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THE CATHOLIC PARISHES of Saint Joseph · Saint Juan Diego Saint Padre Pio · Saint Scholastica April 19, 2020
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES of
Saint Joseph · Saint Juan Diego
Saint Padre Pio · Saint Scholastica
April 19, 2020
Fr. Dale DeNinno Pastor/Administrator 412-963-8885 x 304
Fr. Michael Decewicz Parochial Vicar 412-784-8700
Fr. William Siple Parochial Vicar 412-781-0186
Deacon Robert Wertz, Jr. 412-784-8700
In Residence:
Fr. Hyeong Cheol Lee Saint Juan Diego Parish Korean Catholic Community
Fr. John Mark Ogu Saint Juan Diego Parish Student, Duquesne University
Fr. Dozie Egbe Saint Padre Pio Parish Chaplain, Presbyterian Hospital
CLERGY FAITH FORMATION & YOUTH MINISTRY
Delia Barr Director of Faith Formation 412-963-8885 x301 [email protected]
Marilyn Welsh Administrative Assistant 412-828-4066 [email protected]
Meredith Troyan Youth Ministry Leader 412-781-0186 x20 meredithtroyan@ saintscholastica.com
SAINT JOSEPH PARISH
342 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 Phone: 412-963-8885 | Fax: 412-963-1945
Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Live Streamed Mass: www.LAVCatholic.org/mass-videos
Lori McKinniss Business Manager 412-963-8885 x303 [email protected]
Kathi Sterling Parish Secretary 412-963-8885 x306 [email protected]
Thomas Octave Music Minister 412-867-5032 [email protected]
Nancy Whistler Director of Preschool 412-963-8885 x302
Terri Weir Administrative Assistant 412-963-8885 x302 [email protected]
George Cavlovich Facilities Maintenance
SAINT JUAN DIEGO PARISH
Madonna of Jerusalem Church in Sharpsburg Saint John Cantius Church in Sharpsburg
Saint Mary Church in Sharpsburg
201 9th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 Phone: 412-784-8700 | Fax: 412-781-1101
Food Pantry: 412-781-2866 Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Rosemarie Haas Administrative Assistant
Rose Sacco Bookkeeper
Simon Vullo Underiner Music Minister
Jerry Auen, Scott Auen, Franco Ferraro, & Henry Sacco Facilities Maintenance
SAINT PADRE PIO PARISH
Saint Edward Church in Blawnox Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Harmar
450 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Phone: 412-828-4066 | Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
Marilyn Welsh Administrative Assistant [email protected]
Peter Yohe Bookkeeper
David Volcheck Music Minister
Todd Daigneau and Rada Karlusic Facilities Maintenance
SAINT SCHOLASTICA PARISH
309 Brilliant Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 Phone: 412-781-0186 | Fax: 412-781-4316
Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Debbie VanDemark Administrative Assistant 412-781-0186 xl0 [email protected]
Amy Condosta Bookkeeper 412-781-0186 x l l financeoffice@ saintscholastica.com
Sr. Pat Baker, CDP Music Minister Bereavement Coordinator 412-781-0186 x17 patbakercdp@ saintscholastica.com
Andrew Bechman Adult Faith Formation 412-781-0186 x18 andybechman@ saintscholastica.com
Bruce Hassing and David Urso Facilities Maintenance
Website: www.LAVCatholic.org
Diocesan Victim Assistance Hotline: 1-888-808-1235
PA Child Line: 1-800-932-0313
Submit items for bulletin publication no later than Monday at noon to [email protected].
