Most Holy Name of Jesus parish was established in 1868. Before the parish was established, most of the residents of Troy Hill attended St. Mary Church in Allegheny City, now Pittsburgh's North Side. In 1866, the pastor of St. Mary decided that the Catholic population of Troy Hill and of Manchester had grown to the point that both localities could support a church. He decided to build two additional churches that, with St. Mary, would be dedicated to the Holy Family. Manchester got St. Joseph Church and the church in Troy Hill was dedicated to Jesus. The cornerstone of the church was laid on August 26, 1866, and the completed building was dedicated on June 7, 1868. On July 4, a resident pastor, Rev. S. G. Mollinger, was assigned to the parish.
The rear of the church building was partitioned off to form living quarters for the priest and a small school. The new pastor added two side altars and replaced the main altar in 1869. In 1875 a school was built and a rectory was built in 1877. The rear of the church was then converted into a convent. Not long afterwards, a separate building for a convent was purchased. The internal partitions in the church were removed and the altars were moved to the rear wall of the building.
Even this extension soon proved inadequate. In the 1890's, the church was expanded by tearing down the rear wall and adding a sanctuary and sacristy. Side entrances were added and the front of the church was extended and a belfry erected. This work was completed in 1898. In the early twentieth century the Sacristy was extended and a basement dug under the church. On May 1, 1933, a side wall of the church collapsed. Until the damage was repaired, the parish celebrated Mass at St. Anthony Chapel.
The church has been renovated several times since then. However, the same building still serves the congregation of the parish today.
St. Anthony Chapel
The first pastor, Fr. Mollinger, came from a wealthy family in Europe. Political upheavals in Europe in the 1860's and 1870's led to the looting of numerous churches and monasteries. Many relics from these churches and monasteries began turning up in pawnshops and second hand stores. Fr. Mollinger began buying up these relics, eventually gathering over 5,000 of them. By the late 1870's, Fr. Mollinger realized that he needed somewhere to store all of these relics. He initially proposed to the Most Holy Name church committee that the parish build a new church. He even offered to donate $75,000 if the parish would match the amount. However, the church committee felt that this goal was unobtainable. As a result, Fr. Mollinger decided to build a small chapel and dedicate it to St. Anthony. The chapel was built in 1880. It was enlarged in 1892 and dedicated on June 13, 1892. Two days later, Fr. Mollinger died.
By the late 1960's the chapel had deteriorated badly. In 1972, the bishop gave a group of local citizens permission to raise funds to restore the building. After five years, the restoration was complete.
