About St. Januarius · Plum, Pennsylvania
St. Januarius is a Roman Catholic parish in Plum, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. It was established in 1925 as a mission of the Missionary Confraternity of Christian Doctrine to serve Catholics in the small village of Renton. After decades of meeting in a rented storefront and decades of slow growth, the parish built its own church, which was dedicated in 1960. On July 1, 2020, St. Januarius merged with Our Lady of Joy (Plum/Holiday Park), St. Irenaeus (Oakmont), St. John the Baptist (Plum), and St. Joseph (Verona) to form Holy Family Parish, with the church on Renton Road remaining part of the new parish. The St. Januarius church building was closed in September 2024 due to the cost of needed repairs, though the parish community continues as part of Holy Family Parish under Pastor Fr. Kevin G. Poecking.
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- St. Januarius (San Gennaro), early Christian bishop and martyr of Benevento, patron saint of Naples
- Rector
- Rev. Kevin G. Poecking (Pastor of Holy Family Parish, of which St. Januarius is a worship site)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
St. Januarius offers a small, historic Catholic community rooted in Plum since 1925, now part of Holy Family Parish — a multi-site parish that brings together five former parishes (St. Januarius, St. John the Baptist, Our Lady of Joy, St. Irenaeus, and St. Joseph) under one clergy team and one unified Mass schedule. Parishioners can worship in English and (monthly) Spanish, attend weekday and Sunday Masses across multiple church buildings, send children to Holy Family School and Holy Family Preschool, and take part in faith formation (CCD/OCIA), youth ministry, music ministry, and ongoing Eucharistic Adoration. It's a place where the legacy of the Renton Mission meets the resources of a larger merged parish.
Mass times at St. Januarius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 6:00–6:20 PM at St. Januarius Church (per Holy Family Parish bulletin schedule)
- Wednesday 6:00–6:20 PM at St. Irenaeus Church
- Saturday 9:30 AM at St. John the Baptist Church
- Saturday 6:30 PM at St. Joseph Church (First Saturday of each month)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- St. John the Baptist Church – Mondays, 5:30 PM prior to 6:30 PM Mass
- St. Irenaeus Church – Wednesdays, 5:30 PM prior to 6:30 PM Mass
- St. John the Baptist Church – Saturdays following 9:00 AM Mass until 10:30 AM
- Benediction before 6:30 PM Mass at St. John the Baptist on Mondays
- Monthly Family & Children's Holy Hour at one of the Adoration times
Parish History
St. Januarius traces its origin to November 23, 1925, when Fr. Victor G. Majka of the Missionary Confraternity of Christian Doctrine celebrated the first Mass for Catholic families in the village of Renton. From rented space above the Champion Store, the mission grew slowly — Mass was offered only one Sunday a month until 1945, when visiting priests made weekly Sunday Mass possible. In 1946 the parish was named St. Januarius and placed under Fr. Louis A. Farina, who built up the Men's Choir and Altar Society and organized weekly Masses.
- 1925 — Established as a mission of the MCCD; first Mass on November 23 in the Champion Store
- 1945 — Weekly Sunday Masses begin with visiting priests
- 1946 — Named 'St. Januarius' and placed under Fr. Louis A. Farina
- 1950–1951 — First building site abandoned; new start August 25, 1951
- 1952 — Cornerstone laid March 23; first Mass in new church November 30
- 1959 — Interior work finally completed
- 1960 — Solemn Blessing and dedication on October 9 by Bishop John F. Dearden
- 1973 — Becomes an independent parish
- 2015 — Included in Bishop Zubik's 'On Mission for The Church Alive!' initiative
- July 1, 2020 — Merged into Holy Family Parish with four neighboring parishes
- September 23, 2024 — St. Januarius church building closed by diocesan decree due to repair costs
The Diocese and the Merger into Holy Family Parish
St. Januarius belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. In response to declining Mass attendance and a shrinking number of priests, Bishop David Zubik launched 'On Mission for The Church Alive!' in 2015, a consultative strategic-planning process. After several years of consultation and shared clergy/staff, St. Januarius merged on July 1, 2020 with Our Lady of Joy (Plum/Holiday Park), St. Irenaeus (Oakmont), St. John the Baptist (Plum), and St. Joseph (Verona) to form Holy Family Parish. The St. Januarius church building continued in use for Mass and confessions until it was closed by decree in September 2024.