SATURDAY April 18—Sunday of Divine Mercy Madonna Church 4:30 pm † Nicholas Troyan (Wife, Evelyn & Family)
SUNDAY April 19—Sunday of Divine Mercy Saint Mary Church 11:30 am † The Gally & Kocent Families (Mike & Robin Kocent)
MONDAY April 20—Easter Weekday Madonna Church 9:00 am † Mary & Ralph Fiorita, Jr. (Nancy & Henry Sacco)
TUESDAY April 21—Easter Weekday Madonna Church 9:00 am † Vincenza & Anthony D’Acierno (Family)
WEDNESDAY April 22—Easter Weekday Madonna Church 9:00 am † Marie & Robert P. Vita (Ronald & Janice Kizior)
SATURDAY April 25—3rd Sunday of Easter Madonna Church 4:30 pm † Clara Giuffre (Family)
SUNDAY April 26—3rd Sunday of Easter Saint Mary Church 11:30 am † Frank & Grace Akers (Barbara & Rick Romea and Family)
SAINT JOSEPH PARISH
SUNDAY April 19—Sunday of Divine Mercy Saint Francis of Assisi Church 8:00 am † Lynn Pivarski (Marilyn Welsh) Saint Edward Church 10:00 am Michael Osche & Family (Esther)
THURSDAY April 23—Easter Weekday Saint Edward Church 9:00 am The people of Saint Padre Pio Parish
FRIDAY April 24—Easter Weekday Saint Edward Church 9:00 am † Lois O’Friel (Family)
SATURDAY April 25—Saint Mark, Evangelist Saint Edward Church 9:00 am A Special Intention
SUNDAY April 26—3rd Sunday of Easter Saint Francis of Assisi Church 8:00 am † August & Anna Bruno (Daughter, Yolanda Wargo) Saint Edward Church 10:00 am † John J. Jesih (Debbie Chisma)
SAINT PADRE PIO PARISH
SAINT JUAN DIEGO PARISH SATURDAY April 18—Sunday of Divine Mercy 5:00 pm † Gerard DaVia (The Gonzalez Family)
SUNDAY April 19—Sunday of Divine Mercy 9:30 am † Virginia Kelsesky (Mr. & Mrs. Tim Hayes) 12:00 Noon The people of Saint Scholastica Parish
MONDAY April 20—Easter Weekday 10:00 am † Gerard DaVia (Dave & Cindy Giovannitti)
TUESDAY April 21—Easter Weekday 10:00 am † Shirley Connell Holder (Patricia Hook)
WEDNESDAY April 22—Easter Weekday 10:00 am † Bill Dixon (Maureen Griffith)
THURSDAY April 23—Easter Weekday 10:00 am † Mary Miketic (Joyce Miketic)
FRIDAY April 24—Easter Weekday 10:00 am † Vince DeMasi (Friend)
SATURDAY April 25—3rd Sunday of Easter 5:00 pm † Paul Cunningham (John Staley)
SUNDAY April 26—3rd Sunday of Easter 9:30 am † Natalie Certo (Family) 12:00 Noon † Kenneth Sites (Jan Gursky)
SAINT SCHOLASTICA PARISH
SATURDAY April 18—Sunday of Divine Mercy 4:00 pm † Syl Finke (The Johnson Family)
SUNDAY April 19—Sunday of Divine Mercy 9:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish 11:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
MONDAY April 20—Easter Weekday 8:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
TUESDAY April 21—Easter Weekday 8:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
WEDNESDAY April 22—Easter Weekday 8:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
THURSDAY April 23—Easter Weekday 8:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
FRIDAY April 24—Easter Weekday 8:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
SATURDAY April 25—3rd Sunday of Easter 4:00 pm † Peter Vujaklia (David & Corrine DiBenedetto)
SUNDAY April 26—3rd Sunday of Easter 9:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish 11:00 am The people of Saint Joseph Parish
Public Masses are currently suspended, but priests of the Lower Allegheny Valley grouping are offering private Masses each day during which the scheduled intention is being honored. The Sunday Mass at Saint Joseph Church will be video-taped and available at LAVCatholic.org.
SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Sunday—April 19 Acts 2:42-47 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31
Monday—April 20 Acts 4:23-31 John 3:1-8
Tuesday—April 21 Acts 4:32-37 John 3:7b-15
Wednesday—April 22 Acts 5:17-26 John 3:16-21
Thursday—April 23 Acts 5:27-33 John 3:31-36
Friday—April 24 Acts 5:34-42 John 3:31-36
Saturday—April 25 1 Peter 5:5b-14 Mark 16:15-20
Sunday—April 26 Acts 2:14, 22-33 1 Peter 1:17-21 Luke 24:13-35
Words of Wisdom from Pope Francis Jesus' Resurrection shows us that death does not have
the last world; life does. Christ has been raised, so it is possible to have a positive outlook on every event of our existence, even the most difficult ones and those charged with anguish and uncertainty.
