Fostering Devotion
to Jesus Christ since 1891
Architecture and Treasures
of St. Joseph Church
St. Joseph Church was completed
and dedicated in 1924 through the efforts of Father
Francis J. Hertzog and the parishioners of St. Joseph. In 1920,
Architect Carlton Strong, a Catholic convert, was commissioned to design a
church to satisfy the needs of the growing St. Joseph Parish community in
New Kensington. This church was one of 27 churches that Mr. Strong
designed in Western Pennsylvania. Many feel that St. Joseph Church
is his architectural masterpiece.
Building Architecture
 The English Gothic structure
was built of brick, stone, and solid oak timber for about $125,000.
The building is 120’ long by 75’ wide, having two transepts, a baptistery,
and a bell tower. The view from the main entrance to the main altar
reinforces the architectural mastery of the designer. The view is of
seemingly narrowing arches focusing on the Altar of travertine marble and
ornate wooden screen behind the Altar. (Travertine marble is a
light-colored, rare type of marble used to build St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome.) The majestic painting of Christ, King of
the Universe,
surrounded by a corona dominates the background. Christ’s
outstretched arms signify a welcoming to his community.
The Stations of the
Cross
 The one concession to economy
and simplicity
was that
the side windows
were never completely finished in stained glass as was the magnificent
“Incarnation” themed window above the main
entrance. Instead the side windows were used to depict the 14
Stations of the Cross. This saved money and avoided the
necessity of incorporating the Stations onto the pillars or walls of the
church. The side windows are interesting in that each stain glass
scene of a Station of the Cross is highlighted directly underneath by a
symbol that
reinforces the meaning of the scene.
Incarnation
Window
 The magnificent “Incarnation”
window was the work of Hunt Studios in Philadelphia. The words
written across the
mid-section of the window are “And the Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among
Us.” The six main windows from right to left depict: 1) The
Annunciation; 2) Mary, Queen of Heaven; 3) The Birth of Jesus;
4) The Presentation in the Temple;
5) St. Joseph, Carpenter; 6) The Finding in the Temple. The three
trefoils across the top incorporate symbols for Ave Maria (AM) (Mary), X
for Christos
(Christ), and SJ for St. Joseph. The window artistically and
symbolically depicts the Incarnation. Through the Word made flesh,
Jesus experienced the weaknesses and frailties of human flesh in all
things except sin. Through Incarnation, man has access to the Father
through the Holy Spirit and comes to share in Christ’s divine
nature.
Coats-of-Arms
Mr. Carlton Strong was fond of
using symbolic coats-of-arms. There are 16 coats-of-arms over the
portals that are around the main altar. These coats-of-arms
historically tell the story of the Catholic Church in America and the
development of the Greensburg Diocese and St. Joseph Church. From
left to right:
1. Pope Clement X (1670-76) established the
first new diocese, Quebec, in the North American Continent
2. Quebec (1674)
3. Pope Pius
VI (1775-99). During his pontificate the first American Bishop,
Carroll, was appointed and the first U.S. Diocese, Baltimore, was
established.
4. Bishop Carroll’s
Coat-of-Arms
5. Pope Pius VII
(1800-1823). During his pontificate, Philadelphia, the first
Pennsylvania Diocese was established
6.
Diocese of Philadelphia
7. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-46)
established the Diocese of Pittsburgh (1843).
8.
Diocese of Pittsburgh (1843).
9. Pope Pius IX (1846-78)
established 36 Diocese in the United States
10. Pope Leo XIII
(1878-1903). Our parish was established during this pontificate
(1891).
11. Pope Pius X (1903-1914). Our
parish school was constructed (1914).
12. Pope Pius XI
(1922-38). Our parish church was constructed (1922-24).
Lower Left: Diocese of
Greensburg and Bishop Connare’s Coat-of-Arms
Lower Right: Diocese of
Greensburg and Bishop Lamb’s Coat-of-Arms.
Bottom Left: Diocese of
Greensburg and Bishop Bosco’s Coat-of-Arms
Bottom Right: Diocese of Greensburg and Bishop Brandt's
Coat-of-Arms
Crucifixion
Scene
The guild
scene above the sanctuary depicts the Crucifixion scene with Mary and St.
John. This art work stands as the main crucifix of the church.
Statues above the Main
Altar
There are
two statues high above the Main Altar. On the left is St. Theresa,
and on the right St. Aloysius. These two saints were canonized in
the year the cornerstone was laid (1922).
The Bell Tower
The bell tower is another
distinguishing feature of St. Joseph. The six chimes of various
lengths are made of lead-zinc. There were only 140 sets of these
chimes made during the years 1945-51. Each chime has a separate
hammer that is electronically activated. The system, because of the
few sets that were made, has attracted the attention of museum
collectors. The entire system was donated by parishioners in 1946 as
a memorial to those who died or served in World War II. The system
was refurbished in the early 1980’s in the memory of Regina Moslener,
mother of the then Parochial Vicar, Robert Moslener. The system was
upgraded and refurbished during the year 2000, and the rededication of the
bells was one of the Jubilee Year celebrations.
