The roots of Church of the Beloved Disciple extend far into the history of Grove City. Started as a tiny seed at least as early as 1872, the Catholic community was nurtured and prospered in the predominantly Presbyterian town – and it has grown into the strong, faithful community that has built this church.

Church history states that the first Catholics came into Grove City – then known as Pine Grove – in the late 1800s to find jobs primarily as laborers in the coal mines. Although many of the miners came from eastern Pennsylvania, many immigrants also came.

The Catholic community united under the leadership of a convert to the faith, Major Thompson. Thompson was connected with Grove City College, either as an Army major assigned to teach cadets or as a professor. He arrived in Grove City in the late 1890s and was responsible for uniting the Catholics, always going out on Sunday and gathering as many as he could for Mass. The Rev. Daniel Lehane of All Saints Church, Mercer, celebrated the first Mass in 1898 in Thompson’s home. Father Francis Borman, also of All Saints, took turns saying Mass.

Thompson’s main wish was to build a Catholic church in Grove City. Upon his departure from Grove City in 1900, he donated a small two-room building behind his home to be used as the church. It was pulled up Broad Street on skids by a team of horses and established in Hallville, which is now Route 208 or Barkeyville Road. William Buchanan donated property there, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish was begun.

The Rev. Joseph L. McCabe and the Rev. O’Mahoney celebrated Mass there regularly until 1904, when the Rev. Francis Buonaura was permanently assigned there. An immigrant from Italy, Father Buonaura was charged by Bishop John E. FitzMaurice of the Diocese of Erie to take special care of the Italians in the community. Rev. Buonaura continued celebrating Mass and seeing to the spiritual needs of the growing Catholic population for 25 years. The tiny church building was soon not large enough for the nearly 80 parishioners, so plans were made for a new building within the borough.

John McCune Jr. formed a building committee. His family donated a lot on Broad Street as the site for the new building. At that time, an annual diocesan campaign was ongoing to raise money for St. Joseph’s Orphanage; the building committee wrote to the bishop to ask if they could keep any funds raised in excess of the parish’s assessment. He agreed. The committee started with the $300 extra.

In 1925, the Rev. Cornelius T. Cooney was appointed pastor. By that time the committee had collected $9,000, $6,000 of which was spent to purchase the house behind the lot on North Center Street to be used as a rectory. The remaining $3,000 was used to furnish the rectory.

While some parishioners still attended Buonaura’s parish, Rev. Cooney started saying Mass in the Odd Fellows Hall on South Broad Street for the remainder, which could no longer be accommodated in the small building. The date of his appointment, Feb. 27, 1925, was taken as the date of founding for Church of the Beloved Disciple.

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