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| Second St. Joseph Church, 1934 | Main altar, 1934 | Side altar, 1934 | St. Joseph Church, 2002 |
St. Joseph, Verona
St. Joseph was founded in 1866. The origin of the parish can be traced to the arrival of German Catholics to the area in the three decades before the founding of the parish. One Catholic purchased land in 1840 and at a later date built a small chapel in his house. Mass was occasionally celebrated here by priests from St. Philomena parish in Pittsburgh.
With the arrival of the railroad in 1855, the population increased. Priests from St. Philomena began making more frequent visits. By 1866, the decision was made to build a church. The cornerstone was laid on July 23, 1866, and the completed church was dedicated before the end of the year.
At first, the church was a mission of St. Philomena. In 1870, a pastor was assigned for both St. Joseph and St. James in Wilkinsburg. The priest, Fr. Joseph Suehr, resided at St. James. In 1873, St. James received its own pastor and Fr. Suehr became responsible only for St. Joseph. At about this time, he also built an addition to the church.
As the population continued to grow, the church no longer was able to meet the needs of the congregation. On August 7, 1887, the cornerstone for a new church was laid and the building was completed soon afterwards. This church served the parish for over 60 years. However, by the 1950's the congregation had again outgrown its church building. At the same time, it also outgrew its school, built in 1948. The parish decided to build a combination church and school building. This would replace the existing church and supplement the existing school. The new building was dedicated it on December 1, 1956. The old church was converted into a parish hall and used by the parish until May of 1968 when it was torn down.
Even with the new building, the old school remained open. By 1981, maintenance costs for the old school became prohibitive. The parish decided to build a new church and to convert the existing church facility into classrooms. Ground for the new church was broken on July 26, 1981 and the completed church was dedicated on June 27, 1982. This church continues to serve the congregation today.
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| Second St. Joseph Church, 1934 | Main altar, 1934 | Side altar, 1934 | St. Joseph Church, 2002 |
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