The terrain of Pennsylvania and the area surrounding Pittsburgh is very similar to the contours of Eastern Europe. Not only at the surface, but also the treasures buried below these regions were similar at the turn of the century. In both places, the hills were being mined for their mineral treasures. Coal and iron were nature’s contribution to the industrial growth, which required vast plants, railroads, great quantities of steel, and, most of all – people – skilled manpower. It is not surprising then that the Slovaks, the Czechs, the Poles, the Ukrainians, and the White Russians who migrated to the United States in the latter part of the 1800’s and the early part of the 1900’s, found the valley of the Monongahela River a familiar sight and a place of great opportunity.

The immigrants brought more than their native strengths, talent, and ruggedness to this country. They brought their skills, their language, their culture, but, most of all, they brought their faith. Some Slovaks had already settled in Duquesne before 1900. Since there was no Slovak Catholic congregation established in Duquesne, the people went to various Slovak churches along the valley in Braddock, Homestead, and McKeesport. The story of Holy Trinity Parish is the story of these pioneer Slovak people of the Monongahela Valley. The achievement, which the parish proudly celebrated in the dedication of a new and beautiful church, is really a continuation of the achievement of the first Slovak settlers in Duquesne. To recall those days past is to inspire a rededication of the people today. We deeply honor our past, which in turn gives us greater hope for the future.