The History of St. Januarius Church

On Sunday, March 23, 1952 the members of St. Januarius Parish on Renton met at the site of their new church. The occasion was the laying of the cornerstone for the new building. The cornerstone is a block of Indiana limestone measuring two feet by one foot. A sealed glass container is inside the block with the following contents: a document attesting to the ceremony, a Holy Year medal, a religious medal from each Catholic family in Renton, and four newspapers of the day. The stone was a gift from St. Anthony Village in Oakmont.

St. Januarius Church is located in the Renton neighborhood of Plum Borough. Renton was established in 1916 when the Union collieries Company opened a coal mine. The coal company built a company town for the miners and named it Renton after Walter Renton Calvery, the first president of the mine. Renton quickly became a prosperous village, which included a barber, a boarding house, movie theater, two doctors and a store. The company store was located at the corner of Renton Road and Apple Avenue. On the second floor was a large meeting hall for the residents of Renton.

As the village of Renton grew, there was a need for a place of worship for the Catholic residents. On November 23, 1925, The Holy Sacrifice of Mass was offered for the first time in Renton. Father Victor G. Majka of the Missionary Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was the Celebrant. Majka served the mission at Renton. Mass was offered on the fourth Sunday of the month because Father Majka had to travel between the other Missions throughout the diocese. Sunday school was offered every Sunday by the teachers of the Confraternity. The meeting place for the mission in Renton was the second floor of the Champion Store.

In 1945, the celebration of mass every Sunday became possible with the assistance of visiting priests. In October 1946, the Renton Mission was placed under the charge of Father Louis A. Farina, the Superintendent of St. Anthony Village in Oakmont. The Bishop of Pittsburgh designated that the parish be named St. Januarius. Father Farina set up the celebration of Mass on all Sunday, Holy Days, and First Fridays. He also organized the men's Choir and Altar Society. Assisting Father Farina was Father Domenic DeBlasio.

The members decided that is was time to build a church and plans were set in motion. Property was donated by he Pittsburgh Consolidated Coal Company and ground was broken on Easter Sunday 1950. The building fund was organized in September of that year. Casimir J. Pelligrini was the architect named to design the new building. A.I.A. Construction was awarded the bid to build the church, however most of the construction was done by the members of the church.

On Sunday November 30, 1952, the first Mass was celebrated in the new building. A procession by the congregation was held from the meeting place above the Champion store to the new church. Although the building was under roof, the members still had to raise money to finish the interior of the church. In 1959, the interior of the church was completed. The Solemn Blessing and Dedication of the completed St. Januarius Church was held on October 9, 1960. The Celebrants included; Most Revered John J. Wright - Bishop of Pittsburgh, Revered Arthur L. Garbin, and Revered Peter R. Pilarski.

In the years that followed, the parishioners continued work on the church building. A new Allen Organ was installed in May of 1964. The newly remodeled kitchen and church hall opened on September 22, 1968. On June 7, 1970 the ceiling and lighting were completed in the church hall. The parishioners voted to install stained glass windows in the church in 1971. St. Januarius Parish purchased 3.61 acres of ground adjacent to the church on may 27, 1973. Plans for expanding the church were finalized on July 18, 1976, the addition would include a Rectory and new classrooms along with a two car garage. The ground breaking took place on Pentecost Sunday, 1977. Air conditioning was installed in the summer 2000. In 2001, the parking lot was expanded to accommodate the increase in membership.

The Priests of St. Januarius through the Years

1925 - 1946	Father Victor G. Majka
1946 - 1951	Father Louis Farina
1951 - 1959	Father Arthur L. Garbin
1959 - 1966	Father James Aaron
1966 - 1970	Father Joseph Meindl
1970 - 1972	Father Francis Pucci
1972 - 1973	Father Stephen M. Chervenak
1973 - 1988	Father Domenic DeBlasio
1988 - 1994	Father Jose Mattan
1994 - 1998	Father Richard Ragni
1998 - Present	Father Peter Pilarski