The first resident Pastor was Fr. Arthur Wainwright, appointed in 1833. It was he who began the construction of a more substantial church. Construction of the new church began around the log church so that the parish still had a place to pray. The new church of St. Patrick was blessed by Bishop Kenrick on 29 September 1839.

In 1848, under the guidance of Fr. E.J. McGinnis St. Patrick’s parish school opened at 619 Mahantongo Street. Three Sisters of St. Joseph were entrusted with educating the children - this was their first teaching mission in the United States. Twelve years previous on 16 May 1836 the first Catholic School in Schuylkill County opened under the sponsorship of St. Patrick’s at 212 South Centre Street. The school for girls, named for St. Anne, was staffed by the Sisters of Charity.

St. John Neumann, Bishop of Philadelphia (the diocese of which we were apart of until 1961) visited the parish in 1854, 1855, 1856 and 1858 to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. In 1854, Bishop Neumann wrote to the Holy See petitioning it to create a new Diocese of Pottsville out of the Diocese of Philadelphia, and to make St. Patrick’s the Cathedral Parish of the new diocese. The petition was not accepted by the Holy See.

The present church building was begun in 1889 under the direction of Fr. William A. Duffy. The cornerstone was laid on 12 July 1891 and blessed by the Archbishop of Philadelphia, His Excellency, Patrick Ryan. During the construction, the parish prayed at Union Hall. Fr. Duffy died in 1892 and it fell to Father Francis McGovern, a native of Mt. Carbon, Pennsylvania, and priest-son of the parish, to oversee the completion of the church.

In 1881, Fr. A.J. Gallagher, who arrived in 1877, decided that a new school building was needed and an 11-room building was constructed at 7th and Howard Avenue. In 1926, a new school was built on site to accommodate Pottsville Catholic High School. This building was blessed on 14 October 1928 by His Eminence, Dennis Cardinal Dougherty, the Archbishop of Philadelphia. This building was the home of both the St. Patrick's parish elementary school and Pottsville Catholic High School. Pottsville Catholic graduated its last class in 1955 when Nativity B.V.M. High School opened on Lawton's Hill the following year.

Monsignor George Leech who became pastor in 1929 purchased land for the beginning of Calvary Cemetery. In 1935, he was named an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

In 1951, Fr. Joseph McCaffery constructed St. Theresa’s Chapel (now called St. John Neumann Chapel) at 20th & W. Norwegian Streets.

His Holiness, Blessed Pope John XXIII, created the Diocese of Allentown in 1961, which includes Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties.

In 1969, the Right Rev. Msgr. John E. Boyle undertook an ambitious project designed to bring the church into what was commonly thought to be conformity with the liturgical mandates of the Second Vatican Council and to make the church structurally sound. During the construction, the parish offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and other liturgical rites at the former Second Presbyterian Church at 5th and West Market Streets, St. Theresa’s Chapel and Nativity BVM High School.

As part of the re-construction a new sacristy, an oratory and a chapel underneath the church were added. His Excellency, Joseph McShea, the founding bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, prayed the first Mass in the reconstructed building on 1 November 1970, All Saints Day. The building was re-dedicated in March of 1971. Included in the redesign, three crypts were built in the oratory located in the southwest corner of the building. Fr. Duffy, who oversaw the construction of the present building, and Msgr. Boyle, who oversaw the redesign, are buried there.

In 1983, to better serve the Catholic children in the city of Pottsville, St. Patrick’s Elementary School merged with the other parish schools in the City of Pottsville and formed All Saints Regional School.

In 2004, to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the parish, the Rev. Msgr. William E. Jones had the church repainted and added a shrine to the Holy Family.

The parish is responsible for three cemeteries: #2 - situated at 4th and Schuylkill Avenue; #3 on North Centre Street and Calvary Cemetery situated in the beautiful hills above Mount Carbon. The first cemetery was located directly behind the church building. During the extensive renovations in 1969, the remains were transferred to Calvary Cemetery and buried beneath the Pieta statue.

From humble beginnings of 100 families in 1827 to the present day parish of 1600 families, St. Patrick’s has stood fast and proudly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the city of Pottsville and Schuylkill County. It has offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the salvation of the world and the sanctification of man. Through the intercession of St. Patrick, St. John Neumann and Our Lady, Mary Mother of the Church, may Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ grant us the continued grace of proclaiming His Message to the City, to the County and to the World!