About Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish - Sacred Heart Church · Central City, Pennsylvania
Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Central City, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, formed on October 6, 1999, by the merger of two immigrant-rooted parishes: Sacred Heart of Jesus (Polish) and St. John the Baptist (Slovak). The parish now operates across two worship sites — Sacred Heart Church on Sunshine Avenue and St. John the Baptist Chapel on Wheeler Street — and serves a community originally built by Polish, Slovak, Italian, and other Central European immigrants drawn to the bituminous coal fields of the region. Today's parish is led by Rev. Aron M. Maghsoudi of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown and lives out the motto "Instaurare Omnia in Christo — To Renew All Things in Christ."
- Established
- 1999
- Patron
- Our Lady Queen of Angels (merged parish); predecessor parishes were under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Aron M. Maghsoudi
- Diocese
- Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Why belong here
Our Lady Queen of Angels welcomes every person — long-time Catholic, returning Catholic, or curious seeker — into a parish whose roots go back to immigrant coal-country Catholics of 1914 and whose life today centers on the Eucharist, traditional devotions, and family. The parish shares Sunday worship across two historic sites (Sacred Heart and St. John the Baptist Chapel), offers CCD religious education for children, maintains a live Sunday Mass broadcast online, and continues living traditions such as Polish Easter-basket blessings on Holy Saturday, annual Dyngus Day, monthly all-you-can-eat parish breakfasts, and First-Friday Adoration at Sacred Heart.
Mass times at Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish - Sacred Heart Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday following the 8:00 AM Mass at Sacred Heart
- Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM at St. John the Baptist Chapel
- Saturday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (also by appointment, per independent schedule listing)
Adoration times
- First Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM at Sacred Heart
About Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish
Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish is the merged Roman Catholic parish of Central City, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, formed on October 6, 1999, from the union of two ethnic coal-country parishes: Sacred Heart of Jesus (Polish) and St. John the Baptist (Slovak). The parish serves a community built early in the twentieth century by Polish, Slovak, Italian, and other Catholic immigrants who came to work in the bituminous coal mines that defined the region. The parish's motto — "Instaurare Omnia in Christo: To Renew All Things in Christ" — is the vision Father Aron and parishioners carry into the present, even as the area has been reshaped by the loss of the coal industry and outward migration.
- Two worship sites: Sacred Heart Church (738 Sunshine Ave.) and St. John the Baptist Chapel (162 Wheeler St.)
- Motto: Instaurare Omnia in Christo
- Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
History of the Parish
Catholic life in Central City dates to 1914, when Father Joseph A. Wozny of Holy Family Church in Hooversville began celebrating Mass in private homes and Widomski Hall on Lohr Street. In July 1916, Bishop Eugene Garvey appointed Father Ignatius M. Pilz as the first resident pastor; the new parish was named Sacred Heart of Jesus and the first church was dedicated on May 23, 1917. Father Pilz served for an extraordinary fifty years, during which the original church building was eventually demolished in 1982 to make way for a parish activity center. His successor, Father Ignatius Wadas, served for thirty-seven years (1966–1998), built the present Sacred Heart Church in 1967–1968, and installed the famous sanctuary mosaics in 1971. Through demographic decline and priest shortages, the two parishes ultimately came together as Our Lady Queen of Angels in 1999.
- 1914 — First Masses offered in homes by Fr. Wozny
- 1916 — Fr. Ignatius M. Pilz appointed first resident pastor; parish named Sacred Heart of Jesus
- 1917 — First church dedicated by Bishop Garvey (May 23)
- 1953 — Fr. Wadas ordained at Mount St. Mary's Seminary
- 1966 — Fr. Wadas succeeds Fr. Pilz as pastor
- 1967–1968 — New Sacred Heart Church built and dedicated (Jan. 7, 1968)
- 1971 — Sanctuary mosaics depicting miner, nurse, farmer, mother, professional, students, and astronaut installed
- 1974 — 8:00 AM Mass begins to be broadcast on FM 101.7
- 1982 — Original 1916 church demolished for activity center
- 1990 — St. John the Baptist clustered with Sacred Heart under Msgr. Wadas
- 1998 — Msgr. Wadas retires
- 1999 (Oct. 6) — Sacred Heart and St. John the Baptist merged into Our Lady Queen of Angels
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish was the Polish-identity Catholic congregation of Central City, founded in 1916 and rooted in the traditions of Polish Catholicism. Near the entrance of the present Sacred Heart Church stands a plaque inscribed with the words of St. Faustina Kowalska, "Jesus, I trust in you," a motto that captures the devotional character the parish carried through the twentieth century. Tuesday-night Miraculous Medal Novenas, May Crownings, Lenten Lamentations, roses on Laetare Sunday, and a large corps of altar boys at the 8:00 AM Mass defined much of parish life under Msgr. Wadas.
- Patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- St. Faustina Kowalska plaque near entrance
- Long-running Tuesday-night Miraculous Medal Novena
- May Crowning and Lenten Lamentations traditions
St. John the Baptist Parish
St. John the Baptist was the Slovak sister parish of Central City, clustered with Sacred Heart in 1990 and merged into Our Lady Queen of Angels in 1999. Also remembered locally as "The Chapel" or "Old St. John's," it remains one of the parish's two worship sites and the spiritual home of the area's Slovak-heritage Catholics.
- Worship site at 162 Wheeler Street, Central City
- Also known as 'The Chapel' / 'Old St. John's'
- Merged into Our Lady Queen of Angels on Oct. 6, 1999
Sacred Heart Church Architecture & Mosaics
The present Sacred Heart of Jesus Church replaced an earlier parish church and was constructed beginning in May 1967 under Msgr. Ignatius Wadas. It was dedicated on January 7, 1968. The building's most distinctive artistic feature is a set of sanctuary-wall mosaics installed in 1971 depicting seven figures from everyday parish life: a coal miner, a nurse, a farmer, a mother, a professional, Shade High School students, and an astronaut. Together they illustrate Vatican II's teaching on the "universal call to holiness" — the idea that all people, in every state of life, are called to holiness.
- New church construction began May 1967
- Dedicated January 7, 1968
- Mosaics installed 1971: coal miner, nurse, farmer, mother, professional, Shade High School students, astronaut
- Mosaic theme: 'universal call to holiness'
Clergy & Pastor Succession
Our Lady Queen of Angels is currently served by Rev. Aron M. Maghsoudi of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown, who is also Administrator of All Saints Parish in Boswell and Saint Anne Parish in Davidsville. The parish traces its spiritual lineage through two extraordinarily long-tenured pastors of its predecessor Sacred Heart of Jesus parish: Father Ignatius M. Pilz (1916–1966) and Monsignor Ignatius Wadas (1966–1998). Between them they accounted for 87 continuous years of pastoral care before the 1999 merger.
- Rev. Aron M. Maghsoudi — current pastor
- Rev. Ignatius M. Pilz — first resident pastor of Central City (1916–1966)
- Msgr. Ignatius Wadas — second pastor of Sacred Heart (1966–1998), also pastored St. John the Baptist from 1990
Religious Education (CCD)
Our Lady Queen of Angels runs a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) religious-education program for children from kindergarten through 11th grade. The program prepares young parishioners for First Communion and Confirmation, and CCD families host a monthly all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet fundraiser at the St. John's site on every third Sunday from 8:00–11:00 AM. Students have also participated in living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in recent years, led by teachers including Marianne Topka.
- CCD registration for grades K–11
- Monthly all-you-can-eat breakfast on third Sundays, 8–11 AM, at St. John's
- Living Stations of the Cross performed by CCD students on Good Friday
Parish Life & Events
The parish maintains an active communal life that mixes devotional, cultural, and family traditions. Each year the parish celebrates Polish Dyngus Day with basket raffles, a meat raffle, and an 'overflowing wheelbarrow of cheer' as a fundraiser. Holy Saturday brings the blessing of Easter baskets in the Polish tradition. News, bulletins, and announcements are published on the parish website, where the live Sunday-Mass recordings also invite broader participation beyond the immediate community.
- Annual Polish Dyngus Day celebration (basket & meat raffles)
- Holy Saturday blessing of Easter baskets
- Monthly parish breakfast fundraisers
- Online Sunday Mass recordings via the parish website
Visiting Central City & Contact
The parish rectory answers at (814) 754-5224; the general office email is [email protected] and Father Aron can be reached at the parish email. The rectory office is open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Thursday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and is closed on Wednesdays. Central City is in northern Somerset County, just minutes from the Flight 93 National Memorial, and both worship sites lie within the borough.
- Rectory Phone: (814) 754-5224
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon/Tue/Fri 8:00 AM–6:00 PM; Thu 9:00 AM–6:00 PM; Wed closed
- Website: https://www.ladyqueenofangels.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ignatius M. Pilz1916–1966 (50 years)
First resident pastor of Central City; born in Gasiorowie, Poland (1876); Salesian-trained; led census and built the first Sacred Heart of Jesus Church; died Oct. 7, 1968.
- Rev. Ignatius Wadas (later Msgr.)1966–1998
WWII veteran, ordained 1953; built new Sacred Heart Church (dedicated Jan. 7, 1968); installed sanctuary mosaics in 1971; named Monsignor; also pastored St. John the Baptist from 1990; retired 1998; died Sept. 21, 2012, buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
- Rev. Aron M. Maghsoudi
Current pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels; also Administrator of All Saints Parish (Boswell) and Saint Anne Parish (Davidsville).