A Catholic Parish is the place where theology gets down to people. Our parish is dedicated to and named in honor of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the great Italian Bishop and Doctor ("Teacher") of the Church and Founder of the Redemptorist Fathers. Saint Alphonsus Parish was founded in 1901. Its life and history are wound up in the great movements which affected the Universal Catholic Church, the history of our own nation, and the particular circumstances which affected the development of the Church in the Pittsburgh Diocese and region in the nineteen hundreds. On September 9, 1901 Father Richard Hamilton was appointed by Pittsburgh Bishop Richard Phelan as the first Pastor of Saint Alphonsus, a post, which the pioneer priest held for the next 30 years. Father Hamilton was still here when, on September 5, 1926, Bishop Hugh C. Boyle dedicated the present Church building. This present Church building is the third building to serve as a Church for the people of Saint Alphonsus.

But time flies, things change. The Church is no exception. At the peak of its existence in the 50's, the new school had more than 500 students, requiring two shifts in 16 classrooms. The enrollment was 42 when it closed in June of 1995. Saint Alphonsus is still a vibrant parish, but it has had to adapt to changing times. This is true of the entire Diocese, which has 200,000 people less than it had 20 years ago, down from 320 to 220 parishes. In spite of the vocation shortage and general Diocesan-wide downsizing, the parish is still "bringing theology down to the people."As we enter into our second century we rededicate ourselves to the Lord Jesus and to our Patron, Saint Alphonsus, who faced all the challenges of life in his time with cheerful patience, good will, and a lively faith. May the name of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, be praised forever and ever.