St. Ignatius de Loyola, Carnegie
St. Ignatius was established in 1902 as a Polish parish. The origin of the parish can be traced to the rise of industry in the late nineteenth century and the subsequent rise in population. Among the new arrivals were a large number of Poles. In 1893 the Polish parish of Immaculate Conception was created. However, the influx of Poles to the Carnegie area was so great that Immaculate Conception soon became overcrowded. In 1902, the members of the Immaculate Conception who lived in the Glendale District held a meeting to discuss the possibility of forming a new parish. The result of the meeting was a petition to the bishop requesting a new parish. The bishop granted the petition in late 1902 and assigned a pastor to the new parish.
While construction of a combined church/school building took place, Mass was celebrated in a Company House. The church/school building was completed and dedicated in the summer of 1903. The first floor of the building served as the school and the second floor as a church.
This church served the congregation until January 7, 1952, when the building was destroyed in a fire. The parish immediately began building a new church. While work continued on the church, Mass was celebrated in the Glendale Polish Falcons Hall. The cornerstone was laid on July 13, 1952, and the new church was dedicated on November 14, 1953.
As the rise of industry and population at the end of the nineteenth century led to the creation of the parish, the loss of industry and population at the end of the twentieth century led to its suppression. By the 1990's it became obvious that Carnegie could no longer support the number of parishes then in existence. In 1992, St. Ignatius merged with five other parishes to form the new St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish. St. Ignatius Church remains open and continues to serve the new parish.
|
|
|
|
|
| First St. Ignatius Church, 1932 | Interior of first church, 1932 | St. Ignatius Church, 2002 | Interior of church, 2002 |
Click here to find out how to purchase a copy of these pictures.