third for a resi- dence, which purpose the last still serves. The lot is not level, but is the best that could be had in a central locality.
The congregation increased not only by additions to the laboring class, which the extensive iron-works on the bank of the Monongahela invited, but also by accessions of the wealthier citizens, who, leaving the central parts of the city, built residences at Oakland east of the church. But Father Burke's health also failing, he was succeeded November, 1871, by Rev. P. Kerr, from the Cathedral. The newly appointed pastor, who had not been in good health for two or three years before, gradually sank under the burden imposed upon him, and gave evidence that his career in the sacred ministry
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DEATH OF REV. P. KERR.
was rapidly drawing to a close. In September, 1872, he set out for Loretto Springs, near Loretto, to perform the exer- cises of the annual retreat of the clergy, although hardly able to leave his room. The fatigue of travelling and the change of air proved fatal, and, surrounded by his brethren and for- tified by the Sacraments of the Church, he calmly expired on the 23d of September, in the afternoon, in the 41st year of his age.
REV. PATRICK KERR was born at Donoughmore, county Donegal, Ireland, but emigrated to this country about ten years before his death, and continued the studies he had com- menced in his native land. After surmounting greater diffi- culties than fall to the lot of most poor students, he was or- dained in the seminary chapel September 5th, 1865. He was first appointed pastor of the church at Murrinsville, But- ler County, where he remained until May of the following year, when he was transferred to St. Joseph's Church, Sharps- burg. In February, 1867, he came to the Cathedral, and thence, as we have seen, to St. Agnes'. His remains repose in St. Mary's Cemetery.
For several months the church was without a regular pas- tor, but on the 17th of January, 1873, Father Holland re- turned and resumed the pastoral duties. He immediately turned his attention to the erection of a new church, which the growth of the congregation imperatively demanded. But the raising of Fifth Avenue in front, and the lowering of Forbes Street to the rear of the lot, greatly increased the natu- ral inclination of the ground; and while the congregation re- ceived but a trifling compensation for damages, it was assessed heavily for improvements, according to the principle in vogue in those days. The corner-stone of the new building was laid by the Bishop August 24th, 1873. The inclination of the ground gives the church two basements, one of which ex- tends half the length of the building, making commodious school-rooms; while the other extends the entire length, form- ing a spacious hall. These basements were finished before the end of the year, and the upper one was blessed by the Bishop, December 28th. A temporary roof was put upon the building, and nothing more was or will be done until the
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ST. MARY OF MERCY'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
debt shall have been paid and a pastoral residence erected, as the basement is capable of accommodating almost as many persons as the church will when finished. When completed the church will be 130 feet long by 60 wide, with a steeple, and will be, as the basements are, of frame, from the fact that the ground is not sufficiently firm to sustain a brick building.
From the date at which the congregation was organized a school was conducted by lay teachers until September, 1878, when it passed into the hands of the Sisters of Mercy, who come daily from St. Mary's Convent, Webster Avenue. The parish is as large as one priest is capable of attending. Dur- ing Father Holland's absence in Rome, in the latter part of 1877, it was under the pastoral care of Rev. M. Shede. On his return, the pastor, at his request, was transferred to La- trobe with a view of improving his health, and Rev. S. Wall succeeded him. In June of the following year he gave place to the present pastor, Rev. James P. Tahaney.
St. Agnes' congregation is constantly increasing, and its prospects are more flattering than those of any other parish in the city.
ST. MARY OF MERCY'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG.
This congregation occupies the portion of land lying between the two rivers at their confluence, which has long been known by the familiar name of "the Point." It was, as the reader will remember, the site of the fortification commenced by Captain Trent in January, 1754, and also of Fort Duquesne. In the latter a chapel existed from 1754 to 1758, under the title of " The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of the Beautiful River," and in it the first religious services of any kind in the city were held. This chapel dates from a period of more than fifty years prior to the organization of the first Catholic congregation-St. Patrick's-and twenty-eight years before that of the first Protestant congregation of Pittsburg-the German Evangelical Protestant, which claims to have been the first and dates from the year 1782. It was also the site of the first Catholic settlements in the city, and the spot where Mass was first offered up.
