Epiphany parish was founded in 1902. The creation of the parish was the direct result of the decision in 1901 to move St. Paul Cathedral from downtown to Oakland. Epiphany parish was created to serve the Catholic congregation that had formerly been served by St. Paul. Construction began in 1902 on a church, a school and a residence. The cornerstone of the church was laid on August 10, 1902, and the basement portion of the church was dedicated on August 2, 1903. The parish used this basement chapel while work continued on the superstructure of the building. The school was completed on April 1, 1903 and occupied on April 27, 1903. From 1903 to 1906, Epiphany served as the diocesan cathedral while St. Paul was being built.
In 1906 all services were transferred from the basement chapel to the upstairs church and on July 3, 1910, the completed church was blessed.
One of the innovations of the new parish was the Printers’ Mass. At the time the parish was established, the city had seven newspapers and the staff putting out the paper did not finish the Sunday edition until 2:00 a.m. Sunday. Rather than wait until 6:00 a.m. to attend the first regular Mass at Epiphany, they requested a Mass at 2:30 a.m. to which they could go directly from work. At that time, special permission to celebrate Mass at that time had to be obtained from the Pope. This permission was obtained and beginning on April 30, 1905, a Mass was celebrated at 2:30 a.m. This Printers’ Mass was fixture of the parish for many decades, but with the Second Vatican Council permitting Saturday and Sunday evening Masses, the need for this service dwindled as did the attendance. The last Printers’ Mass was celebrated on May 12, 1991.
Within the boundaries of the parish lay the Allegheny County Jail. To minister to the needs of the Catholic inmates, the pastor of Epiphany sought permission to offer Sunday Mass at the jail beginning on Easter Sunday of 1928. This tradition continued for over 50 years until a chaplain was assigned to the jail.
On April 24, 1937, fire struck the church, causing extensive damage to the sacristy. Luckily the building itself survived the fire and was repaired and repainted. Unfortunately, the Mass vestments, which had been brought from Rome by Bishop Michael O’Connor, the first bishop of the diocese, were destroyed in the blaze. The church was renovated in 1953, the 1960’s and around the turn of the century. In 1959, the parish lost its pastor Rev. Lawrence O’Connell, who had served in that capacity since the parish was established in 1902.
The parish was also a victim of urban renewal in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Approximately 1,800 families were relocated to make room for the Civic Arena and Chatham Center. The parish dropped from 1,000 families to 350. The parish did, however, absorb the remaining members of nearby St. Peter Church, which was razed as part of this urban renewal plan. One of the unintended results of this civic action was the eventual loss of Epiphany school, which closed in 1973.
