Back in time – A look at Church and Diocesan History

By Phil Brown
Contributing Writer

UNITY TOWNSHIP – With Bishop Larry J. Kulick as their guide, the faithful traveled back in time to study the roots of the Catholic faith in Western Pennsylvania, roots that gave birth to the Diocese of Greensburg 75 years ago.

The journey into Church history, which was sponsored by the Office of Faith, Family and Discipleship, was held Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Christ Our Shepherd Center in Greensburg and came as the diocese prepares to celebrate its 75th birthday.

Bishop Kulick was joined in the journey by Father Michael P. Conway, vicar for clergy and consecrated life for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

  Father Conway spoke about the history of Catholicism in the United States and highlighted the lives of American saints.

Father Daniel Carr, pastor of St. Regis Parish in Trafford, also participated in the event which was part of the Pathways Adult Formation program.

Bishop Kulick traced the history of Catholic development in Pennsylvania back to pre-revolutionary days when the first Mass west of the Allegheny Mountains was celebrated in 1749 near Kittanning.

The first Mass in what would become the Diocese of Greensburg, which includes Westmoreland, Fayette, Armstrong and Indiana counties, was held in 1754 on the banks of the Monongahela River near Brownsville by French troops marching east to confront George Washington at Fort Necessity, east of Uniontown.

But growth of the Catholic population was limited to the area east of the Allegheny Mountains until the 1840s, he said.

At that time, the bishop said, German immigrants began to settle on vast farmlands in Western Pennsylvania and work in Pittsburgh industries, boosting the Catholic population in the region to 10,000.

Because of Catholic population growth in Pittsburgh, the Diocese of Pittsburgh was established in 1843 and included territory that would become the Diocese of Greensburg.

Bishop Kulick said immigration boomed between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the beginning of World War I in 1914 as Europeans, carrying their Catholic faith with them,  poured into Western Pennsylvania to work in the coal, steel and coke industries.

They established towns with Catholic churches at the center of the new communities and their lives, Bishop Kulick said.

After World War II, an economic and population boom boosted the Catholic population in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Pope Pius XII responded to that growth by canonically erecting the Diocese of Greensburg on March 10, 1951.

Bishop Kulick divided the years following the creation of the diocese into four eras:

_ The Founding Era under the leadership of Bishop Hugh L. Lamb (1952-1959).

_ The Expansion and Growth Era under the leadership of Bishop William G. Connare (1960-1987).

_ The Pastoral Planning Era under the leadership of Bishop Anthony G. Bosco (1987-2004) and Bishop Lawrence E. Brant (2004-2015).

_ The Orientation for the Future Era under the leadership of Bishop Edward C. Malesic (2015-2020) and Bishop Larry J. Kulick (2021-present)

Bishop Kulick highlighted the achievements of each bishop and offered those attending the program a chance to view the Papal Bull that erected the diocese in 1951 and other artifacts from the early years of the diocese.

Looking forward, Bishop Kulick emphasized the diocese’s commitment to quality faith formation and education and assistance to parishes.

“I believe we are on the cusp of a major renewal,” the bishop said. “The young people are hungry for what the church has to offer. Young people are hungry for opportunities to pray.

“We need to teach what we believe and believe what we teach,” Bishop Kulick said.