Saint Matthias Parish
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St. Matthias Parish, located in Greene County, PA, was established on July 1, 2019. The Pittsburgh Diocese groupd the parishes of Our Lady of Consolation, Nemacolin; Saint Ann, Waynesburg; Saint Hugh, Carmichaels; Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bobtown, and Saint Thomas, Clarksville. At the time of the merger, the five parishes included eight church buildings. The decline in population in Greene County and the rising costs of church maintenance caused some churches within the county to close.
The closures were as follows:
06/30/2019 ~ Sacred Heart, Rices Landing
07/07/2019 ~ Saint Mary Church, Crucible
07/14/2019 ~ Saint Thomas Church, Clarksville
07/21/2019 ~ Our Lady of Consolation Church, NemacolinThe other four churches, Saint Ann, Waynesburg; Saint Hugh, Carmichaels; St. Ignaitus of Antioch, Bobtown, and Saint Marcellus, Jefferson remain open.
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St. Matthias
Matthias, whose name means “gift of God”, was the disciple chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles state that he was also one of the 72 disciples that the Lord Jesus sent out to preach the good news. Matthias was with the Lord since His Baptism, and was “a witness to Christ’s Resurrection,” according to St. Peter in Acts. He remained with Jesus until His Ascension.
According to various traditions, Matthias preached in Cappadocia, Jerusalem, the shores of the Caspian Sea (in modern day Turkey) and Ethiopia. He is said to have met his death by crucifixion in Colchis or by stoning in Jerusalem. There is evidence cited in some of the early Church fathers that there was a Gospel according to Matthias in circulation, but it has since been lost, and was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius.
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