Hermitage |
St. Rose of Lima
Catholic Church
|
St.
Rose of Lima Catholic Church, located
immediately north of Hickory Corners, has its inception in the
settlement in that vicinity of a few German Catholic families, between
1845 and 1860, who were principally engaged in mining coal. Among the earliest of
these were Martin Scholl, Nicholas
and Peter Rommelfangen, Michael and Matthias Schumacher, Clemens Dach,
Nicholas and John Kahl, Matthew Koch and Michael Knapp.
Rev. Andrew Skopez is believed to
have been the first priest who held services in the settlement,
celebrating mass at the house of Martin
Scholl prior to 1850. He was followed in succession by Revs. J. Reiser, J. J. Gallagher, Andrew
Schweiger and Joseph Gobbels, resident pastors of the
Greenville congregation, who occasionally visited Sharon and the German
settlement at Hickory Corners, and held services in private houses. The
Redemptorist Fathers, of Pittsburgh, also occasionally visited this
settlement between 1850 and 1860. In 1850 Rev.
F. J. Hartmann began his visits, and the following year
commenced erecting the present frame church, which he completed in 1861. He, however, held services
in it in 1860, and the church was dedicated under the name of St. Rose
of Lima. A half acre of land was donated by Clemens
Dach, as a site for church and cemetery, and Father Skopez afterward
purchased of Mr. Dach an additional acre. Soon after the church was
completed Father Hartmann
took up his permanent residence in a part of the building, but
subsequently erected a dwelling-house adjoining the same. He remained
the pastor of St. Rose until August, 1870, and during this period built
up a large and flourishing congregation, but the decline of the coal
business in that locality finally necessitated the removal elsewhere of
a large number of its members. Rev.
Andrew
|
Early German Catholics in Hickory
Martin Scholl
Nicholas & Peter Rommefangen
Michael & Matthias Schumacher
Clemens Dach
Nicholas
& John Kahl
Matthew Koch
Michael Knapp
| |
|
| |
continued
-
Skopez became pastor in
August, 1870, and ministered to St. Rose congregation until his death
in the fall of 1887, being at the time one of the oldest priests in the
diocese. St. Rose was then attended by Father
Clarke, of Sharpsville, until September 1, 1888, when its
first resident pastor, Father
Hartmann, again took charge of the parish, which now
[1888] embraces about forty families.
The History of Mercer County, 1888,
pages 539-540
| |
|