About Sacred Heart Church /of St. James Parish · Claysville, Pennsylvania
Sacred Heart Church in Claysville, Pennsylvania is a mission church of Saint James Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Located on Main Street (U.S. Route 40) in western Washington County, the present brick church was dedicated on September 25, 1875, after the parish community outgrew an earlier brick chapel built in the 1840s. The congregation traces its roots to 1821, when a log cabin church was built along the original National Pike near West Alexander, and to Catholic pioneers who settled the area in the 1790s. Sacred Heart is one of three worship sites that together form Saint James Parish, alongside Immaculate Conception Church and Saint Hilary Church in Washington, PA; the trio was formally merged on July 1, 2020 under the Diocese of Pittsburgh's 'On Mission for The Church Alive!' initiative. As of late 2025 the Diocese ended regular weekend Mass at Sacred Heart, citing a shortage of priests and the costs of maintaining the 150-year-old building, though weddings, funerals, baptisms and social-hall events continue to be hosted there.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Edward L. Yuhas, M.Div.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers a small, multigenerational rural Catholic community rooted in 150 years of continuous worship on Claysville's Main Street, with original 19th-century pews still in use. As a mission of Saint James Parish it gives parishioners the intimacy of a country church — Divine Mercy devotion, a shared social hall, weddings, funerals and baptisms — while connecting them to the wider sacramental and formation life of Immaculate Conception and Saint Hilary Churches in Washington. For families in Claysville and along the historic National Pike corridor, it remains a place where Catholic identity, pioneer heritage and small-town parish life meet.
Mass times at Sacred Heart Church /of St. James Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Weekday and Saturday confession times are listed at Immaculate Conception Church (Washington) and Bentleyville Main Church; no regular confession time is published for Sacred Heart Church in Claysville.
About Sacred Heart Church, Claysville
Sacred Heart Church is a mission church of Saint James Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, serving the small borough of Claysville in western Washington County, Pennsylvania. Located on Main Street (U.S. Route 40), it is the third and westernmost worship site of Saint James Parish, alongside Immaculate Conception Church and Saint Hilary Church in nearby Washington. Though regular weekend Mass was discontinued at the Claysville building in late 2025, Sacred Heart remains an active parish site for weddings, funerals, baptisms and community gatherings.
- Type: Mission church of Saint James Parish
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
- Location: Main Street (1280 U.S. Route 40), Claysville, PA 15323
Parish History
Catholic life on this stretch of the National Pike goes back to 1794, when pioneer Henry Montague settled near West Alexander and opened his home to missionaries. A log chapel served the area by 1811, and by 1818 Father McGuire built the St. James Chapel on the Pike east of West Alexander to minister to road workers and settlers. A brick chapel followed in 1840 under Father Duffy, but by the 1870s that structure was unsafe and most of the Catholic population had moved to the railroad town of Claysville, leading to the construction and 1875 dedication of the present Sacred Heart Church.
- 1794: Catholic pioneer Henry Montague settles near West Alexander
- 1811: Father O'Brien offers Mass in a log chapel in the area
- 1818: Father McGuire directs construction of St. James Chapel on the National Pike
- 1840: Father Duffy erects a brick chapel on the original site
- 1873–1874: New church built in Claysville using salvaged materials; original pews preserved
- September 25, 1875: Sacred Heart Church dedicated by Father M. Domenec; Father F. McCarthy named pastor
- 1875–1950: Mass celebrated only monthly, on the 2nd Sunday
- 1950: Weekly Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass established
- 1989: Parish consecrated to the Divine Mercy of Jesus
- July 1, 2020: Sacred Heart joins Immaculate Conception and Saint Hilary to form Saint James Parish under 'On Mission for The Church Alive!'
- 2025: 150th anniversary (sesquicentennial) celebrated
- December 2025: Final regular weekend Mass; weekday/sacramental life continues
Architecture and Building
The present Sacred Heart Church was built in 1873–1874 and dedicated on September 25, 1875. It was constructed largely from materials salvaged from the earlier St. James brick chapel near West Alexander; notably, the original wooden pews were preserved and remain in use today. A parish social hall is located beneath the sanctuary and continues to host parish events.
- Dedicated September 25, 1875
- Original 1840s pews still in use
- Social hall beneath the sanctuary
Saint James Parish: The Wider Community
Sacred Heart is one of three worship sites of Saint James Parish, formed July 1, 2020 when Bishop David Zubik merged the Washington parishes of Immaculate Conception and Saint Hilary under the 'On Mission for The Church Alive!' initiative, with Sacred Heart in Claysville attached as a mission. The unified parish is twinned with Saint Katharine Drexel Parish (Bentleyville / Richeyville) as the Catholic Partner Parishes of the Washington area.
- Immaculate Conception Church — 119 West Chestnut St., Washington, PA 15301
- Saint Hilary Church — 320 Henderson Ave., Washington, PA 15301
- Sacred Heart Church — Main Street, Claysville, PA 15323
- Partner parish: Saint Katharine Drexel Parish (Bentleyville / Richeyville)
Clergy and Staff
Saint James Parish is served by a clergy team drawn from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Pastor Rev. Edward L. Yuhas, M.Div. oversees the parish including Sacred Heart, and is assisted by parochial vicars and deacons.
- Pastor: Rev. Edward L. Yuhas, M.Div.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Michael A. Zavage, Jr.
- Parochial Vicar: Father Alec P. Scheuer
- Deacon Jeffrey A. Hirst
- Deacon Timothy W. Counihan
- Deacon Barry A. K.
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
From 1950 until December 2025 Sacred Heart offered a weekly Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m.; prior to that, for 75 years, Mass was celebrated only once a month on the 2nd Sunday. After the Diocese of Pittsburgh's December 2025 consolidation, weekend Mass at the Claysville site ended and parishioners were directed to Immaculate Conception Church or Saint Hilary Church in Washington. Weddings, funerals and baptisms continue to be celebrated at Sacred Heart.
- Sunday Mass (historical, 1950–2025): 10:30 a.m.
- Sunday Mass (parish schedule prior to Dec. 2025): 9:00 a.m.
- Confession times: published for Immaculate Conception Church (Washington) and Bentleyville Main Church
- Sacraments still celebrated at Sacred Heart: Baptism, Marriage, Funeral
Devotions and Parish Identity
Sacred Heart has a distinctive devotional life rooted in its 150-year history. In 1989 the parish consecrated itself to the Divine Mercy of Jesus, a consecration that has been renewed annually and remains a hallmark of the community's identity.
- Parish patron: Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Divine Mercy of Jesus consecration (since 1989)
Contact and Visit
Parish correspondence is handled through the Saint James Parish office in Washington, PA. The historic Sacred Heart Church building on Main Street in Claysville remains available for weddings, funerals, baptisms and social-hall events.
- Address: Main Street (1280 U.S. Route 40), Claysville, PA 15323
- Parish office: 119 West Chestnut St., Washington, PA 15301
- Phone: 724-225-1425
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stjameswashpa.org/ (now part of catholicpartnerparishes.org)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. F. McCarthy1875–
Named pastor at the formal dedication of Sacred Heart Church in September 1875
- Rev. J. A. Canevin1870s
Brother of a later Bishop of Pittsburgh; served briefly during construction of the new Sacred Heart church