St. Maximilian Kolbe keeps the fires burning

Like a family accumulating the heirlooms of their elders, St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish’s building and grounds in Homestead hold an eclectic mix of artifacts from its predecessor parishes. One chapel holds stations of the cross labeled in Polish. The statue of St. Joseph the steelworker now resides in the parking lot, relocated from its landmark perch atop the former Slovak parish, St. Michael’s in Munhall.

In the same way, the church has become home to the former members of seven area parishes representing various ethnic groups in Homestead and Munhall. One of the biggest bonding factors was the parish’s decision in 2009 to settle at the former St. Anne Church and close three other former parishes’ buildings that it had tried to maintain.

“Once we finally came together under one roof, people realized if we were going to survive, this was how we were going to do it,” said the Rev. Daniel Sweeney, its pastor.

“I really do believe we’re a vibrant parish,” said Dennis Sweeney, taking a break from his volunteering at a Friday fish fry and citing the recent addition of dozens of new members.

He himself converted a year and a half ago.

Three decades ago, a bad experience in a church “really soured me on religion,” he said. But he volunteered here at his wife’s Catholic parish for years. One day, “something came over me,” he said, and told Father Sweeney he was ready to join. “Nobody had to coerce me.”

Father Sweeney said the parish keeps its spiritual fire going through a combination of regular devotions, such as prayer vigils before the sacrament, and outreach to the community, whether through funeral luncheons or aid to the needy.

“Ninety-nine percent the community doesn’t belong to our parish, but they do depend on our parish,” he said. —