About Saint Valentine · Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Saint Valentine was a Roman Catholic parish in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1923 as a mission of St. Anne Parish in Castle Shannon, it served a mining community originally called Coverdale and grew into a parish of over 1,200 families. On January 4, 2021, Saint Valentine merged with Nativity (South Park), St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin (Whitehall) and St. Germaine (Bethel Park) to form the new Our Lady of Hope Parish, but the Saint Valentine church building at 2710 Ohio Street remains open for worship. The parish is named for Saint Valentine, an early bishop and martyr.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- Saint Valentine
- Rector
- Rev. John W. Skirtich (Pastoral Administrator of Our Lady of Hope Parish, which now includes the former St. Valentine site)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
Saint Valentine Church remains an active worship site within Our Lady of Hope Parish, offering a Sunday 10:30 AM Mass, a Saturday 4:00 PM Vigil Mass, Monday and Wednesday 11:30 AM daily Masses, and Saturday confessions from 11:00 AM to noon. The parish continues Saint Valentine's longtime ministries including a parish school, faith formation (CCD), youth ministry, a music ministry, a parish preschool, a knit-and-crochet outreach (Hallo's Knit & Crochet Ministry), and weekly bingo that brings the community together. Catholic families in Bethel Park find here a familiar church home with nearly a century of worship, and active outreach to the surrounding South Hills of Pittsburgh.
Mass times at Saint Valentine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (at St. Valentine Church, per Our Lady of Hope Parish schedule)
Parish History
Saint Valentine traces its origin to 1922–1923, when Father Joseph Valentine Gerold of St. Anne's in Castle Shannon organized catechism and Mass for about 70 Catholic families working at Mine No. 8 of the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company in the mining community then called Coverdale. A frame church, half of the dismantled original St. Bernard Church of Mt. Lebanon, was blessed in spring 1926 as a mission of St. Anne's; on September 10, 1931 the mission was formally established as an independent parish. After a 1942 fire destroyed the church, the parish rebuilt, broke ground on a much larger church in 1965, and dedicated the present church building on November 23, 1967. After nearly a century of growth, the parish merged in 2021 into Our Lady of Hope Parish.
- 1922 – Father Gerold begins catechism classes in Coal and Iron Police barracks
- September 9, 1923 – First Mass celebrated in a rented storeroom in Coverdale
- Spring 1926 – Frame church (former St. Bernard's of Mt. Lebanon) blessed as a mission of St. Anne's
- September 10, 1931 – Established as an independent parish
- July 19, 1942 – Fire during benediction injures 35; church and hall destroyed
- November 23, 1967 – Bishop John J. Wright dedicates the present church
- January 4, 2021 – Merges into Our Lady of Hope Parish
Buildings and Campus
The campus sits at the corner of West Library Avenue and Ohio Street. A portion of the original 1926 frame church was preserved as an Administration Building when the present church was constructed in 1965–67. A parish school, staffed for decades by the Sisters of St. Joseph, anchors the parish's educational mission; Mass was celebrated in the school basement during the 1965–66 church construction.
- Original 1926 frame church (still standing as Administration Building)
- Present church – designed by architectural firm of Dearden; cornerstone 1966, first Mass Christmas 1966, dedicated 1967
- Parish school (long staffed by Sisters of St. Joseph)
- Parish hall (rebuilt after the 1942 fire)
Clergy and Staff
Since the 2021 merger, the priests of the former Saint Valentine Parish now serve as part of the Our Lady of Hope Parish team. The current clergy include a pastoral administrator, a senior parochial vicar, a parish chaplain, three permanent deacons, and a transitional deacon.
- Rev. John W. Skirtich – Pastoral Administrator
- Rev. Michael S. Suslowicz – Senior Parochial Vicar
- Rev. John E. Hissrich, MDiv, MA – Parish Chaplain
- Deacon Thomas B. Mills
- Deacon Robert J. Stein
- Deacon Loc Van Tran
- Transitional Deacon
Lay Staff (Saint Valentine site, Our Lady of Hope)
Parish staff supporting the Saint Valentine worship site and faith-formation programs include a parish secretary, bookkeeper, music minister, faith-formation director, preschool director, youth minister, and safe-environment coordinator.
- Parish Secretary – Rosemary Rovny
- Parish Bookkeeper – Toni Ogden
- Music Minister – Kyle Miles
- Director of Faith Formation and Evangelization – Cary Dabney
- Preschool Director – Judy Mills
- Youth Minister – Laura Dern
- CCD Secretary / Safe Environment Coordinator – Maryann Wellinger
Faith Formation, Youth, and School
Saint Valentine has long maintained a parish school (instructed for many years by the Sisters of St. Joseph) and a full faith-formation program. The parish preschool, CCD program, and youth ministry continue under Our Lady of Hope Parish.
- Parish School (long staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph)
- Preschool – Director Judy Mills
- Faith Formation / CCD – Director Cary Dabney
- Youth Ministry – Laura Dern
Parish Life and Fellowship
The parish offers several regular fellowship and service opportunities, including a long-running weekly BINGO, a knit-and-crochet outreach ministry, and the music ministry that supports parish liturgies.
- Weekly BINGO at St. Valentine Church (Monday evenings, 5:30 PM)
- Hallo's Knit & Crochet Ministry (Monday mornings, 10:00 AM)
- Music Ministry – Kyle Miles
Merger into Our Lady of Hope Parish
On January 4, 2021, Saint Valentine Parish merged with Nativity (South Park), St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin (Whitehall) and St. Germaine (Bethel Park) to create Our Lady of Hope Parish as part of Bishop David Zubik's On Mission for The Church Alive! initiative. All four church buildings remain open, and the Saint Valentine building at 2710 Ohio Street continues as a regular worship site under the unified parish name.
- Four merged parishes: St. Valentine, St. Germaine, St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin, Nativity
- Diocesan initiative: On Mission for The Church Alive! (announced April 12, 2015)
- Parish formed: January 4, 2021
- Administrative offices: 7003 Baptist Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102
- Saint Valentine church building remains open for worship
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Valentine Gerold1923–1931
Pastor of St. Anne's, Castle Shannon; celebrated the first Mass on September 9, 1923, purchased the original St. Bernard Church and oversaw its move to Bethel Park; served as mission pastor until St. Valentine became an independent parish.
- Italian Capuchin / Scalabrini Fathers1930s
Served the Italian mission established at the parish in the early 1930s.