The Saint Matthew Catholic Church of Tyrone was the recipient of the “Excellence in Preservation of County History and Heritage” award last evening at the Blair County Historical Society’s annual meeting for the creation of a book that commemorates the 150 year history of the church.
According to parishioner, Anne Harshman, the book is 50 pages long and includes information about the church’s rich history. It also includes information about when and where parishioners met before there was even a church building.
Father Joseph Orr of St. Matthew Catholic Church said much of the information included in the book discusses interesting facts about how the parish developed and who the members and priests were. There are also old photographs included in the book that people will enjoy.
It also includes reprinted, older documents of the church like financial statements and amusing tidbits like how much a bundle of hay was for a pastor’s horse.
Father Orr spent many hours interviewing older members of the church, including some who now reside in Epworth Manor. Their interesting anecdotes about their lives and the church’s past are interwoven throughout the pages of the book.
“We often have the experience of people telling stories of our families or of old times, and then people saying that ought to be written down,” explained Father Orr. “People in future years will appreciate that we brought these things together.”
He said the purpose of the book is for the present generation and future generations to appreciate the beauty of the past.
“I think with the passage of time and of individuals, if these stories aren’t written down, they are lost,” added Harshman.
According to Harshman, a solid year of work went into the creation of the book, and it started as a celebration of the church’s 150th anniversary.
“This started as a much smaller project but soon blossomed,” said Harshman.
Numerous people were involved in the completion of the book. Harshman was responsible for typing the information, and Father Orr worked on compiling information through interviews and reading through old church documents.
Laurie Dasher scanned photos and worked on the layout of the book, and Katie Patrick provided the initial information and history to get the project started. Teresa Jeffries completed the proofreading of the book.
Father Orr said he would especially like to thank the people who helped with the book, which also includes Monsignor Richard Walsh, Ray Dysart and Suzanne Sickler-Ohl.
The book is currently at press at A+ Printing in Altoona. It is expected to be available to the public for purchase before the end of the month. The copies will be available at the church. The price has not been determined as of yet, but the book is not being sold for a profit and will be available at cost.
