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WHEREAS, the cornerstone for Most Holy Name Church was laid on August 26, 1866, and on June 7, 1868, the church was dedicated and Father Suitbert Mollinger was appointed the first Pastor; and,
WHEREAS, Father Mollinger’s first concern was the education of the children of the Parish. Using a room in the rear of the church as a classroom, 15 children were able to begin school in September of 1868. In 1874, Most Holy Name School was built and the Sisters of Notre Dame came to take over the responsibility of educating the children. From his own resources, Father Mollinger built a rectory on Hazel Street, now known as Harpster Street, as well as St. Anthony’s Chapel adjacent to the rectory; and,
WHEREAS, Father Mollinger died June 15, 1892, two days after the dedication of the completed work on the St. Anthony Chapel. In 1892 Father Duffner became the second Pastor of Most Holy Name. Since the Parish continued to expand, Father Erhart was appointed as the first Assistant in order to help Father Duffner in the needs of the people. Eventually, the Church expanded to include the Sanctuary, the sacristy, and the side entrances, which were added in 1898; and,
WHEREAS, in 1983, the Parish celebrated the 100th anniversary of St. Anthony’s Reliquary Chapel. A special Mass, dinner and open house were featured to celebrate the anniversary of St. Anthony’s; and,
WHEREAS, in August 1983, process of renovating the Church began. As one of the improvements made during the renovation, the former baptistery was converted into a chapel which is now open 24 hours a day; and,
WHEREAS, the dedication ceremony was held June 19, 1985, when a new altar was dedicated by Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Bosco; and
WHEREAS, on June 13, 1992, the Feast of St. Anthony, a Mass was held in Most Holy Name Church by Bishop Anthony Bosco, of the Greensburg Diocese, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the completion of St. Anthony’s Chapel; and,
WHEREAS, the 125th Anniversary of Most Holy Name Church was celebrated during 1993-1994. Bishop Donald Wuerl opened the celebration with Mass in June, 1993, and Bishop William Winter closed the 125th celebration with Mass in June 1994; and,
WHEREAS, the parish community celebrated the 140th anniversary of the Church and the 125th anniversary of St. Anthony’s Chapel on June 8, 2008. This celebration included a Mass in Most Holy Name Church by Bishop David Zubik, along with a service in the Chapel in which many new relics were added; and,
WHEREAS, on July 28, 2014, Fr James R. Orr was appointed Pastor of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish. The Parish joined forces with the other parishes on the Northside in order to better serve Northside communities; and,
WHEREAS, on June 7, 2018, Most Holy Name Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary. The Church has served as a cornerstone of its Northside community since its inception. Most Holy Name Church looks forward to the future as it works to transmit its faith and traditions to the children of the parish. Most Holy Name Church and the City of Pittsburgh look forward to another 150 years of faith, service, and history!
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 to be “Most Holy Name of Jesus Church Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.