In June 1914 a group of Polish-speaking immigrants in the Sheep Hill neighborhood of New Castle, Pennsylvania, received a charter for the new “Polish Catholic Church of Holy Trinity.” The church was soon in open dispute with Catholic officials from the Pittsburgh Diocese over various matters. The new church severed all ties with the Catholic Church and was unaffiliated with any denomination until August 1919, when it aligned itself with the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC). PNCC was a breakaway church founded by founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1897.
On November 29, 1916, the congregation of the Holy Trinity Polish National Church purchased a small lot of property totaling about 3.4 acres on Gardner Center Road in Shenango Township. The grounds were immediately converted into a small cemetery and the first burial was that of Katarzyna (Catherine) Novak on Monday, December 11, 1916. Many improvements were made to the cemetery over the years, including trees being planted in late 1929 to line the entrance driveway. Other upgrades included the erection of a large stone altar in 1962, a perpetual care fund being established in 1977, and the paving of the cemetery road in 1985.
Among the notable burials at the cemetery is the Reverend Francis M. Pilzys (1915-1972), a PNCC pastor who attended the Holy Trinity Polish National Church in New Castle while growing up. He died at the young age of fifty-six while serving as the pastor of a church in Springfield, Massachusetts. His remains were returned home for burial in his hometown.
The small cemetery is located on a rural road in Shenango Township, a short distance away from Route 65. It is still in active service and is very well maintained.
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Comments
Bill Cwynar #
I will send you some history on the church and cemetery as my relatives were (founding fathers of our parish).I will email you once I gather all the info up.
Sara Blosz #
I’m trying to find a grave marker for my great grandfather Ignatz Blosz (death certificate reads Ignatz Blauz date of birth unknown date of death 07/02/1919 death certificate states he is buried at St Joseph Cementary in New Castle PA. I’m also looking for information on Maria Blosz (last name might be Blasz or Blauz) she was born 09/06/1917 & died 02/04/18. I have a copy of her death certificate, and it said she is buried at Holy Trinity Cementery in New Castle PA. My email is sara_blosz@hotmail.com
Thanks!!
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