In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the church building, we have transcribed and reprinted the article from the Republican Standard and Westmoreland Journal from Friday, September 19, 1924
New Catholic Church to Be Dedicated on Sunday
The solemn dedication of the Immaculate Conception Church of which Rev. Edward D. Murphy is pastor, and Rev. Henry Connolley, assistant pastor, will be conducted Sunday morning by Rt. Rev. Hugh C. Boyle, D. D., assisted by a number of visiting priests.
The congregation is busily engaged this week in cleaning up the interior of their church and will have everything in readiness for the formal dedication and for the large audience of church members and their friends who expect to attend the services. Admission will be by ticket which can be procured at the Parish Rectory.
V. Rev. Thomas Walsh of St. Richard’s Church, Pittsburgh, will be the celebrant of the Solemn Mass. Rev. Thomas Rea of McKeesport will be Deacon; Rev. Michael McBurney of Finleyville the Subdeacon; Rev. M. A. McGarey of Wilmerding will be Master of Ceremonies; Deacons of honor to the R. Rev. Bishop will be Rev. P. O’Connor of McKeesport and Rev. B. P. Kenna of Uniontown. The V. Rev. P. K. Collins, the Dean of Butler county, a noted orator and prominent priest of Pittsburgh Diocese, will deliver the sermon.
The program for the dedication mass is as follows; Mass in honor of St. Dominic, Jos. Greg Zangl; Kyrie; Gloria; Credo; Offertory, Redemptor Mundi Deus, by Mozart, sung by Mr. Peter Fairish; Sanctus; Benedictus; Agnus Dei; O Salutaris; Tantum Ergo; Holy God; Faith of Our Fathers.
The following is the personnel of the choir: Director, Peter Fairish; Organist, Margaret Keenan; Tenors: Matthew Klasson, Jos. Donegan, Jas. Shea; Dan F. Shea, John Quinlan; Wilbur Farron, Vin Hensler. Bass: Peter Fairish, T. D. Hensler, John Donegan, Wm. J. Winkenbaugh, Herman Pfeiffer, Wm. Fairish.
The dedication of their new church will mark the culmination of the dreams of the members of the Immaculate Conception Church of Irwin, which stands as a memorial to Father Murphy and the able assistance given him by the members of his congregation. The church is a beautiful architectural sight to behold, both from an exterior and an interior viewpoint, and is a credit to the community in which it is erected.
Constructed of Beaver county stone, the church proper is built of this material and the interior walls are entirely of red brick exposed to view. The floors of the sanctuary, place of baptism and aisles of the church are terrazzo with marble mosaic borders. The floors of the church proper are T.M.B.
One of the really beautiful features of the interior construction is the ceiling effect—the supporting members of the roof, trusses, purlins and rafters being all exposed to view. All the windows of the church and the Stations of the Cross are the gifts of the individual members of the Parish. The three marble altars were imported from the Carrera hills of Italy at a cost of $12,000.00. The mensa, or altar slab, covers the whole of the altar table and is cut from a single piece of the choicest of white marble.
The altars, tabernacle, sanctuary lamp, in fact all furniture and furnishments, including various fixtures, lamps, and other articles, were especially designed for the building by the architect, Carlton Strong. The only exception to this was the Baptistry which was designed by James McDonald of Irwin and donated to the church by him at a cost of $2,000.00. The design of this font is very beautiful. It was imported from Italy; carved from that noted Carrara marble and is surmounted by a golden dome of Cathedral architecture. The donors of the Baptistry Font, first observed this beautiful piece of art in the Cathedral of Louisville, Ky., and were so much impressed with its beauty that they did not hesitate to present a duplicated to the new church together with all its furnishments.
The inscription on the base reads; “Presented by James. A McDonald and his wife Amelia Bell, 1924.”
The bowl is a hexagon and the following figures are carved thereon in bas-relief; St. John baptizing the Savior, The Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Ann, St. Augustine, and St. Patrick.
On Wednesday, May 23rd, 1923, the first earth was turned by Father Murphy for the new church. The corner stone was duly laid on Sunday, September 9th by Monsignor Kittell of Latrobe, assisted by many priests of the Diocese. The sermon on this occasion was preached by Rev. Thomas Walsh of St. Richards Church, Pittsburgh.
The new church has a seating capacity of 700 which can be increased to 900 when necessary. Five entrances will permit the church to be emptied quickly. The main entrance is located at the front and there are two entrances at each side, one pair near the front and the others near the rear of the church. The choir will be located in the choir loft in the balcony at the rear of the church. The church is heated by steam, the heating plant being located in the basement of the church.
The cost of the church complete was $126,000 and of this amount only a debt of $14,000 remains. The non-Catholics of Irwin were most generous to Father Murphy, having contributed over $5,000.00. One individual who did not want his name mentioned, gave $500 for the front window of the church which is erected to the mothers of the boys who died in the late war.
The general contractors for the new edifice are Blair & Mack. Other contractors are Matthew Runt plumbing, Jerome Runt electrical work, and Horace DeAngeles concrete work. The church committee which has had much to do with the arrangements for the new building consists of Thomas. D. Hensler, Sr., P. B. Hensler, Sr., Daniel Coyle, James Lundy, Alex McClain, William Filtz and John Shea.
The local parish was established April 10, 1867 and plans were soon formulated for the erection of the church which has served the local parish for over a half century. The cornerstone of the old church was laid on May 20, 1868 and the church was dedicated on August 15, 1869.
The first resident pastor was Rev. Michael Murphy who came here from Pittsburgh, October 15, 1871. He resigned on March 4, 1889 after 18 years service and died in Ireland on November 2, 1889.
The second pastor was Rev. William Graham who came to Irwin on March 10, 1889 and left on May 18, 1891 to take charge of Holy Family Parish, Latrobe.
The third resident pastor was Rev. James J. McDonnell, a near relative of Cardinal Mundelin of Chicago who always spent his vacation days whilst a student in St. Vincent’s College, at Irwin in the Parochial Rectory. Father McDonnell died in Irwin on March 18, 1898.
The fourth resident pastor was Rev. Thomas McEnrue who came to Irwin on April 21, 1898 and died after a service of twelve years on February 26, 1910. The present pastor came here April 27, 1910 and during his fourteen years of faithful service has brought the membership up to 200 families of approximately 1000 souls.
The last church services to be held in the old church will be the regular masses at eight and nine o’clock on Sunday morning. At ten o’clock the dedication Mass service will be held in the new structure. The old church will be converted into a hall for social gatherings and the present hall on the second floor of the parochial school building will be converted into four class rooms and will be ready for the opening of the 1925-26 term starting next September.