Chapter Eighteen
Saint Kieran Catholic Church

By James Wudarczyk and Jude Wudarczyk

Although this parish was founded in 1886, there is no indication that it was to be named in honor a sixth century Irish monk. Earliest records show that a committee consisting of Mark Leyden, P. C. Byrne, Frank and Andrew Lackner, Dennis Haggerty, H. Delmeyer, N. W. Connors, James Connolly, and P. Brennan was formed to investigate the formation of a new parish to serve the spiritual needs of Irish Catholics in what is now the city’s tenth ward. Early parishioners were previously members of Saint Mary’s 46th Street in Lawrenceville. Acting as purchasing agent for the new parish, Patrick McCabe, bought nineteen lots from the Bissell estate. This land extending from 53rd to 54th Streets costed $12,000.00. This purchase took place on August 24, 1886. Properties, consisting of the old Bissell estate, were transferred to the Right Reverend John Tuigg, Bishop of Pittsburgh, as trustee for a parish known as Saint Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Congregation, 18th Ward, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Apparently, Reverend Pollard, pastor of Saint Mary’s 46th Street, bestowed the name Saint Kieran upon the parish.

The first pastor of Saint Kieran’s was Father T. F. Briley, an assistant at Saint Mary’s 46th Street. In the spring of 1887 the cornerstone of a church-school complex was laid, but it was not until April 15, 1888, that Right Reverend Bishop Phelan formally dedicated the facilities. The cost of this building was $45,000.00. Among the early tasks of Father Briley was to equip four rooms on the second floor of the church for the purposes of a school, which opened for the fall semester in 1888. Staffed by the Sisters of Charity, the first teachers and administrator of the school were Sister Mary Basilia, Sister Mary Zita, Sister Mary Joseph, Sister Mary Sebastian, and Sister Mary Eulalia. These early teachers commuted daily from Saint Joseph’s convent in Sharpsburg until a parish convent was purchased at 103 53rd Street. A second convent was later established at 5321 Carnegie Street, which served until a third convent was built. The parish mourned the loss of their young pastor who died on February 12, 1898, only eighteen years after his ordination.

Among the statistics of the early parish, one finds the name of Reverend Thomas Welsh, as the first assistant. The first marriage was performed on May 8, 1888, between Thomas O’Donnell and Anna O’Connor. Annie McCall served as the first organist, assisted by Margaret McCabe as soloist. Mrs. Theresa Ward was the first sacristan, while Edward O’Brien, Sr. and David Sheehan served as the first ushers. Earliest baptisms included William Kiley, Jr. and Agnes Curley. John P. McConnell, Peter L. McConnell, James Quill, James Harkins, and Michael O’Connor were the first altar boys. Reverend John Walsh, C.S.Sp., was the first priest to be ordained from the parish. His ordination took place on October 27, 1895. The first girls to enter the convent were Sister Crescentia Curran, O. M. Sister Mary Thomas Woods, S. C., and Sister Mary Josepha Lee, S. C.

Between the years of 1898 and 1907, the Reverend James F. Doyle, a former pastor of Immaculate Conception in Washington, Pennsylvania, struggled to pay the massive debts of Saint Kieran’s. On November 3, 1907, the Right Reverend Monsignor Francis L. Tobin, V. G., officiated at the ceremonies for the dedication of a cornerstone for a new church, which stands to this day. The church was dedicated in October 1908, with the Right Reverend J. F. Regis Canevin presiding. Father Doyle served as pastor until his death on February 25, 1934. Under his administration, the school was remodeled in 1920 and new plumbing and heating facilities were installed. Some three hundred men from the parish served in the armed forces during World War I, and the women were instrumental in the formation of a parish Red Cross unit. It was during this period that many parishioners migrated to Morningside where they helped to form Saint Raphael’s parish.

Father Clougherty served as pastor-protem for nearly a year until the appointment of the Reverend James Gilmore to the pastorate on February 7, 1935.

The 1908 church deserves attention. Constructed in the Gothic style, this edifice is relatively simple with, as a 1937 description tells us, the sanctuary being the focus of the church, with its main altar and tabernacle sitting under a painting of Christ the king seated on a throne. Credit for the execution of the interior belongs to F. Sturm Ecclesiastical Art Studio of Yonkers, New York. If one is not acquainted with church history, the symbols painted around the sanctuary may escape a person. These symbols include keys, representing Saint Peter and the authority of the Church; sword and book to symbolize Saint Paul; Saint Andrew’s cross and boat hook, to honor the martyred apostle who was called to be a fisher of men; bishop’s miter and cross, representing Saint James; a chalice out of which comes a serpent, to recount the biblical story of how the enemies of Saint John tried to kill him with poison; carpenter square, spear, arrow, and stones, said to represent Saint Thomas; a sword and escallop, representing Saint James the Elder; patriarch cal cross, to symbolize Saint Philip; and open Bible and flaying knife, believed to stand for Saint Bartholomew; a scroll, inkwell and quill honors Saint Matthew; a saw, fish and book, represents Saint Simon; and a sailboat with a cross-shaped mast symbolizes Saint Thaddeus. The church is noted for its sturdy pillars and high-buttressed ceiling, as well as a light hanging in front of the altar. Although the light is electric, it was designed after those in the famous cathedrals in Rheims and Chartres, France, thus giving the edifice a touch of 12th century romantic charm.”