St. Patrick Church

St. Patrick Church is the first Catholic Church established in Pittsburgh, founded in 1808.  Tucked away on a side street in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Strip District is St. Patrick Catholic Church. From the outside the church seems rather unassuming. It has a small, narrow tower and a simple brick exterior. A statue of St. Patrick stands out front in a stikingly unexpected monastery garden. 

As soon as you enter the front doors of the church you are met with a sign reading, “Holy Stairs, ascend on knees only.”  The Holy Stairs or “Scala Sancta” located here in Pittsburgh consists of 28 stars which are a replica of the originals at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome.   These are one of only three sets in the United States, the other two sets are located in Michigan.   According to Roman Catholic tradition, the Holy Stairs were the steps leading up to where Jesus was judged by Pontius Pilate during the Passion. The original stairs were reportedly brought to Rome by St. Helena in the fourth century after her conversion to Christianity.  Pittsburgh’s set of Holy Stairs were built in 1936 after the rebuilding of St. Patrick Church and were commissioned by Father James Cox. The white marble steps are meant to be ascended on the knees (which is not meant to be at all comfortable) and in prayer, with a prayer for each step. Those who wish to walk or who are unable to kneel can use a small side staircases.

Pilgrims regularly visit St. Patrick Church on Good Friday as they use the experience as a reminder of the pain of Jesus’ crucifixion. 

Aside from the Holy Stairs, there are some other interesting elements about St. Patrick Church. In 1935 the building the parish had used since 1865 burned down. When the church was rebuilt, a piece of the Blarney Stone from Blarney Castle in Ireland was placed in the church’s narrow tower. 

A second fire occurred in 1935, but Fr. James R. Cox had the church rebuilt on March 17, 1936.  The old church is quite small, but classically pretty.   And the parish is still active.  Mass is held there twice a week and many people like to have weddings there because of its unique beauty.


Fr. Cox was easily St. Patrick’s most famous pastor, and one of the most notable in the whole history of Pittsburgh. In 1925, he began to broadcast on a local radio station daily Mass–a practice that lasted for 33 years. During the Depression, St. Patrick’s became a relief center for the poor, distributing over two million free meals, 500,000 baskets of food, clothing and fuel under Fr. Cox’s direction.

When shantytowns began to appear, Fr. Cox made sure the unemployed were taken care of by providing them with sanitary facilities.  The poor in this area weren’t as disease-ridden as in some other particular areas.   Fr. Cox was a very interesting man. He led a group of unemployed people to Washington to beg for relief.

In January 1932, Fr. Cox led a march of 20,000 unempolyed Pennsylvanians, dubbed "Cox's Army", on Washington D.C., the largest demonstration to date in the nation's capital.  He hoped the action would stir Congress to start a public works program.

The march sparked the formation of the Jobless Party.  The Jobless Party supported government public works and labor unions, and spread from Pittsburgh to other major cities.  Fr. James Cox became the Jobless Party's first presidential candidate.  Even Cox's bishop viewed his race as an effort to give substance to the encyclicals of Popes Leo XIII and Pius XI.  

After the presidential election of 1932, Cox continued his relief work and was a member of the Pennsylvania Commission for the Unempolyed.  In the mid-1930's. Roosevelt appointed him to the state recovery board of the National Recovery Administration.  James Cox became known as Pittsburgh's "Pastor of the Poor".

If you are in the upper room of the church looking at the Altar you may notice a small opening in the left side of the wall about the size of a brick. This opening had a very specific purpose.  In 1925, WJAS radio began broadcasting Mass from St. Patrick. There is a slot in the wall behind the Altar because the radio announcer had to be able to see what the priest was doing. These broadcasts lasted until 1958. 

The new stained glass windows of St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Patrick of Ireland were donated by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and designed and crafted by Nick Parrendo of the Hunt Stained Glass Studios.  The windows were blessed by Bishop Bradley of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th 2006.



St. Patrick Church is now part of the Shrines of Pittsburgh Parish which are helping to preserve some of the area’s very unique religious history.  The Church is open for those who wish to visit on Mondays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Saturdays & Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

To arrange for group tours, contact the Parish Office at 412-471-4767.