Let us pray together that the Lord might give us the grace of unity among us. In these difficulties times, may He allow us to discover the communion that binds us and the unity which is greater than any division.
In this season, the Church’s voice rings out: “Christ, my hope, is risen!” This is a different “contagion”, a message transmitted from heart to heart – for every human heart awaits this Good News. It is the contagion of hope: “Christ, my hope, is risen!”
In His Resurrection we acquire a fundamental right: the right to hope. It is a new and living hope that comes from God. It is not mere optimism; it is a gift from heaven, which we could not have earned on our own.
RESOURCES
Prayer at Home:
Give Us This Day, a prayer resource published by Liturgical Press, is making its digital version available to all. Visit GUTD.net and select "Digital" in the upper right of the screen.
Living with Christ is offering online daily resources at www.livingwithchrist.us.
The U.S. Catholic bishops have gathered links to many resources, including the daily Scripture readings. To access, go to catholiccurrent.org/covid19.
We have a weekly handout called “Keeping the Season” that includes a prayer, reflection on the Sunday Scriptures, and shorter reflections for each day of the week. You can download a PDF of this week's edition at lavcatholic.org/news/resources-for-prayer-at-home.
Live Daily Mass and other spiritual resources are available through the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Go to diopitt.org.
Follow Pope Francis on Twitter at @Pontifex.
Coronavirus Updates:
Visit https://diopitt.org/coronavirus-safety-precautions for up-to-date information from the Diocese.
Visit alleghenycounty.us/healthdepartment or health.pa.gov for local health information.
Support of the Parishes: Each of the four par ishes in the Lower Allegheny Valley rely on the contributions of the faithful. In this interim period when the collection basket cannot be passed, you are asked to make whatever sacrificial contribution that you can. Your envelopes may be mailed to the parish in which you are currently registered.
Saint Joseph Parish 342 Dorseyville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 Saint Juan Diego Parish 201 9TH Street Pittsburgh, PA 15215 Saint Padre Pio Parish 450 Walnut Street Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Saint Scholastica Parish 309 Brilliant Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15215 To donate online to Saint Scholastica go to: saintscholastica.weshareonline.org
My dear parishioners,
I've heard it said...I've said it myself...and you have probably spoken it as well! This was an Easter Sunday unlike anything we have ever experienced. Couldn't join in public worship, couldn't share a meal with family and friends, couldn't search for the colored eggs, couldn't join in an Easter parade with those wearing their Easter bonnets. And yet, somehow our faith still calls us to proclaim ALLELUIA!
Where is there reason for Alleluia in the midst of a growing death count? How can Alleluia be on the lips of those out of work? Why would anyone sing Alleluia when anxiety and depression grip them?
WHERE? HOW? WHY? The answers are found in the abundant ways in which people are reaching out to care for one another, reaching out to inspire one another, reaching out to lift one another's spirits. There is goodness in the human condition that is overflowing and spilling into the lives of those most in need. That, I believe, is reason to shout ALLELUIA!
My dear friends, I urge your creativity in finding ways to bring ALLELUIA into someone's life. A family member, a neighbor, friend or stranger.
I am certain that God is blessing us in ways both simple and profound. While it may not be ours to understand, it is most certainly ours to believe.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As you might expect, things are quiet in the parish offices and our churches. While each of the three priests are separately offering a private Mass each day, the secretaries (on a very, very part-time basis) are opening mail and preparing bank deposits. To that end, thank you for sending your donations via the mail. We are relying on your monetary contributions in order to keep up with paying our regular bills.
We are in a quandary about the scheduled dates for upcoming sacramental celebrations. The second grade children were originally scheduled to receive their First Holy Communion on April 26TH in Saint Joseph Church and May 3RD in Saint Scholastica Church; and the 8TH grade students were to receive the sacrament of Confirmation on May 14TH. Clearly those dates no longer look feasible.
Moving forward we are all awaiting instruction as to when we might be able to return to some sense of normal. Patiently looking for guidance from our government and religious leaders, we will obviously and soon have to make a decision about when those special sacramental celebrations will be held for our young people and their families. That decision will soon be forthcoming.
