The second Pittsburgh Area Spiritan Pilgrimage was held on April 22, 2023. The group visited St. Stephen in Hazelwood, Holy Martyrs (the former Sacred Heart and St. Peter’s) in Tarentum, Sacred Heart and the Holy Family Institute in Emsworth, and St. Mary in Glenfield.
 
The mix of professed and lay Spiritans, students and community members learned about the early history of the U.S. Province by visiting these locations. This was the third and final Spiritan History Pilgrimage held as a part of the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Province of the Spiritans.



Let’s learn more about the Spiritans' involvement in these Pittsburgh area churches.
 
St. Stephen in Hazelwood
St. Stephen Church was erected in 1902. A number of Diocesan priests pastored this parish until Spiritans became the pastors in 2010. Fr. Daniel Walsh C.S.Sp., Fr. Simon Labon, C.S.Sp. and Fr. Vince Stegman, C.S.Sp. all served as parish pastors. Several Spiritan priests lived in residence at St. Stephen Catholic Church. In 2018, the Diocese of Pittsburgh decided to reorganize its parishes, and St. Stephen in Hazelwood was grouped with St. Paul Cathedral, St. Regis, and St. Rosalia.
 
 
Holy Martyrs, Tarentum, PA (The former Sacred Heart (1896-1969) and St. Peter’s (1889-1896))                                Opened in 1881, this parish floundered for two years before the Spiritans took it over. Fr. John Otten, C.S.Sp., a trilingual Spiritan became pastor and it began to flourish again. Fr. Otten was transferred to St. Mary’s in Sharpsburg and Fr. Edward Schmitz, C.S.Sp. became the pastor.  Ethnic tensions developed and in 1896, St. Peter became the “Irish Church” and the more numerous Germans formed Sacred Heart parish with Fr. Schmitz as its first pastor. From 1896 until 1901, Fr. Schmitz remained as the Pastor.  Others who served as pastor included, Spiritans Fr. Ruehl, C.S.Sp., Fr. Mehler, C.S.Sp., Fr. Zehler, C.S.Sp., Fr. Wolffer, C.S.Sp., Fr. Rengers, C.S.Sp. The old ethnic rivalries had vanished by 1969 and the two parishes decided to merge. The Spiritans withdrew from this parish in favor of a diocesan priest. Twenty-two other Spiritans served these parishes as assistants. In 1992, St. Clement was merged with Sacred Heart- St. Peter parish to form the new Holy Martyrs parish which has been closed. St. Clement church is no longer open. In 2016, the property was sold.

Sacred Heart, Emsworth, PA
Sacred Heart was established in 1891. On February 22, 1891, a meeting was held in the home of Thomas Barrett to discuss plans for building the first Catholic church in the area, forming Sacred Heart Parish. Fr. Anthony J. Zielenbach, C.S.Sp. presided at the meeting and Mr. William P. Kuipers acted as secretary.

The first holy Mass read within the confines of what is now Sacred Heart parish was celebrated in the home of the Boleky family on Center Avenue on March 22, 1891, by Fr. Zielenbach. Prior to that time, priests from St. Mary’s  (Sharpsburg) came periodically to serve the people of the Glenfield and Emsworth districts in a chapel, and later a frame church, in Glenfield. These priests came by carriage and horseback until 1878, when the Holy Ghost Fathers of Duquesne College (now University) began to minister to the people on weekends. The Spiritans devoted their weekends to the needs of the people in the outer districts of Pittsburgh.

The following priests served as pastors and associates: Father Theophile Meyer, C.S.Sp., Father Michael Boyce, C.S.Sp., y Father Patrick McDermott, C.S.Sp, Father Joseph Rossenbach, C.S.Sp., Rev. Sebastian Schiffgens, C.S.Sp, Father Henry Thessing C.S.Sp, Father Louis Schenning, C.S.Sp., Father Leo J. Kettl, C.S.Sp., Father Edward M. Smith C.S.Sp., Father Peter Gross, C.S.Sp., n Father Leonard Tuozzolo, C.S.Sp., Father John P. Skaj, C.S.Sp., Father Louis A. Dietrich, C.S.Sp., Father William Maguire, C.S.Sp., Father Stanley L. Otto, C.S.Sp., Father Vernon F. Gallagher, C.S.Sp., Father Francis X. Malinowski, C.S.Sp., Father Martin J. Conroy, C.S.Sp., Father David C. Marshall, C.S.Sp, Father Ralph Poirier, C.S.Sp., and Father Francis P. Meenan, C.S.Sp. There were also Spiritans who were studying at Duquesne who lived that this parish for some periods.
 
Holy Family Institute (1897-1945)                                             Fr. Anthony Jaworsky, C.S.Sp. and Fr. Sigimund Rydewski, C.S.Sp. opened this institute in 1897 to care for Polish orphans.  Care for these children was given to the newly founded Holy Family of Nazareth Sisters of Poland.  Fr. Cesar Tomaszewski, C.S.Sp. became the director in 1898 and a new building was constructed in 1903. By 1905, the institute housed 200 orphans. In 1907, Fr. Francis A. Retka, C.S.Sp. became the director. Fr. Joseph Szumieski, C.S.Sp. became the director in 1938 followed by Fr. Joseph Poblescheck, C.S.Sp. in 1943. In 1945, the Spiritans withdrew from the institute. The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth continue to direct this institute to this day.
 
St. Mary Glenfield, PA
The first church was built in this Pittsburgh suburb in 1853. This parish was served by Spiritans from 1878-1968. Fr. Matthew Heizmann, C.S.Sp. (1878-1883), Fr. Paul Gross, C.S.Sp. (1883-1888), and Fr. Anthony J. Ziebenbach, C.S.Sp. (1888-1893) served as the pastors. Sacred Heart in Emsworth and St. Mary became connected as mission churches with the same pastor. In 1893, Fr. Theophile Meyers, C.S.Sp. served as pastor for 46 years. A new church was built in 1906. 

Many Spiritans from Duquesne University would participate in weekend ministry at St. Mary’s. A house was donated to the Spiritans in 1885 where they could spend their summer vacations away from the smoke of Pittsburgh factories and steel mills.

The pastors included: Fr. Joseph Rossenbach, C.S.Sp. (1919-1931), Fr. Anthony Lachowsky, C.S.Sp. (1931-1934), Fr. Sabastian Schiffgens, C.S.Sp. (1934-1939), Fr. Bernard Appel, C.S.Sp. (1939-1940), Fr. Eugene Fisher, C.S.Sp. (1940-1941) Fr. Jerome Stegman, C.S.Sp. (1941-1943), Fr. Joseph Landy, C.S.Sp. (1913-1945) Fr. Edward White, C.S.Sp. (1945-1948), Fr. James White, C.S.Sp. (1948) Fr. Jerome Stegman, C.S.Sp. (1948), Fr. Peter Gross, C.S.Sp. (1968). In 1968, the parish was returned to the Diocese.