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" THE POINT."
A tract of land situated here is owned by an Englishman, by whom it is leased in long terms of years and in small lots to persons who build their own houses upon it. It is the most densely populated section of the city, and it would not be difficult to find at least one hundred families who occupy but a single room each, and that perhaps no more than twelve by fourteen feet. The people are, with very few exceptions, Irish Catholics from county Galway, Ireland, who settled here about twenty-five years ago, and the Irish language is spoken more generally here perhaps than in any other place out of their native isle. As an evidence of this it may be said that many of the children born and raised here speak it flu- ently, while not a few, both men and women, who have lived here for ten or fifteen years cannot make themselves under- stood in any other. In their attachment to the faith of their fathers they are no less remarkable. But their practice did not on all occasions correspond with their belief ; for, living but a short distance from the Cathedral, to which they be- longed, they did not in all cases comply with their religious duties as the laws of the Church require. This may be attri- buted in a measure to poverty, which prevented them from appearing as they wished.
The rector of the Cathedral, wishing to consult their spirit- ual advantage and remove every excuse, purchased a large dwelling-house on First Street in September, 1868, which he fitted up for a chapel by removing the partitions, putting in pews, etc. It was dedicated by the Bishop, under the : title of " Our Lady of Consolation," November 29th. But this step was taken without a full knowledge of the number and requirements of the people, and the room was soon found to be unable to accommodate one fifth of the congregation : more were hearing Mass in the alley before the door than in the chapel. A dwelling to the rear of the chapel and fronting on Fort Street was immediately purchased and treated as the first had been. The space between the two was built in, part of the work done a few weeks before was now torn away, and the whole when completed was dedicated by the Bishop April 11th, 1869. During this time the church was visited by Rev. Joseph Coffee, from the Cathedral, whose acquaintance
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DEATH OF REV. J. A. O'ROURKE.
with the Irish language eminently fitted him for the place. Irish sermons were now as frequent as English, and perhaps more frequent; and the novelty of it did not fail to attract the curious from other parts of the city, and the " Point Chapel " became famous.
Fr. Coffee was succeeded soon after the dedication by Rev. Jas. Nolan, who remained until forced by declining health to withdraw in the following March. Rev. J. A. O'Rourke was appointed pastor April 23d, 1870. Upon tak- ing charge of the congregation he rented a house for a resi- dence near the chapel; for prior to this the priest had lodged at the episcopal residence.
Little change took place beyond a gradual improvement in the religious tone of many of the people, until the end of November, 1871, when Fr. O'Rourke was taken sick. After lingering six weeks he died in the evening of January 8th, 1872, being in the thirty-third year of his age. At the earnest request of his parents, who reside in Cleveland, O., his re- mains were taken to that city and deposited in the family vault.
REV. JOHN ALOYSIUS O'ROURKE was born in county Clare, Ireland, but was brought to this country by his parents, who took up their residence at Cleveland. After prosecuting his studies in various institutions, he finally completed his course in theology at St. Michael's Seminary, where he was ordained December 4th, 1865. He was immediately appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church, Kittanning, where he remained 'intil transferred to the Point. The lasting good which he effected in both congregations is the best tribute which can be paid to his zeal and piety.
Fr. O'Rourke was succeeded by Rev. M. F. Devlin, from the Cathedral, whose health, at all times feeble, unfitted him for so arduous a mission. He soon gave way, and was obliged during a great part of his time to commit the care of his flock to other hands. His life was terminated by a happy death December 28th, 1873, and his remains were interred in St. Mary's Cemetery.
