 |
 |
| St. Charles church, 1933 | Interior St. Charles, 1933 |
St. Charles, Donora
St. Charles was founded in 1902, a year after Donora was formally incorporated. The first Mass celebrated in Donora occurred in October 1901 by the pastor of Transfiguration, Monongahela. For the next nine months, the Transfiguration pastor continued to visit Donora and celebrate Mass in a rented commercial building. In July 1902, the parish was formally established with the appointment of a resident pastor.
In the spring of 1903, work began on a new frame church. On October 11, 1903, the church was dedicated. In the early 1960's, major renovations were made to the church building. Aluminum siding and new windows were installed and the interior was extensively renovated. A decade later, the interior was again renovated.
By the end of the twentieth century, the population of Donora had dropped to the point that the community could no longer support four independent parishes. In 1992, the four parishes merged to form the new Our Lady of the Valley parish. As part of this merger, St. Charles church was closed and later sold.
|
|
| St. Charles church, 1933 | Interior St. Charles, 1933 |
Click here to find out how to purchase a copy of these pictures.
Return to the Washington County Parishes Page