Holy Name of the B.V.M., Donora

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Parish History
Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in 1902 as a Polish ethnic parish. The establishment of the parish can be traced to the immigration of Poles to the area. On February 12, 1902, 42 Polish families met to discuss the formation of a parish. Beginning in August 1902, Polish priests from New Kensington and Homestead visited Donora to celebrate Mass; first in private homes and later at St. Dominic Church. Also that same year, land was purchased for a church.
On September 8, 1903, a resident pastor was assigned to the parish. Shortly afterwards, work began on a church. The cornerstone of the new church was laid in 1904 and the finished building was dedicated in December of 1905.
This church served the community for the next eight decades. Over the years, several interior renovations were made to the church. Near the end of the century, however, it became obvious that Donora could no longer support four independent parishes. In 1992, the parishes merged to form the new Our Lady of the Valley parish. As part of this merger, Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary church building was closed and subsequently sold.
