St. James, Sewickley
St. James was founded in 1863. The small Catholic congregation in Sewickley consisted primarily of servants working for the wealthy residents of the town. Beginning in 1847, the pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul, Beaver, visited Sewickley three or four times a year to celebrate Mass. In 1863, he purchased a plot of ground and built a small frame church for the congregation of five families and about 40 servant girls. With the new church, Mass was celebrated once a month.
In 1868, St. James received a resident pastor. One of the first things the new pastor did was to begin work on a new church. On June 4, 1868, the cornerstone for the new church was laid. However, on May 12, 1869, just weeks before work on the church was completed, the building collapsed. The rubble was cleared away and work on another church began. This church was dedicated on November 24, 1870.
The church was renovated in the 1890's and in 1912. The later renovation was so complete that the church was rededicated on December 7, 1912. By the 1960's, plans were underway to build a new church. Work on the church began on April 30, 1967 and the cornerstone was laid on October 29, 1967. The last Mass in the old church and the first Mass in the new church occurred on July 25, 1968 and the church was dedicated on September 29, 1968. On December 22, 1968, the old church was sold to St. Stephen Episcopal Church.
The church built in 1968 continues to serve the parish today.
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| Second St. James Church, 1934 | Main altar of second church, 1934 | Side altar of second church, 1934 | St. James Church, 2002 |
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| Altar of St. James, 2002 |
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