About St. Mary, Mother of God · Yatesboro, Pennsylvania
St. Mary, Mother of God Parish is a Roman Catholic parish serving the rural northeastern corner of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, centered on the small coal-town community of Yatesboro. A parish of the Diocese of Greensburg, it is partnered with St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Kittanning and serves roughly 400 households drawn from the surrounding towns of Margaret, NuMine, Rural Valley, Sagamore, and Yatesboro. The parish traces its origins to Italian, Polish, Slovak, Swedish, and other European immigrant families who came to the region around 1900 to work the bituminous coal mines opened by the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company. Today the parish maintains an active sacramental and faith-formation life, with CCD classes for school-age children, OCIA for adults, Vacation Bible School, lay ministries to the sick and homebound, and a long tradition of parish societies such as the Altar Rosary Society.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God
- Rector
- Father Eric J. Dinga
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg
Why belong here
St. Mary, Mother of God offers the rhythm of a small, rooted Catholic community: a daily and weekly Mass schedule, monthly Saturday Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, CCD classes for children in grades 1–12, OCIA for adults discerning the faith, Vacation Bible School in summer, a parish choir under a dedicated director, and lay ministries that bring Communion to the sick and homebound. Members share a heritage going back more than a century to immigrant mining families, served today by two parochial vicars alongside the pastor, and supported by long-standing organizations like the Altar Rosary Society and the Court of St. Francis of the Catholic Daughters. For anyone in northern Armstrong County looking for an accessible, family-sized parish that takes both the Eucharist and neighborly service seriously, this is a faithful home.
Mass times at St. Mary, Mother of God
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Saturday of every month at 12:00 p.m.
- By appointment (contact the parish office)
Parish History
St. Mary, Mother of God is rooted in the coal-mining immigrant wave that reshaped rural Armstrong County at the turn of the 20th century. The first Mass in the area was celebrated on Aug. 15, 1901 — the Feast of the Assumption — at Peter Mann's Hall in Rural Valley by Father John DeVille of the Diocese of Erie. By 1902 the congregation was organized to build a church; the Commonwealth Coal and Coke Company donated land next to the public school, and the cornerstone was laid Oct. 1, 1903. On Mar. 9, 1904 Bishop J.F. Regis Canevin of the Diocese of Pittsburgh celebrated the first Mass in the new $8,000 church, and the deed was recorded to Bishop Richard Phelan twenty-two days later on Mar. 31, 1904. The first resident pastor was Father Cajetan Federici; a rectory was completed by March 1906.
- Cornerstone laid Oct. 1, 1903
- First Mass Mar. 9, 1904
- Rectory completed March 1906
- First recorded burial: Cpl. William P. Cosgrove (WWI), Aug. 19, 1921
- Coal-company payroll deductions supported the parish for 40+ years
Heritage of the Coal Communities
Until the late 1890s Cowanshannock Township was farmland with no Catholic church. The discovery of thick coal seams brought the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal and Iron Company, which by 1900 was operating five mines in Yatesboro and employing more than 1,000 men by 1913. The company town included the Valley Supply store, a hotel and pool hall, a school serving first through tenth grades, and the Catholic church that became St. Mary, Mother of God. Italian, Polish, Slovak, Swedish, and other immigrant families built the parish from these mining camps, and that heritage shapes its identity today.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by a pastor and two parochial vicars, supported by a small office and music staff. Day-to-day operations are anchored by the office manager, financial secretary, organist, choir director, sacristan, and maintenance personnel.
- Father Eric J. Dinga — Pastor
- Father Juanito G. Lozano — Parochial Vicar
- Father Madhu Kodavatikanti — Parochial Vicar
- Betty Rose Walker — Office Manager
- Suzanne Champion — Financial Secretary
- Peggy Skamai — Organist
- Robert Skamai — Choir Director
- Mary McAninch — Sacristan
- Kevin Foster — Maintenance
Office Hours & Contact
Parish office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The office also preserves the sacramental records of the former Sacred Heart Parish in Sagamore.
- Phone: 724-783-7191
- Fax: 724-783-5033
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing: P.O. Box 327, Yatesboro, PA 16263
Sacraments
The parish celebrates all three sacraments of Christian initiation — Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation — with appropriate preparation, as well as Reconciliation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. Those discerning a vocation to priesthood or religious life are directed to www.gbgvocations.org.
Faith Formation
Faith formation at St. Mary, Mother of God spans childhood through adulthood. School-age children in grades 1 through 12 can enroll in CCD classes that prepare them to receive the sacraments, and the program extends into summer with Vacation Bible School. Adults who have not yet been baptized or who wish to come into full communion with the Catholic Church are welcomed into the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults).
- CCD classes (grades 1–12)
- Vacation Bible School (summer)
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
Parish Organizations
Lay parish organizations long predate the present-day program structure and continue the parish's tradition of Catholic fellowship, devotion, and fundraising. Members are asked to be in good standing with the rules of the Catholic Church.
- Altar Rosary Society (established Feb. 1936; organized Oct. 7, 1937) — meets the first Wednesday following the First Sunday; promotes devotion to the Blessed Mother and provides flowers and altar supplies.
- Catholic Daughters of America, Court of St. Francis — chartered Apr. 8, 1956 with 45 charter members.
Leadership Councils
Two consultative bodies assist the pastor in the temporal and pastoral life of the parish, meeting regularly to review finances and to develop the parish's pastoral plan.
- Finance Council (quarterly): Monica Goldstrohm, Jim Kaplon, Rich Palilla, B.J. Pino, Mike Renosky, Rick Wranich
- Pastoral Council: Rose Marie Andryka, Penny Hampshire, Charlotte Kaplon, Karen Kintz, Shirley Odosso, Bob Skamai
Liturgical Music & Ministries
Music at Mass is led by an organist and a choir director, and lay faithful take part through a variety of essential liturgical roles including altar service, cantoring, and the distribution of Holy Communion. The Good Samaritan outreach extends the parish's presence to those who are isolated by illness or age, with extraordinary ministers visiting the sick and homebound.
- Choir & Cantor ministry
- Altar Servers
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Homebound visits
- Ministry to the Sick
Partner Parish & Diocese
St. Mary, Mother of God is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg and a partner parish of St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Kittanning. Clergy and faith-formation resources are shared across the partnership, and the parish cooperates with diocesan vocations efforts.
Visiting & Accessibility
St. Mary, Mother of God welcomes visitors and new members. Both the church and St. Mary Hall are handicap accessible, with handicap parking under the front portico and additional accessible spaces between the church and the parish hall, and on the other side of the parish hall. Registration forms for new parishioners are available from the parish office.
- Handicap-accessible church and parish hall
- Handicap parking under front portico
- Additional accessible parking beside the parish hall
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John DeVille1901–c.1902/1903
Priest from St. Anthony's Church in Walston (Diocese of Erie) who gathered the Catholics at Peter Mann's Hall in Rural Valley on Aug. 15, 1901 and organized construction of the church.
- Father Cajetan Federicic.1904 onward
First resident pastor; an Italian-born priest whose first American assignment was at SS. Cosmos and Damian Mission Church in Margaret.