West Deer church concludes centennial celebration, looks forward to the next 100 years

Published: Monday, May 19, 2014, 12:01a.m.

An extended centennial celebration for Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church in West Deer culminated on Sunday with a service that focused on the parish's past, present and future.

The Most Rev. William Winter, a retired bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, led the 100th anniversary Mass, which brought together about 200 parishioners and a few pastors who, at one time or another, were involved with the church.

It was a day that, in the eyes of several parishioners and clergymen, did not seem possible only eight years ago when fire destroyed the parish's Poma Street church. But like Transfiguration's congregation has done on several occasions before and since the fire, the group banded together and found a solution, ultimately opening another church two years later along McKrell Road.

Transfiguration is a family, said Clara Salvi, chairwoman of the church's centennial committee. I'm not sure another parish could have done what we did ... we have risen from the ashes. We are proud of our past and hopeful for the future.

Transfiguration's past elicits from its parishioners a pride that's rooted in overcoming adversity.

Its origins date to the early 20th century, when the people of West Deer successfully petitioned St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington for a pastor to lead their own parish. The area was considered a mission of St. Mary's.

By August 1914, the group founded a church committee and began building their Poma Street church, which they completed two years later. On the 50th anniversary of the church committee's founding, Transfiguration began building a school along McKrell Road.

As things went along smoothly for close to another 50 years, the parish had a major setback in June 2006 when a car parked behind the church caught fire during a morning Mass. The flames spread to the church, eventually causing the roof to collapse.

No one was injured, but the damage to the parish seemed irreparable, according to lifelong parishioner Dorothy Neibar, 78, of West Deer.

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West Deer church concludes centennial celebration, looks forward to the next 100 years