St. Rose of Lima, Darlington
St. Rose was founded in 1854. The origin of the parish can be traced to the opening of coal mines in Cannelton in 1838. Among the people who came to the area for work were German and Irish Catholics. In 1854, Rev. James Reid, pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul, Beaver, celebrated the first Mass in Cannelton in a private home. For the remainder of the decade, Rev. Reid continued to periodically visit the town and celebrate Mass in private homes.
In 1855, the railroad came to Cannelton. This event accelerated the growth of industry and population in the area. By 1861, the Catholic population grew to the point that a church was needed to accommodate the number of people attending Mass. On October 25, 1861, land was donated for a church and in the next month a rough one room wooden church was built.
In 1862, St. Rose became a mission of St. Mary, New Castle. In 1864, responsibility for St. Rose was transferred to St. Joseph, New Brighton. The church, which had originally been considered only a temporary expedient, was soon inadequate to serve the growing congregation. On August 2, 1871, the Harmony Society of Economy donated land for a new church. The church was rapidly built and dedicated on October 22, 1871. The original church was renovated and converted into a school. However, shortly afterwards the mines began closing and families began moving out. The school was closed in 1875 but the building was later used for catechism classes until 1900 when it was torn down. Two years later, the first resident pastor was assigned to St. Rose. The pastor also had responsibility for St. Teresa, Koppel (then located in Hoytdale but called Clinton at that time).
St. Rose had a resident pastor until 1895 when St. Agatha, Ellwood City was founded. In that year, St. Rose became a mission of St. Agatha. In 1898, St Rose became a mission church of St. Mary, East Palestine, Ohio. This arrangement came about with the agreement of the bishops of Pittsburgh and Cleveland. This situation continued until 1912 when St. Rose again was assigned a resident pastor.
This church served the congregation well into the twentieth century. In 1959, a building fund for a new church was started. Land was donated for the church about two miles away from Cannelton. Ground for the new church was broken on April 28, 1963 and the completed church was dedicated on June 21, 1964. The church was renovated in 1984 including replacement of the roof and the addition of a new steeple. This church continues to serve the congregation today.
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| Second St. Rose of Lima Church, 1936 | Altar of second church, 1936 | St. Rose of Lima church, 2002 | Interior of church, 2002 |
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