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| St. Bernadette Church, 2002 | Altar of church, 2002 |
St. Bernadette, Monroeville
St. Bernadette was established on June 15, 1955. The founding of the parish was a result of the movement of population from the cities to the suburbs following World War II. In the 1940's, the Catholics in Monroeville (then called Patton Township) attended Mother of Sorrows Church in Murrysville in Westmoreland County. When the Diocese of Greensburg was formed in 1951, Westmoreland County became part of the new diocese. The bishop gave local Catholics permission to continue attending Mother of Sorrows temporarily. Some local residents did so, while others joined St. Colman parish in Turtle Creek.
In June of 1952, local Catholics held a meeting and formed the Monroeville Catholic Guild. The purpose of the organization was to arrange for catechism classes for the children and to lay the groundwork for a new parish. The Guild conducted a survey to determine the number of Catholics in the area and made arrangements with the owners of a local nightclub, the Majestic Gardens, to use their facilities for catechism classes. By 1955 the population of Monroeville had grown to the point that the bishop canonically established the new parish.
The first Mass of the new parish was celebrated on June 19, 1955, in the Majestic Gardens. This building was used by the parish for Sunday Masses for two years until a church could be completed. Anticipating that the population would continue to grow, the parish decided to construct a building that would include classrooms and a temporary church. Construction of the new building began in late 1956 and the cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1957. The completed building was dedicated on September 28, 1957. The first floor served as the temporary church and the second floor contained four classrooms.
In September of 1961 an addition was made to the church/school building bringing the number of classrooms up to sixteen. By the middle of the 1960's, the parish was ready to build a new, permanent church. Construction of the new church began in October of 1966. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on December 14, 1968, although the building was not yet completed. The cornerstone was laid on December 22, 1968, and the completed church was dedicated on September 27, 1969.
In January of 1975, the church spire was damaged in a storm. The damage was repaired in March. In 1980, the interior of the church was remodeled. The church continues to serve the congregation today.
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| St. Bernadette Church, 2002 | Altar of church, 2002 |
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