Pittsburg Scenes - Churches
 
  Home
   
  Street Scenes
   
  Residential
   
  Buildings/Businesses
   
  Schools
   
  Parks
   
  Churches
   
  Theatres
   
  PSU
   
  Medical
   
  Hotels
   
  Newspapers
   
  Mining
   
  Smelting
   
  Cemeteries
     
  Contact Me
   

 

St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Church
- Northeast Corner 9th & Locust
- photo, Prosperous Pittsburg Pictorially Portrayed - 1915

St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Church
- Northeast Corner 9th & Locust
- no postmark (c1930-1945)
 
Catholic services had been held in parishioners homes for many years. By 1881 they had outgrown those homes and it was decided that they needed a more permament place to worship. In December 1882, Father Bononcini bought two lots for $650 on Mills Street, later Elm Street and a small frame church was built. The congregation continued to grow resulting in a rectory and a classroom being added to the church. In 1893, Dr. J. A. Pompeny began his time as priest and asked the Sisters of St. Joseph to run the parochial school system in Pittsburg which at that time only included an elementary school. The elementary school was closed in 1906 and reopened in 1915. He remained until 1897 when Father E. M. Coolen came and started work on designing and raising money for a new building. In 1904 a 46 x 72 the building of a new church made of Carthage stone was began on the north east corner of Ninth & Locust at a cost of $30,000. The building was enlarged to its present size in 1931 with the interior being redecorated as seen above in 1935 by the J. B. Towner family. A sisters' convent was built at 812 N. Elm in 1938 and the sisters of the parish lived there until 1952 when a new convent was built just north of the church on Locust street.
 
Important Dates & Contributions that St. Mary's Our Lady of Lourdes Church and its affiliates have made in the history of Pittsburg:

1903: The Sisters of St. Joseph opened Mt. Carmel Hospital at 3001 N. Michigan. The hospital moved to a larger modern facility at South Rouse and Centennial Drive in 1971. The name was changed to Via Christi in 2011.

1904: Chapter of the Knights of Columbus was organized in Pittsburg
1912: The Newman Club was organized on the campus of the State Manual Training Normal, now Pittsburg State University
1924: A new 2-story elementary school was constructed east of the church
1935: The first Freshmen High School class was enrolled
1937: A third-story was added to the elementary school to accomodate a gymnasium/auditorium and classrooms for the High School.
1940: St. Mary's High School was accredited by the State of Kansas
1960: A new high school was built across the street from the church, now called Colgan High School
1991 - 2010: Various renovations and new buildings were built that enlarged the footprint of the church to include a new elementary school, activity center, gymnasium, parish offices and a renovated enlarged high school.

 

 
pittsburgksmemories.com
copyright 2012