Immaculate Heart of Mary, the venerable Polish Hill church, adorned in Christmas finest for public view
The Christmas scene inside the massive dome contains 400 feet of garland, 100 bright red poinsettias and over 100 illuminated trees of various sizes.
Red bows, wreaths and candles adorn the pews.
Music fills the church as volunteers finish decorating for Christmas Masses at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in the Polish Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
The church will host 4 p.m. and midnight services on Christmas Eve, today, and a 10 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day. The midnight Mass will be livestreamed via the church’s website and YouTube channel.
Some pews are roped off for social distancing. The services will be kept to 25% of the church’s capacity.
“Look at all of this,” said the Rev. Nick Vaskov, director of the Catholic Shrines of Pittsburgh and pastor of Christ Our Savior Parish on Pittsburgh’s North Side, as he stood inside the church Wednesday. “There is so much joy inside this church to be celebrated.”
The festive scene will be on display through the weekend of Jan. 23-24. In addition to the regular Mass schedule, people are welcome to stop in Dec. 28-30 from 5 to 7 p.m.
For 25 years, Mark Dobies has been decorating the church, which his ancestors helped to build. Their names are among those inscribed in a gold-plated locket worn around the blessed mother’s neck. Dobies said a former pastor, the Rev. Joseph Swierczynski, inspired the decorations, which take three weeks to install.
“We talked about whether we would decorate as much as we had in past years because of the pandemic,” said Dobies, who lives in Polish Hill. “We decided that we do it for Jesus. I am here to offer my help, and we all need the hope of the Christmas season.”
Dobies’ daughter Theresa Dobies Rockey, who lives in Ben Avon, was raised in this church.
“It is about reaching out to others,” she said. “The amount of decorations get bigger and bigger each year. We love doing it.”
Polish hymns heard from the organ high above in the choir loft were being played by Dick Valletta, of Highland Park.
“There is such a wonderful spirit of the people in this church,” he said. “It brings back memories of my childhood church in East Liberty.”
The first Polish immigrants came to the area in 1885. They preferred to settle in the higher sections of Pittsburgh “to be closer to God,” according the church’s historical documents provided by Vaskov. Their first church was located in the Strip District, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, which maintains its prominent position on 21st Street at Smallman.
In 1895 they obtained permission from Bishop Eugene Phelan to establish a church and school. Families pledged $25 or $50 to the cause.
Modeled after St. Peter Basilica in Rome, the church was built on the crest of a hill on Brereton Street and dedicated on Dec. 3, 1905. Designated a historical landmark in 1970, the church and its greenish dome can been seen from numerous vantage points around Pittsburgh. The Polish-born Pope John Paul II, while a cardinal, visited the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1972.
Vaskov was wearing a face mask with a picture of the Eat’n Park Christmas tree from the television commercial. He noted that it symbolizes the evergreen — a promise of new life.
“God will shine through us, especially this year,” he said. “Our light will illuminate others just like all of the lights in this church bring light to our world. We need that more than ever in 2020.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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