Saint Raphael, Morningside

Parish History

St. Raphael was established on July 15, 1911.  The origin of the parish can be traced to a petition sent to the bishop on September 30, 1909, requesting that a parish be established in Morningside.  Until St. Raphael was founded, local Catholics had to travel to either Lawrenceville or Shadyside to attend Mass. 

The parish rented a house to serve as a combined temporary church and rectory.  The first floor was renovated to serve as a church while the second floor served as a residence for the priest.  The first Mass was celebrated in this house on August 6, 1911.  Land was purchased and plans made for a temporary church that could eventually be converted into an activities building.  Ground for the church was broken on September 18, 1911, the cornerstone was laid on October 22, 1911, and the completed church was dedicated on December 24, 1911.

This church served the community for over 45 years.  Finally, on March 23, 1958, ground was broken for a new church.  The cornerstone was laid on March 16, 1959, and the completed church was dedicated on December 20, 1959.  

With the turn of the century, trends in the Diocese of Pittsburgh began to reveal a decline in Mass attendance and sacramental participation.  At the same time, the number of priests available for parish ministry also began to decline.

To address these challenges, Bishop David Zubik announced on April 12, 2015 a new diocesan initiative, On Mission for The Church Alive!, a consultative strategic planning process designed to foster viable, sustainable and vibrant parishes.  As part of this process, the Bishop, in consultation with the faithful, began to consider new models of parish life based on pastoral needs, financial and temporal resources and available clergy.

In 2018, following the period of consultation, parishes were grouped together and served by a single clergy team to eventually form one new parish.

During this transition period, St. Raphael Parish remained an independent parish while sharing clergy and staff and eventually publishing a joint bulletin with the other parish.   This ended on January 4, 2021 when St. Raphael Parish merged with Sacred Heart Parish, Shadyside to form the new St. Jude Parish.  As part of the merger St. Raphael Church remained open as part of the new parish.