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Book offers images of Catholic history
archived from: 2007-05-21
by: William Hill

A new book about the history of southwestern Pennsylvania and the development of the Catholic diocese over the past 150 years is a visual delight, filled with hundreds of vintage photographs and commentary by Pittsburgh native Mary Ann Knochel.

The book, “Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh,” is a triple deal — almost as good as those offered on late-night television. You get a great historical picture of the growth of Pittsburgh and the other communities from the mid-1800s and 1900s; you get a wonderful sense of the rich cultural diversity of the churches and parishes as they grew along with the communities; and it creates a wide-ranging portrait of the people, family celebrations, baptisms, first Communions, parish festivals, school events, and the priests and religious who worked, celebrated and shared their joys and sorrows.

“This book began as a genealogy research project,” said Knochel. “I had been researching my family for a number of years. There were Lutheran and Catholic branches, and as usual in researching family history you go off in a number of tangents. I was learning about how they lived, what it was like in the early days of Pittsburgh, how they practiced their faith, and their stories were interesting to me.

“I became fascinated with all the images in the diocesan archives, and I thought of how so many people never get to see those pictures that portray the history of the church so well. So I got the idea for doing an illustrated history. I proposed the idea to Arcadia Publishing. While they indicated they didn’t do religious books as such, they were intrigued with the idea of a pictorial history of southwestern Pennsylvania, particularly when I indicated that this was an ethnic diocese, and that the communities and neighborhoods early on were defined by their ethnicity.”

The 128-page book reflects the mixture of politics, religion and industry that influenced the growth of the local church and provides a closer look at the immigrant experience. In addition to photos from the diocesan Archives and Record Center, Knochel also was able to obtain images through the cooperation of some parishes and individuals.

“I think readers will experience some of the same surprises that I did — the ‘Oh, I didn’t know that about this neighborhood,’ or ‘I remember seeing pictures of that parish in my family albums.’ I came across a story about Cholera Day and a local parish’s devotion to St. Roch. When an 1849 cholera epidemic swept through the South Side neighborhood, St. Josaphat's ran out of burial plots. The parishioners pledged to St. Roch, the patron against pestilence and plague, that they would keep a holy day if the parish could be spared. The plague stopped, and another epidemic four years later bypassed the parish, too.”

When Knochel continued poring through photos and documents in the archives, she learned that Johnny Unitas’ father had been sent to the Toner Institute orphanage with his brothers. When he was old enough to work, he left for the coal mines of West Virginia.

“At the same time I was still researching my own family, and I was excited to find out that members of my mother’s family had been baptized by St. John Neumann when he was a pastor at St. Philomena Parish, ministering to 6,000 German Catholics in the city. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos also served with St. John Neumann in Pittsburgh.”

Along with the politics and sports vignettes, readers will learn about the development of medical care and education in the region.

One of the attractions of the book is its eclectic character. It is loosely arranged in five chapters, with the first three focusing on Pittsburgh and the surrounding regions, followed by a chapter featuring health care and orphanages, and concluding with an array of photos of school children in parishes around the diocese.

Knochel grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Slippery Rock State College (now Slippery Rock University). She is an avid genealogist and freelance writer, and a board member of the Mifflin Township Historical Society.

“Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh” is published in the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing. It can be purchased through the Pittsburgh Catholic for $23, which includes shipping and handling. Send request with name, address and check or money order to: History Book Offer, 135 First Ave., Suite 200, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. Orders also can be made by fax at 412-471-4228. To pay by credit card, call Amanda at 412-471-1252, ext. 3573.

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