About Holy Rosary · Erie, Pennsylvania
Holy Rosary is a Roman Catholic parish located on the east side of Erie, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Erie. Established in 1923 as a 'daughter' parish split from the overcrowded Saint John the Baptist Parish, it has ministered to generations of east-side Erie faithful for a century. Since 2010 it has been in pastoral partnership with Saint John the Baptist, and on July 9, 2024, by decree of Bishop Lawrence Persico, Holy Rosary was merged into Saint John the Baptist Parish, with the Holy Rosary church retained as a secondary mission church. It is now part of a larger partnered community of Saint John the Baptist, Holy Rosary, and Holy Trinity parishes sharing one pastoral team.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. James E. Piszker
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie
Why belong here
Holy Rosary is a century-old east-side Erie Catholic community with deep roots and a continuing worship life in its 1955 stone church. As part of the new Saint John the Baptist–Holy Trinity–Holy Rosary partnership, parishioners benefit from a shared pastoral team, weekday and Sunday Masses in multiple locations, and a parish secretary, deacons, and liturgical musicians working together across the three churches. It is a small, mission-status church where the Sunday 10:30 AM Mass remains a cornerstone of community life and where sacramental records, faith formation, and pastoral care are now coordinated across the partnership.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:00–3:30 PM at Holy Trinity Church
- By appointment
Parish History
Holy Rosary was founded in 1923 after splitting from Saint John the Baptist Parish in 1922 to relieve overcrowding on Erie's east side. The parish immediately opened a school that grew from two grades in a remodeled farmhouse to a full K–8 program taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph by 1930. A new 16-classroom school and social center was completed in 1948, and the present stone church was dedicated in 1955 (its steeple later removed in 1996). In 2004 the elementary school merged with Saint John the Baptist's into St. John–Holy Rosary Eastside Catholic, which closed in 2012. Holy Rosary was partnered with Saint John the Baptist in 2010, and on July 9, 2024, Bishop Persico's decree merged Holy Rosary into Saint John the Baptist Parish, with Holy Rosary church preserved as a secondary mission church.
- 1922 — split from Saint John the Baptist Parish
- 1923 — first church dedicated
- 1948 — new 16-classroom school/social center completed under Fr. Walter Conway
- 1955 — current stone church dedicated
- 1996 — steeple removed
- 2004 — schools merged into St. John–Holy Rosary Eastside Catholic
- 2010 — partnered with Saint John the Baptist
- 2012 — Eastside Catholic school closed
- July 9, 2024 — merged into Saint John the Baptist Parish; Holy Rosary church retained as a mission church
Mission Statement & Identity
The partnered parishes of Saint John the Baptist, Holy Rosary, and Holy Trinity describe themselves as 'Roman Catholic Communities … alive in the Sacraments and guided by the Holy Spirit.' They recognize themselves as Christians called to claim Jesus as Christ and Lord, and they aspire 'to make Christ the living reality through reconciliation, education, and by public witness' so as to become a clearer sign of the reign of God to their parishes, their city, their nation, and the world.
Clergy, Deacons & Staff
The current pastoral team of the Saint John the Baptist / Holy Rosary / Holy Trinity partnership is led by Rev. James E. Piszker as Pastor, with Rev. Msgr. Daniel Magraw serving as Senior Associate in residence at Holy Trinity. Two permanent deacons — Deacon Denis Coan and Deacon Francis Lombardo — assist across the partnership. Support staff include Marsha MacKinnon McKinley, bookkeeper Ryan Coletta, parish secretary Mary Ann Merski, and liturgical music contact Pat Marshall.
- Rev. James E. Piszker — Pastor
- Rev. Msgr. Daniel Magraw — Senior Associate (Holy Trinity)
- Deacon Denis Coan — Deacon Assistant
- Deacon Francis Lombardo — Permanent Deacon
- Marsha MacKinnon McKinley — Support Staff
- Ryan Coletta — Bookkeeper
- Mary Ann Merski — Parish Secretary
- Pat Marshall — Liturgical Music Contact
2024 Parish Reconfiguration
On July 9, 2024, by decree of Bishop Lawrence T. Persico of the Diocese of Erie, Holy Rosary Parish was merged by extinctive union into Saint John the Baptist Parish. All sacramental records, assets, and liabilities of Holy Rosary were transferred to Saint John the Baptist, and Saint John the Baptist church became the parish church. Holy Rosary church was preserved as a secondary mission church, where Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation (and the preceding evening) continues to be permitted. The enlarged Saint John the Baptist Parish is then partnered with Holy Trinity Parish, forming a three-church partnership under one pastoral team. The decree cited dramatic demographic and Mass-attendance decline on Erie's east side as the driver of the change.
- Holy Rosary → merged into St. John the Baptist Parish (effective July 9, 2024)
- Holy Rosary church retained as a secondary mission church (Sunday/holy-day Mass permitted)
- Saint John the Baptist Parish subsequently partnered with Holy Trinity Parish
- All sacramental records kept at Saint John the Baptist Parish offices
Parish School (Historical)
Holy Rosary operated a parish school from its earliest years. It began with the first two grades in a remodeled farmhouse at the back of the church and grew to cover grades 1 through 8 by 1930, taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph. A new 16-classroom school and social center was built in 1947–1948 under the direction of then-pastor Father Walter Conway. In 2004 the school merged with Saint John the Baptist's into St. John–Holy Rosary Eastside Catholic, which closed in 2012 due to declining enrollment and financial concerns. In late 2019 the former school building was purchased by the Mercy Center for Women, which planned to convert it into apartments for homeless women and children.
- Sisters of St. Joseph — school staff
- Father Walter Conway — pastor who oversaw the 1948 school/social center
- St. John–Holy Rosary Eastside Catholic (2004–2012)
- Mercy Center for Women — later purchaser of the school building
Ministries & Community Life
The parish website references a Book Club among its community offerings, and identifies a Liturgical Music contact (Pat Marshall) who coordinates music across the partnership. Day-to-day parish operations are supported by a small staff: a parish secretary, a bookkeeper, and a support staff member, all of whom serve the three-parish partnership.
- Parish Book Club
- Liturgical Music (Pat Marshall)
- Deacon-led ministry across the partnership
Visit, Contact & Location
Holy Rosary church is located in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania (Erie County), on the city's east side. The parish office is administered through Saint John the Baptist Parish at 509 E. 26th Street, Erie, PA 16504, phone (814) 454-2873, fax (814) 459-8082, email [email protected]. An additional listed contact is [email protected] / (814) 456-4254. The three partnered churches — Saint John the Baptist, Holy Rosary, and Holy Trinity — sit within roughly half a mile to eight-tenths of a mile of one another, making shared worship, sacramental ministry, and parish life convenient for east-side parishioners.
- Church: 2701 East Avenue, Erie, PA 16504
- Parish office (mailing): c/o St. John the Baptist Parish, 509 E. 26th St., Erie, PA 16504
- Phone: (814) 454-2873
- Fax: (814) 459-8082
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stjohn-holyrosary-erie.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Walter Conwaymid-1940s–1950s
Pastored Holy Rosary during the post-war era; directed construction of the new 16-classroom school/social center completed in 1948.