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| St. Alphonsus Church, 2002 |
St. Alphonsus, Springdale
St. Alphonsus was established in 1901. However, the origins of the parish can be traced further back, although the details of the early days of the Catholic Community in Springdale are few. Catholics began settling in Springdale as early as the 1850's. Occasionally a priest would visit the town and celebrate Mass, presumably in a private home or commercial building. When and how often these visits took place is not well documented. Around 1889, a small chapel was built on land donated by the owner of the local glue works. This chapel was named in honor of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. At first it was a mission of the Holy Ghost Fathers, but in a year or so responsibility for the church was transferred to St. Peter, Tarentum. In 1898, this chapel burned down and for the next three years local Catholics had to travel to Tarentum to attend Mass.
The change to the status quo began with the construction of the Heidenkamp Mirror Co. starting in 1899. This factory attracted a number of new arrivals to Springdale including a number of Catholics. Around the turn of the century, the local Catholics began to organize for the purpose of forming a parish of their own. They began collecting funds for a church and, in 1901, the owner of the Heidenkamp Mirror Co., a Catholic, erected a building and offered it as a place for worship free of charge. In response to this activity, the bishop assigned a resident priest to Springdale on September 9, 1901. The first Mass in the new parish was celebrated on September 14, 1901.
On August 18, 1903, the parish purchased land for a rectory and a combined church and school building. Work on the church/school building began in August of 1904 and the completed church was dedicated in December of 1904. The first floor contained school rooms and the second floor contained the church.
Within two decades the congregation began outgrowing its church. In 1926 a new church was built. The old church space was converted to classrooms. The original building continued to serve the parish until 1970 when it was destroyed in a fire and torn down.
The church built in 1926 continues to serve the parish today.
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| St. Alphonsus Church, 2002 |
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