Our History
We the partner parishes of St. John Baptist de La Salle in Delmont, and St. Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes in Export, are celebrating a century and a half of Catholic faith and traditions.
We are dedicated families from diverse ethnic backgrounds, responding to our baptismal promises by living the word of God and making the Eucharist the center of our lives.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we dedicate ourselves to be witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of our brothers and sisters. Called to enter a unique partnership, it is our vision to commit ourselves to worship, love and service through evangelization.
Read Our Pastoral Plan
A Brief History of St. Mary’s
The first Mass in Export was held in 1892 in a private home and this practice continued for several years by a priest from Irwin. As the Catholic immigrant population continued to grow, the bishop of Pittsburgh diocese (there was no Greensburg diocese yet) directed that a new church be built in Export. In 1903 the cornerstone for the new church was laid and the church was dedicated in the same year. The church and parish were originally known as Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but because there were other churches in the diocese with that same title, then Bishop Connare of the Greensburg diocese directed that the name be changed in 1975 to the present name of St Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes. Several neighboring parishes, including St. Barbara, Mother of Sorrows, and St. John Baptist de La Salle grew out of St. Mary’s. The parish has been served by many priests over the years and in 2002 became a partner parish with St John de la Salle in Delmont. It is still located in its original location.
A Brief History of St. John’s
Before the founding of the current St John’s parish, the Catholics from the Delmont area were being served by St Mary’s in Export and by missionary priests from as early as the 1920’s. In 1948 the idea for starting a new parish was begun. At this time, Delmont and Export were part of the Pittsburgh diocese since the Greensburg diocese had not yet been established. In 1949 the new parish of St John de la Salle was established and the first Mass was held in a converted chicken coop which had become the temporary church. In 1950 a new basement church was built and attendance continued to grow. In 1960, property was purchased for a new church and ground was broken in November 1967 and on April 6,1969, the first Mass was celebrated in the new St John Baptist de la Salle church building. In 2002 St John’s became a partner parish with St Mary’s in Export.