Built
in 1918, the Roman Catholic church in McIntyre served the spiritual needs of
the town's immigrant miners, local area residents, and their respective families.
Although there were churches of different Christian denominations in nearby
towns, St. Gertrude's was the only church in McIntyre and reflected the
large number of immigrant Catholics from southern and eastern Europe. In its various company towns, the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company assisted in the construction of churches. In Adrian Iselin's March 28, 1905 obituary from the New York Times, it was mentioned that he and his family contributed to the erection of churches in the coal regions. It is not definitely known if, and to what extent, help was given in the construction of this church.
Although the church was built in 1918, it was not until 1947 that the congregation received its first resident priest. Prior to 1947, itinerant priests traveled between different congregations for Sunday services and other church related activities.