Burgettstown was founded some time before 1780. In its early years, there were very few Catholics in the area. Despite this, a priest from St. Patrick in Noblestown would travel to Burgettstown once or twice a year and celebrate Mass in a private home. This began in 1865. The Caholic population first started to take shape with the influx of immigrants. First there were Irish immigrants who came to Burgettstown to follow consturction work on the railroad. The opening of the coal mines (around 1910) brought in more Catholic immigrants. In 1903, with the establishment of St. Alphonsus Parish in McDonald, Burgettstown became part of the parish territory of St. Alphonsus.

In 1915, Bishop Regis Canevin, the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, instructed the priests of St. Alphonsus to begin the work of establishing parishes in Bulger and Burgettstown. A priest would get up every Sunday morning, and drive 25 miles round trip to Bulger and Burgettstown. At each stop, he would hear Confessions, say Mass, and perform baptisms. Mass was celebrated wherever a place could be found, such as in a hall, a theatre, a private home, or even a public school.



In 1916, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was officially established, and plans were set in motion to construct a church and school. Within two years, the cornerstone was laid for what is now St. Bernadette Hall. In the fall of 1918, a flu epidemic forced the suspension of all public Masses. The suspension was lifted on December 5, 1918, and three days later, the new church was dedicated. The sermon was preached in Polish, Slovak, and English.

In 1923, construction of Our Lady of Lourdes school began, right overtop of what is now St. Bernadette Hall. In 1941, land for a cemetery was purchased on Joffre Bulger Road. Although the school building had been completed in 1924, the parish would not yet be ready to open the school until 1942. When it did, it was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1943, the spiritual care of the mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Cherry Valley was transferred from St. Ann Parish to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. In 1954, the construction of the rectory was completed. In December 1955, the parish broke ground on a new church, which was dedicated in 1957 on February 11, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes.



In 1971, a shortage of nuns and a decline in the economy forced the Sisters of Mercy to leave Our Lady of Lourdes School. Our Lady of Lourdes became the first school in the Diocese with an all-lay faculty. In 1983, the chapel at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery was dedicated. In 1988, Mass ceased being celebrated at Sts. Peter and Paul Mission Church in Cherry Valley. In 1994, Sts. Peter and Paul Mission was formally closed, and the propery was sold soon afterwards. Due to financial difficulties and declining enrollment, Our Lady of Lourdes School closed in 2007 after 65 years of operation.



In 2015, an initiative was begun to position the parishes of the Diocese to better serve the faithful in the midst of changing demographics, fewer clergy, and more limited resources. This initiative, called On Mission for the Church Alive!, culminated in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish joining with St. Alphonsus, St. Ann, St. Columbkille, St. Michael, and St. Patrick parishes, becoming St. Isidore the Farmer Parish on July 1, 2020. You can read more about it here. Under this new parish, the faithful continue the good work of spreading the Gospel.