Open

Our Lady of the Valley was established on November 1, 1992, as part of the diocese's reorganization and revitalization project.  The parish was formed by merging the four existing parishes in Donora:  St. Dominic, St. Philip Neri, St. Charles and Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Of the four churches, two -- St. Dominic and St. Philip Neri -- remained open and continued to serve the new parish.  The other two churches were closed pending sale of the property.

However, the population in the Mon Valley continued to decline.  By the early 21st century, it became obvious that the area could no longer support the number of parishes and churches then in existence.  In October 0f 2007, the parishes in Monongahela, Charleroi and Donora took part in a two year study to look at the future of the Church in the region.  The study considered the demographics, spiritual needs, financial stability and an assessment of the parish buildings in the three communities.  The study developed several recommendations, including the recommendation that St. Dominic Church be closed.  The bishop accepted this recommendation and on August 15, 2011 St. Dominic Church closed and St. Philip Neri was renamed Our Lady of the Valley church.

Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in 1916.  The origin of the parish can be traced to the rise of the coal industry beginning in 1910.  As the mines opened, the population expanded.  At first local Catholics had to travel to either St. Alphonsus in McDonald or to Steubenville, Ohio to attend Mass.  In 1915, the Catholic community in Burgettstown sent a petition to the bishop asking that a parish be established.  On July 15, 1915 an assistant to the pastor was sent to St. Alphonsus with instructions to organize a parish in Burgettstown.  From July 1915 to May 1916, this priest traveled to Burgettstown once a week to celebrate Mass.  In May 1916, the parish was formally established.

For the first two years of its existence, the parish used rented commercial facilities to celebrate Mass.  On May 5, 1918, the cornerstone for a combined church and school was laid.  On December 8, 1918, the basement church was dedicated.  In 1924, the upper two floors of the building were completed for use as a school.  However, the school did not open until September 1942.

In December 1955, ground was broken for a new church.  This church was dedicated on February 11, 1957.  The old combined church and school building remained in use as a school until 2006, but continues to serve as a Religious Education Center. Both buildings continue to serve the congregation today.

St. John Vianney was established in 1994 as part of the diocese's reorganization and revitalization program.  The parish was formed by merging St. Canice, Knoxville; St. George, Allentown; St. Henry, Arlington; and St. Joseph, Mt. Oliver.  At first all four churches remained open and served the new parish.  As time went by, however, the population of the area continued to decline.  In 2004, St. John Vianney parish initiated a pastoral planning committee to study whether the parish needed to keep all its churches open.  The committee recommended that the parish only keep one church open.  St. George was identified as the church to remain open.  On August 7, 2005, the final Mass was celebrated at St. George Church before it was closed for liturgical upgrades.  The other three were closed in 2005.  The final Mass of St. Joseph was celebrated on August 14, 2005.  The final Mass of St. Canice was celebrated on August 21, 2005.  The final Mass of St. Henry was celebrated on August 28, 2005.  On September 3, 2005, the former St. George Church was rededicated as St. John Vianney Church.

Ss. Peter and Paul parish was founded in 1830.  French missionaries visited the area and celebrated Mass in what is now Beaver in the mid eighteenth century.  However, the beginning of the parish can more properly said to have begun with the visit of a priest from St. Patrick, Sugar Creek to celebrate Mass in 1830.  For the next few years, the town was regularly visited from either St. Patrick or St. Paul, Pittsburgh (later St. Paul Cathedral).  In 1834 land was donated for a church and construction began that year.  The finished church was dedicated on June 29, 1837.  For the next ten years, the parish was regularly visited from either St. Paul Cathedral or St. Patrick, Pittsburgh. 

In 1847, the first resident pastor, Father James Reid, was assigned to the parish.  He remained there until his death in 1868.  After he died, he was not replaced and Ss. Peter and Paul became a mission of St. Cecilia, Rochester.  In 1898 a fire destroyed the church.  Land was purchased for a new church and on October 28, 1900, the cornerstone of the church was laid.  In that same year, a new resident pastor was assigned to the parish.  On December 15, 1901, the new church was dedicated.

On February 22, 1953, ground was broken for a new combination school and church.  The church portion was considered a temporary facility that would eventually be replaced by a more permanent structure.  The new church and school building was dedicated on April 4, 1954.  The old church was converted to a parish hall.

The temporary church served the congregation for almost 20 years.  Construction began on the new church in 1971 and the completed building was dedicated on May 29, 1972.  This church continues to serve the parish today.

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.

St. Matthias was established in 1939.  The driving force behind the formation of the parish was the pastor of St. Gregory parish, Zelienople.  He saw a need for a church in Evans City to serve the people of that community.  On March 19, 1939, an empty Methodist Episcopal Church was purchased and renovated for use as a parish church.  The church was dedicated on May 30, 1939. 

The church was a mission of St. Gregory until 1946 when a resident pastor was assigned to the parish.  In 1968 the church was renovated and enlarged.  The church continues to serve the community today.

St. Mary parish was established in 1994 as a territorial parish.  The origin of the parish can be traced to 1852, when St. Mary was founded as a German parish.  In 1994 the German parish was suppressed and the parish was reborn as a territorial parish.

This parish, though, was doomed to a short existence.  As the twenty-first century began, it became obvious that Sharpsburg could no longer support three independent parishes.  On March 1, 2009, St. Mary merged with Madonna of Jerusalem and St. John Cantius parishes to form the new St. Juan Diego Parish.  St. Mary Church remains open and continues to serve the new parish.

St. Thomas was founded in 1888 in the town of Coal Center.  The origin of the parish can be traced to the development of the coal mining industry in the area.  Beginning in 1876, the pastor of St. Peter, Brownsville began making once a month visits to Coal Center to celebrate Mass.  For a decade Mass was celebrated either in private homes or in a rented hall.  In 1888, the cornerstone for a small frame church was laid and the church was completed shortly afterwards. 

In 1902, the parish purchased property in nearby California.  In 1956 a combination church and school was built on the California property.  The parish retained the old church until 1967 when it was sold.  The combination church and school building continues to serve the parish today.

Queen of the Rosary was established on January 15, 1994, as part of the diocese's reorganization and revitalization project.  It was formed by the merger of Holy Cross and St. Cecilia.  Of the two churches only Holy Cross Church remains open.