Strip District church steps a long, hard, humble climb

One of the first things you notice when you walk into St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Strip District is the sign: "Holy Stairs, ascend on knees only."

Hundreds of faithful are expected to visit the church today as part of a Holy Thursday observance, said the Rev. Harry Nichols, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. Many of them will ascend the 28 stairs on their knees as a symbol of repentance, he said.

"The tradition is that many, many people will come to St. Patrick's before the end of the evening -- kids, men and women, from many different churches," said Nichols.

Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. Ascending the white, marble steps, which open up to the chapel, is meant to symbolize Christ ascending the steps to the praetorium to be sentenced to death.

"Doing the steps makes me feel as though I've just gone through a complete prayer. It's a very fulfilling experience," said Jack Brumbaugh, of Dormont, who ascended the stairs Wednesday.

The steps at St. Patrick Church, at the corner of 17th Street and Liberty Avenue, are replicas of the Church of the Holy Stairs at Scala Sancta in Rome. Only two other churches in the world contain them -- the St. Anne de Beaupre shrine in Canada and the Shrine of Lourdes in France, church officials said.

Those going up the steps on their knees recite a prayer on each step. Those who wish to walk can use smaller staircases on either side of it.

St. Patrick, the oldest Catholic parish in Pittsburgh, was founded in 1808, Nichols said. Over the years, Irish parishioners who comprised its core moved away.

The church merged with St. Stanislaus, also in the Strip District, as part of a reorganization and closing of churches by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. Masses are held at St. Patrick's twice a week, Nichols said.

St. Patrick Church has been in four locations. The current building had an auspicious start, officially opening on St. Patrick's Day in 1936, at the same time the city was inundated by a flood that killed about 70 people.

Those who ascend the staircase on their knees say the memory lasts a lifetime. Bernie Sonnett, of North Sewickley, did so 20 years ago with members of a Catholic youth group.

"It helps you realize the pain Christ must have went through during the Crucifixion," Sonnett said.