About St. Rosalia Church, Saint Paul Cathedral Parish · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
St. Rosalia Church is a Catholic worship site in the Greenfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now operated as one of the locations of Saint Paul Cathedral Parish. Founded in 1900 by local Catholic families, the parish built its current church in the 1920s and remained an independent parish until 1993, when it merged with neighboring St. Joachim and St. Philomena. On July 1, 2020, the combined parish was rededicated as Saint Paul Cathedral Parish under the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and the historic St. Rosalia church building continues to host weekend Masses in English and Spanish for the Greenfield community.
- Established
- 1900
- Patron
- St. Rosalia
- Rector
- Very Reverend Kris D. Stubna, S.T.D. (Pastor and Rector of Saint Paul Cathedral Parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
St. Rosalia is a welcoming Greenfield parish with deep Pittsburgh roots, where the same family names have been showing up at Mass for over a century. It is one of the few places in the city offering a weekly Sunday Mass in Spanish (12:00 noon), making it a spiritual home for both long-time Greenfield families and newer Hispanic parishioners. As part of Saint Paul Cathedral Parish, worshippers benefit from the Cathedral's robust ministries — RCIA, CCD religious education, music programs, Eucharistic Adoration, a television/livestreamed Mass, and a strong corps of lectors, extraordinary ministers, and pastoral-care volunteers — while still worshipping in an intimate neighborhood church.
Mass times at St. Rosalia Church, Saint Paul Cathedral Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 11:00 AM at St. Rosalia (no confessions on September 29, October 13 or 20)
- 1st Saturday 3:15 PM at St. Rosalia (before the 4:00 PM Mass)
- Friday 12:45 PM at St. Paul Cathedral
- Saturday 12:45 PM to 1:15 PM at St. Paul Cathedral
Adoration times
- Last Sunday of each month: Eucharistic Adoration at Saint Paul Cathedral from the conclusion of the 12:00 noon Mass until 5:00 PM, followed by Solemn Vespers and Benediction from 5:00 to 5:30 PM, and the 6:00 PM Mass
History of St. Rosalia's
St. Rosalia Parish was established in 1900 when the Catholic faithful of The Run, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill petitioned the bishop for a parish of their own. Eager to start, they purchased property and built a small frame church even before formal permission was granted. The bishop approved the new parish in 1900, but did not appoint a first pastor until 1901. The congregation quickly outgrew the original frame building, and in 1923 work began on a larger church, which was dedicated in February 1925. The original frame structure was converted to classrooms and used as a parish school until 1960, when the city Department of Safety condemned the building and it was torn down.
- 1900 — Parish established; original frame church built
- 1901 — First pastor appointed
- 1923 — Construction begins on the current church
- February 1925 — New church dedicated
- 1960 — Original frame church condemned and torn down
- October 9, 1993 — Merged with St. Joachim and St. Philomena to form a new St. Rosalia Parish
- July 1, 2020 — Merged into Saint Paul Cathedral Parish
Who is St. Rosalia?
St. Rosalia is the patroness of the parish. She was a noblewoman of Palermo, Sicily, descended from Charlemagne through a family of rose merchants. Renouncing her wealth and vanities, she withdrew to a cave on Mount Pellegrino, about three miles from Palermo, where she lived a life of penance and prayer meditating on the Passion of Christ. She is depicted in art with a crown of roses and a cross, and her feast is celebrated on September 4.
- Patron: St. Rosalia of Palermo
- Born to a noble rose-merchant family descended from Charlemagne
- Lived as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino outside Palermo, Sicily
- Feast Day: September 4
St. Paul Cathedral Parish Today
Since July 1, 2020, St. Rosalia Church has been served as one of the worship sites of Saint Paul Cathedral Parish, a combined community serving the Greenfield, Hazelwood, and Oakland neighborhoods of Pittsburgh under the leadership of the Most Reverend David A. Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh. The Cathedral rectory, located in Oakland, provides pastoral and administrative leadership for the entire parish, while St. Rosalia continues to host weekend Masses for its Greenfield neighborhood.
- Diocese: Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
- Bishop: Most Reverend David A. Zubik, D.D.
- Pastor and Rector: Very Rev. Kris D. Stubna, S.T.D. (appointed July 9, 2012)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Daniel L. Walsh, C.S.Sp.
- Part-time Parish Chaplain in Residence: Rev. Steven M. Palsa, M.Div., M.A.
- Deacon: Thomas J. Berna, Ph.D.
Parish Ministries and Parish Life
Volunteers are a precious and vital resource for the parish. For every need or call for assistance, parishioners generously answer the call, taking on roles as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, sacristans, ushers, and greeters. The parish also runs a television and livestream ministry, a robust music ministry with choir, hand bell choir, and organist, and outreach through Personal Care Homes, Bereavement, and CCD programs. A Pastoral Council and Finance Council support the pastor in guiding parish life.
- Lectors
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Altar Servers and Sacristans
- Ushers and Greeters
- CCD (Religious Education)
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Bereavement Ministry
- Personal Care Homes Ministry
- Music Ministry: Choir, Hand Bell Choir, and Organist program
- Television / Livestream Ministry
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
Parish Staff
The parish is supported by a team of clergy, religious, and lay staff based at both the Cathedral rectory and the St. Rosalia site. Music, facilities, faith formation, weddings, and administration are all led by dedicated staff members.
- Frank Bender — Sacristan
- Sister Mariella Bradley — Office Staff
- Chris Catone — Associate Director of Music
- Larry Clapper — Director of Facilities
- Ken Danchik — Associate Director of Music
- Erica Gamerro — Coordinator of RCIA and Social Media
- Brian Gurley — Director of Music and Organist
- Jean Malek — Parish Secretary
- Christina McCann — Wedding Coordinator
- Greg Zigray — Business Manager
- Ted Wojcik — Part-time Sacristan
- Part-time Wedding Coordinators: Anne Brasile, Patricia Edwards, Bernadette Marshalek, Liz McKenna, Joanne Wall
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
As part of Saint Paul Cathedral Parish, St. Rosalia offers the full range of Catholic sacraments. Baptisms, weddings, and RCIA are coordinated through the parish office, with a dedicated Wedding Coordinator on staff. CCD classes prepare children for First Communion and Confirmation, and confession is available weekly at St. Rosalia and at the Cathedral. Anointing of the Sick and pastoral visitation are available upon request.
- Baptism
- First Communion and Confirmation (through CCD)
- Marriage — Wedding Coordinator: Christina McCann, [email protected]
- RCIA — Coordinator: Erica Gamerro, [email protected]
- Reconciliation (Confession) — see schedule
- Anointing of the Sick
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at the shared Saint Paul Cathedral Parish phone line or by email. The Mass schedule, calendar, and bulletins are kept current on the parish website, and the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass is televised and livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.
- Address: 411 Greenfield Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15207
- Phone: (412) 621-4951
- Fax: (412) 621-1079
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ghocatholics.org/
- Facebook: facebook.com/stpaulpgh
- Instagram: instagram.com/saintpaulcathedral