Devotional
Altars 
There are two devotional altars present in St. Joseph
Church. On the left side of the church is the Blessed Mother Altar
with the statue of Mary, Queen of the World. On the right side of
the Church is the St. Joseph Altar. Devotional candles are available
to offer at both altars.
Ceiling Artwork
The
decorative and intricately patterned artwork on the ceiling was
accomplished by hand by art students from Seton Hill College under the
direction of the designer, Sister Mary Frances Irvin. The work was
commissioned by Msgr. Hanse during the mid 1960’s to enhance the interior
of the church.
  Interior Narthex
There are two statues with devotional
areas located in the vestibule of St. Joseph Church. The statue to
the right of the church entrance is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The
statue to the left of the church entrance is the St. Anthony of Padua
statue. Devotional candles are available to offer at both
altars.
The Restored
Entrance and the New Baptismal Area
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The Medallion
 The Latin inscription Ecclesia Sancti
Joseph translates to “Church of Saint Joseph” and the Roman numerals
represent 1891, the year of the establishment of the parish. This
mimics the style and the wording found on the cornerstone in the sanctuary
of the church. The letters and Roman numerals are cut out of
brass. The SJ in the middle of the medallion are the initials of
Saint Joseph and are in the style of the original design of the SJ emblem
found on the Saint Joseph altar.
The flooring is Bisazzo, a mixture of
terrazzo and fiberglass components. All of the tiles and the squares
are made in Italy. The black and white tiles are a replica pattern
of the black and white tiles that are found in the flooring throughout the
church. The gold tiles are mosaic tabs that are gold-gilded and
encased in glass.
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The Baptismal
Font
The main portion of the baptismal font is
the original Carra marble font from the 1924 church. The top of the
font is the original top which has been gold-gilded. The octagon
base in which the font is placed is new. It was designed to
replicate the architectural style of the pillars in the church. The
baptismal font has flowing water and it is illuminated from within the
water of the base.
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The
Ambries
The three ambries are made of
solid oak and are walnut stained. They are a replica of the single
ambry that was original to the 1924 church. In the time of the
original ambry, only one was needed because less holy oil was used.
Since the revision of the liturgy, more oils are used and so one ambry is
needed for each oil. The design has been modified from the original
ambry; instead of a solid wooden door, the door is now glass so that the
oils can be seen. The ambries are also each illuminated from the
inside. The plagues below each of the ambries contains the name of
each oil and is made of limestone and engraved in gothic print to match
the gothic architecture of the church.
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Paschal Candle
Stand
The Paschal candle stand found
in the baptismal area is one of the early Paschal candle stands of the
parish. It has been restored and will be used in the baptismal area
to hold the Paschal candle outside of the Easter season. The newer
Paschal candle stand, which matches the candle stands used in the
sanctuary, will remain in the sanctuary of the church and be used to hold
the Paschal candle during the Easter season and funerals.
The devotional areas of Saint Anthony and
the Sacred Heart remain in the restored areas with devotional
candles.
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The restorations and additions of the
entire area were funded
through gifts to the Saint Joseph Church
Memorial Fund.
The medallion was donated in memory of Lewis
E. Heiles by his Family & Friends.
The baptismal font restoration and new base
was a personal gift from the Estate of Mary Jane Puet.
The restoration of the floor was made
possible by a donation from the
Donahue Estate & miscellaneous
gifts to our Memorial Fund.
The restoration of the Pascal candle stand
was donated in memory of Marie Murtha by her Family &
Friends.
The Holy Oil Ambries were donated in memory
of Matilda Viggiano by her Family & Friends.
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St. Joseph Chapel
The statue of St. Joseph that is found in the chapel is
a four-foot hand-carved Carro marble statue that is over 100 years
old. It originally stood inside the entrance of Mercy Hospital in
Pittsburgh. It was then moved outside to a garden at the former St.
Joseph Nursing Center where it stood for 18 years. When the Center
was closed in 2003, it was donated to the parish by the Sisters of
Mercy. It has been cleaned and restored and placed in a spot of
great honor in our new St. Joseph chapel. The altar pedestal on
which the statue stands is polished Carro marble. The St. Joseph
Memorial Candle stands on a polished marble candle stand that has a
history of being used to hold the monstrance during Perpetual Adoration.
The cleaning of our statue was funded by a special gift to the Memorial
Fund in Thanksgiving by John & Mildred Perry.
The old Baptistry is now the Saint
Joseph Chapel. The religious materials, that were originally found
in “The Baptistry”, are still available on the shelves found in the
vestibule of the church.
Devotional candles have been added to the
St. Joseph Chapel for personal use.
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Exterior
Narthex
The exterior narthex is another
distinguishing feature of St. Joseph Church. There are three
different statues on outside of the church, which is topped at its apex by
a cross. The statue on the left of the narthex is St. Francis of
Assisi, the statue on the right is St. Michael the Archangel, and the
statue in the center is St. Joseph. The cross is Celtic,
representing the Irish who helped to found the parish. The original
cross was destroyed by lightening during a storm, and when the replica was
placed on the church, it was accidentally installed upside
down.
  
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St. Joseph
Church