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
- Merged parish: Holy Family Parish (formed July 1, 2020)
- Other former parishes now in Holy Family: St. Irenaeus (Oakmont), St. John the Baptist (Plum), St. Joseph (Verona), Our Lady of Joy (Plum)
- Diocesan initiative: On Mission for The Church Alive! (launched 2015)
- Holy Family Parish Pastor: Rev. Kevin G. Poecking
Worship Sites within Holy Family Parish
Although the St. Januarius church building closed in 2024, Holy Family Parish continues to operate five worship sites in eastern Allegheny County, each with its own weekday and weekend schedule and pastoral traditions.
- St. Irenaeus Church — Oakmont
- St. John the Baptist Church — Plum (parish office site, 444 Holy Family Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15239)
- St. Joseph Church — Verona
- Our Lady of Joy Church — Plum / Holiday Park
- St. Januarius Church — Plum (Renton Road; closed 2024)
Clergy & Staff (Holy Family Parish)
Holy Family Parish is served by a clergy team led by Pastor Fr. Kevin G. Poecking, with Parochial Vicar Fr. Daniel D'Antonio and several deacons. A larger parish staff supports faith formation, music, youth ministry, accounting, maintenance, the parish school, and the preschool.
- Rev. Kevin G. Poecking — Pastor
- Rev. Daniel D'Antonio — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Eric Collier — Pastoral Associate
- Deacon Timothy Noca
- Deacon Joseph Vannucci
- Deacon Frank Bursic
- Deacon John St. Leger (retired)
- Jenny Collier — OCIA Coordinator
- Lisa Noca — Faith Formation (CCD) Coordinator
- Mia Pampena — Youth Minister
- Mike Maseth — Young Adult / Sacraments
- Joe Keffer — Director of Music Ministry
- Joyce Doyle — Bulletin Editor, Office Coordinator
- Karen Deemer — General Office, Mass Intentions, Sacrament Records, Funeral Coordinator
- Marie DiLonardo — Holy Family School Principal
- Jeanne Loebig — Holy Family Preschool Director
- John St. Leger — Business Manager
- Britnea Walters — Parish Accounting & Mailings Coordinator
- Rich Myler — Technology Manager
- Bill Pahlman — Maintenance Coordinator
Faith Formation, School, and Youth Ministry
Children's faith formation (CCD), OCIA for adults, youth ministry, and Holy Family School and Preschool are all coordinated through Holy Family Parish, providing a full Catholic educational pathway for the Plum, Oakmont, and Verona communities that formerly included St. Januarius.
- Faith Formation / CCD (Coordinator: Lisa Noca)
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (Coordinator: Jenny Collier)
- Youth Ministry (Mia Pampena)
- Holy Family School (Principal: Marie DiLonardo)
- Holy Family Preschool (Director: Jeanne Loebig)
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation and celebration are coordinated through the parish office at St. John the Baptist Church (444 Holy Family Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15239, 412-793-4511).
- Baptism — preparation and celebration arranged through the parish office
- Marriage / Weddings — coordinated through the parish office
- Funerals — Funeral Coordinator: Joyce Doyle
- First Eucharist and First Communion preparation — through Faith Formation
- Confirmation preparation — through Faith Formation
- Anointing of the Sick — by request
- OCIA — for unbaptized adults or Christians entering full communion with the Catholic Church
Communications and Social Media
Holy Family Parish maintains an active website, bulletin, livestream, and social channels for the merged communities, including the former St. Januarius parishioners in Plum.
- Website: https://holyfamilypgh.org/
- Livestream: https://holyfamilypgh.org/mass-livestream
- Bulletins: https://holyfamilypgh.org/holyfamily-bulletins
- Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter): @holyfamilypgh / Holy Family Parish
- Flocknote email/text communications (sign-ups for Adoration, ministries, and parish news)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Victor G. Majka, MCCD1925–1946
First celebrant of the Renton Mission; offered Mass on the fourth Sunday of each month from the Champion Store.
- Rev. Louis A. Farina1946–1973
Superintendent of St. Anthony Village, Oakmont, placed in charge of the mission in October 1946; organized weekly Mass, Holy Day and First Friday Masses, the Men's Choir, and the Altar Society. Named the parish St. Januarius.
- Rev. Domenic DeBlasio
Assisted Fr. Farina in the late 1940s during the building of the new church.