Our Lady of Consolation was founded in 1923. It's founding was the result of the growth of population in Nemacolin. The first Mass was held in the summer of that year in an old school building. For three years, Nemacolin was visited by priests from All Saints in Masontown and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Leckrone (both parishes are now part of the Diocese of Greensburg). In the fall of 1926 Bishop Hugh Boyle appointed a pastor to Our Lady of Consolation.
The former school building that was serving as a church at that point was considered only a temporary expedient. On November 30, 1928, land was purchased for a new church. Construction was begun immediately and the first Mass was celebrated in the unfinished church building on Christmas Day of 1928. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on February 22, 1929, and the completed building was dedicated on May 30, 1929.
On December 30, 1961, fire struck the church. However, the fire was extinguished quickly enough to save the church. Despite the damage, Mass was celebrated in the church the next day.
Over the years, several changes were made to the building, most notably the addition of a steeple. However, this church still stands and continues to serve the Catholic community of Nemacolin.
On August 28, 1992, St. Mary, Crucible and Sacred Heart, Rice's Landing were merged with Our Lady of Consolation. All three churches initially remained open to serve the parish.
With the turn of the century, trends in the Diocese of Pittsburgh began to reveal a decline in Mass attendance and sacramental participation. At the same time, the number of priests available for parish ministry also began to decline.
To address these challenges, Bishop David Zubik announced on April 12, 2015 a new diocesan initiative, On Mission for The Church Alive!, a consultative strategic planning process designed to foster viable, sustainable and vibrant parishes. As part of this process, the Bishop, in consultation with the faithful, began to consider new models of parish life based on pastoral needs, financial and temporal resources and available clergy.
In 2018, following the period of consultation, parishes were grouped together and served by a single clergy team to eventually form one new parish.
During this transition period, Our Lady of Consolation Parish remained an independent parish while sharing clergy and staff and eventually publishing a joint bulletin with the other parishes. This ended on July 1, 2019 when Our Lady of Consolation Parish merged with St. Ann Parish, Waynesburg; St. Hugh Parish, Carmichaels; St. Ignatius Parish, Bobstown and St. Thomas Parish, Clarksville to form the new St. Matthias Parish. As part of the merger, all three churches were closed due to the area's declining population and the rising costs of maintaining the churches. The closing Mass for Sacred Heart Church was celebrated on June 30, 2019. The closing Mass for St. Mary Church was celebrated on July 7, 2019. The closing Mass for Our Lady of Consolation Church was celebrated on July 21, 2019.
