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| First St. Philip church, 1932 | Second St. Philip church, 1932 | Second St. Philip church, 1932 | Interior of second St. Philip church, 1932 |
St. Philip, Crafton
St. Philip parish was founded in 1839. The origin of the parish can be traced back a decade earlier when a local farmer arranged for a priest from Pittsburgh to come to his house once a week to celebrate Mass. The other three weeks of the month, local Catholics had to travel to the city to attend Mass. By 1838, the local Catholics decided to build a church. Land was purchased on August 20, 1838, and work soon began on a small brick church. This church was dedicated on July 25, 1839.
At first, the parish was a mission of St. Paul, but in 1840 became a mission of St. Patrick in Pittsburgh. When St. James parish, West End, was founded in 1854, St. Philip was attached to that parish as a mission. Sometime during the 1860's the church was enlarged by a 25 foot addition. In 1870, St. Luke, Carnegie was founded and took responsibility for St. Philip. Four years later, St. Philip became an independent parish with the assignment of its first resident pastor.
The church was again enlarged in 1892 with the addition of a sanctuary and two side altars. However, by the turn of the century, it became obvious that a larger structure was needed. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on July 26, 1903, and the completed church was dedicated on February 4, 1906. Over the years the church has been modernized and renovated, but the basic structure still remains and the church continues to serve the congregation.
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| First St. Philip church, 1932 | Second St. Philip church, 1932 | Second St. Philip church, 1932 | Interior of second St. Philip church, 1932 |
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