REV. MARK FRANCIS DEVLIN was a native of Allegheny County, having been born a few miles south-east of Pittsburg,
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DEATH OF REV. M. F. DEVLIN.
where his parents had settled some years before on their emigration from Ireland. His studies, after having been in- terrupted at times by ill-health, were completed at the dio- cesan seminary, where he was ordained February Ist, 1866. He was stationed at the Cathedral until his transfer to the Point. He was a classmate of Fr. O'Rourke and one year his senior, and was brother of Rev. Daniel Devlin, who had died a few years before at the Cathedral.
Fr. Devlin was succeeded by the writer of these pages, whose tenure of office still continues. The chapel, which was never very prepossessing in either external or internal appear- ance, did not improve with age. To secure a more becoming place for the offering up of the adorable Sacrifice, Bishop Tuigg bought the Ames Methodist Episcopal Church, corner of Third Avenue and Ferry Street, May 12th, 1876, at a cost of $12,975. The necessary alterations were made in the interior, and the church was dedicated by the Bishop September 24th, and from the feast of the day it was placed under the invoca- tion of St. Mary of Mercy. The church is a very substantial brick structure, 72 feet in length by 55 in width, and is 14 feet to the ceiling, it being the first story only of the original plan. But, like the old chapel, it was much too small to ac- commodate the congregation at two Masses, and many were obliged to attend the Cathedral.
Wishing to perpetuate the memory of so important an event as that of the chapel of Fort Duquesne and the religious associations connected with it, the pastor of St. Mary of Mercy's had a beautiful memorial side-altar erected in the church in the summer of 1878, upon which he placed a Munich statue of the Mother of God, and which, in the absence of the Bishop, he blessed under the title of "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of the Beautiful River," September 24th of that year. Some relic of the old chapel would have been very desirable to place on this memorial altar, but it could not be hoped for, as the French had set fire to the fort when they abandoned it, and all that was in it was devoured by the flames. But the Bishop visited the church March 14th, 1879, and, in virtue of the faculties granted by the Holy See to pre- lates in this and other missionary countries, declared the
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ST. MALACHY'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG, SOUTH SIDE. 141
memorial altar a privileged one, a favor that is granted to but few.
A brick pastoral residence was built on the lot adjoining the church in the fall and winter of 1878 ; for prior to this time the pastor had occupied a rented house.
From the beginning a school was conducted by lay teachers in the rooms on the second floor of the old chapel, and when the present church was purchased the former was converted into a school. The lay teachers were replaced in September, 1876, by four Sisters of Mercy from St. Mary's Convent, Webster Avenue, who continue to conduct the school. The congregation is the poorest in the city in the goods of this world, but is rich in treasures of a higher order. Since the opening of the new church the congrega- tion has increased considerably and will now number nine- teen hundred souls. The better to accommodate them, the pastor procured the services of one of the Fathers of the Holy Ghost from the Catholic College, to assist on Satur- days and to offer a third Mass on Sundays and feasts, be ginning with September, 1879. The future increase of the congregation must be insignificant.
ST. MALACHY'S CHURCH, PITTSBURG, SOUTH SIDE.
The last of the congregations cut off from the Cathedral, or that can be cut off, is composed of the families residing on the South Side between St. John's and St. James' churches, and is composed almost exclusively of emigrants from Ireland, who find employment in the extensive iron and glass manufac- tories. The place has long been known by the familiar name of Limerick. Living at a distance from the Cathedral, and being unable on account of their poverty to dress as they wished, many of the people were not so regular in complying with their religious duties as could be desired. Seeing that a church in their midst would be productive of good, the rec- tor of the Cathedral purchased two small houses adjoining each other near the spot now occupied by the church ; and having torn out the partitions and fitted them up for a chapel, he dedicated them, under the invocation of St. Malachy, Sep-
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CHANGE OF PASTORS.
tember 26th, 1869. The chapel was known as " The Shanties," and was attended by one of the priests of the Cathedral. Soon a change for the better was wrought among the people, for it is well known that Limerick had in those days a most unenviable reputation.
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