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 From
the History of Mercer County, 1888--
St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
—This congregation had its inception in 1838, when a missionary priest,
sent out by the bishop of Philadelphia, made a tour of Northwestern
Pennsylvania, and, among other places, celebrated mass at the house of Bryan
McNally, in Greenville. Mr. McNally was a native of Ireland, and
for a time served in the British army, but immigrated to the United
States, located in Meadville, Penn., where he was married, and in March,
1830, removed to Greenville, where he took up his residence near the
southwest corner of Main and Race Streets. He was a tailor by trade, and
was the pioneer of that occupation in the, village. In 1837 he erected the
frame residence on Race Street in which he died, and where two of his
children yet reside. It was in this structure that the first Catholic
service in this portion of the county was held. Besides Mr. McNally there
were present at this service John and Ferdinand
Schmidt, Martin Lindeman, John 0’ Hara, John McCoy and John
U. Hoffman, all of whom had previously settled in the county. Of
these the Schmidt brothers were of German parentage, and were attracted to
Greenville by employment offered on the canal; Mr. Hoffman, also a native
of Germany, immigrated in 1837, and came to this to do blacksmith work for
the canal constructors, while 0’Hara and McCoy were Irishmen, the latter
being a contractor upon the canal. The Catholic families scattered over
the northeastern portion of the State afterward received occasional visits
from missionaries sent out by the bishop to minister to their spiritual
wants. In the summer of 1842 Rev. Hugh Gallagher,
of Loretta, Cambria Co., Penn., followed the path of the canal on one of
these visits, and celebrated mass in Mr. McNally’ a home. Besides some
of those previously mentioned there were present at this service Mark
and Bridget Doyle, Patrick and Ann Doyle, and
James Doyle, all of whom lived in Trumbull County, Ohio, but
afterward settled in West Salem Township, Mercer County; Richard,
John and Patrick Many, of Greene Township; John
Savage and Mrs. Schoonmaker, all of
whom were natives of Ireland except the last one mentioned. Father
Gallagher, who died in California a few years ago [1888], returned
to Greenville at intervals for over a year, and was succeeded by Rev.
John Reed, of Pittsburgh, who ministered to the little flock for a
number of years following. The services conducted by both were frequently
held in the houses of Ferdinand Schmidt and Mrs.
Schoonmaker. During the ministrations of Father Reed several
families were added to the congregation, among the number being Michael
Mitchell, a native of Ireland, and family, Michael
and Matthias Schumacher and wives, Bernard
George and father, Nicholas Rommelfangen
and family, Leonard Sauers, Christopher Frum and
Theodore Kirk, all except the first being of
German origin. |
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The necessity of a church now became apparent. Upon Father
Reed devolved the task of selecting the site. He encountered
considerable opposition from property owners, who were averse to selling
land for the purpose of locating a Catholic structure, but he overcame
this by a clever stratagem. Two parishioners, John
and Ferdinand Schmidt, who were then laboring in the blast
furnaces, purchased the desired land for the ostensible purpose of
erecting private residences thereon, and when it was secured they promptly
turned it over to the congregation. The building, a part of the present
edifice, was erected in 1848. The committee that superintended its
erection consisted of John McCoy, John Savage, John
O’Hara, Ferdinand Schmidt and Matthias and
Michael Schumacher, the last mentioned subsequently giving place to
John Schmidt. In the same year the structure
was sufficiently enclosed to hold services therein, and in the following
year was dedicated by Father Reed as “St. Michael’s Church.”
Following Rev. Reed in the ministry came Revs.
M. J. Mitchell, August, 1850-51; T A. Smith,
October, 1851-58; C. M. Sheehan, March, 1854,
to May, 1854; Peter M. Garvey, May, 1854, to
August, 1854; Arthur McConnell (the first
resident priest), September, 1854, to September, 1856;
J. Reiser, September, 1856, to December, 1856; J.
J. Gallagher, July, 1857, to March, 1858; Andrew
Schweiger, March, 1858-59; Joseph Gobbels,
1859-81; F. J. Hartman, 1861-64; John
J. O’Keeffe, 1864 to February, 1866; Kiearn
O’Branigan, March, 1866, to September, 1868; Thomas
Tracy, October, 1868, to July, 1876, and the present pastor, Bernard
Donohue, who began his labors in July, 1876. The lots on which the
pastor’s residence stands were purchased by Father
O'Branigan, and a story-and-a-half frame building built thereon.
The ground north of the church had been in use for burial purposes since
1848, and during Father O’Branigan’s pastorate the present cemetery,
in rear of the church, was secured from Eugene
Rooney, Esq. The latter had purchased the land from the mother
superior of a Cleveland, Ohio, convent, to which institution it had been
willed by William C. Daly, of the Mercer
congregation. The addition to the church, including the belfry and bell,
was made during Father Tracy’s pastorate,
the choir gallery having been also built at that time. Under the present
pastor many additions and improvements have been made to the church
property, and the congregation has enjoyed both spiritual and material
prosperity. The cemetery has been enlarged, the membership has grown until
it now numbers over 500 souls, and a flourishing Sunday-school of 100
pupils has been maintained.
History
of Mercer County,
1888, pages 425-426.
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Michaels Church page
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