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South Pittsburg, TN
Our Lady of
Lourdes
Catholic Church
700 Holly Avenue
South Pittsburg
,
TN
423-837-7068
The Catholic community in
South Pittsburg
has never been large, but its community presence and contributions to civic life have been substantial. The first Catholic to reside in the area was Matthias Dietzen, who arrived soon after the founding of the town, in 1876. Though under the jurisdiction of the
Chattanooga
deanery, visits from
Chattanooga
clergy were rare. One documented early visit did occur in 1878 when Rosie Dietzen, Matthias’ daughter, was baptized. Until 1899, Mass was said to have been celebrated in various buildings in town, and in private homes. However, by that year the Catholic community had grown large enough to support its own church, and a frame church was constructed which bore the name Holy Family Catholic Church. The parish finally outgrew this little frame church, and in 1927 the current Spanish mission-style church was completed. Upon the dedication of the building in that year, the parish was officially renamed Our Lady of Lourdes. Built of gray and white brick, the church is an attractive ornament to downtown
South Pittsburg
.
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