My dear brothers and sisters, let us continue to reach out to each other in the fervency of our prayers, being especially mindful of those who are out of work. Please God give them hope.
Easter Sermon
Of Saint John Chrysostom
A 4TH century bishop of the Church, the name
chrysostom means "golden-mouth" because of his great
gift of preaching the Word of God. This message reads
like poetry.
No one need mourn unaccountable falls,
be they over and over.
For forgiveness itself has reared from the tomb.
No one need fear death,
for our Savior himself has died
and set us free.
He confronted death in his own person
and blasted it to nothing.
He made it defunct by the very taste of his flesh.
This is exactly what Isaiah foretold
when he declared:
“Hell is harrowed by encounter with him.”
Of course it is harrowed.
For now hell is a joke, finished, done with.
Harrowed because now taken prisoner.
It snatched at body and—incredible—lit upon God.
It gulped down the earth, and gagged on heaven.
It seized what it saw,
and was crushed by what it failed to see.
Poor death, where is your sting?
Poor hell, where is your triumph?
Christ steps out of the tomb
and you are reduced to nothing.
Christ rises
and the angels are wild with delight.
Christ rises
and life is set free.
Christ rises
and the graves are emptied of the dead.
Oh yes, for he broke from the tomb
like a flower, or beautiful fruit:
the first fruit of those already gone.
All glory be his,
all success and power...forever and ever.
Go to lavcatholic.org/faith-formation-from-home for resources to engage your kids at home.
First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation: Please stay tuned for any fur ther changes in dates for these sacraments. We will update you as soon as we are able.
Triduum and Easter: Although it was cer tainly an unusual celebration this year , we pray that all our Faith Formation families were able to spend time together to celebrate this most important season in a new and meaningful way. Next year, may we all come together and pack the churches for each of these sacred liturgies!
Thank you for your support for our Appalachia Mission Trip! If you would still like to make a donation to our June mission trip, you can do so online at saintscholastica.weshareonline.org.
Teens, while you’re spending your time inside on your computer, check out our Life Teen Blog at lavcatholic.org/our-grouping.
205 Brilliant Ave, Aspinwall PA 15215
412-781-7927
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cdtca.org
Mark Grgurich, Principal
All of the students, faculty and staff at CDTCA send well wishes to all of the parishioners of LAV. We are busy with at home on-line learning and are doing are best to adjust to our new school days! We will keep you in our daily prayers.
Members of our community who are in need of shor t-term assistance can contact the LAV Saint Vincent de Paul Society at [email protected] or 412-254-4446.
The United Way has a COVID-19 Community Economic Relief Fund that can help with bills, rent and food. You can call 211 to receive a list of local agencies that provide assistance.
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has information about food assistance at pittsburghfoodbank.org. You can also make monetary donations at this website.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Sharpsburg: Even though the pantry is closed, we have par tnered with Roots of Faith to feed those in need in our area. Every week 500 families are receiving bags of food. While we are not taking food donations at this time, please consider supporting us monetarily so those in need can continue to be served. Donations should be sent to: The Society of St Vincent de Paul, 201 9th Street, Pittsburgh PA 15215. Thank you in advance for your support.
Saint Vincent de Paul donation bin at Saint Francis Church: As a result of the Covid-19 crisis the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is unable to service its the donation bins at this time. For now, please keep your valuable donations at home and we will gladly accept them once this crisis is over. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts to help the most vulnerable members in our community. If you or anybody you know needs assistance, please call 412-254-4446.
ADDICTION RECOVERY MINISTRY NEWS
412-218-5410 [email protected] addictionrecoveryministrypittsburgh.org
To all parishioners of the LAV, I hope you all had a happy Easter. Needless to say, this is an Easter we will never forget! I have thought that this year Easter has felt more like Holy Saturday; we are waiting for the liberation of resurrection and maybe that is the grace. Jesus is challenging us to embrace stillness, patience and longing, seeing in this time and space the gentle hand of God always inviting us to new life—abundant life. As it says in 12 step thought: we are called to be happy joyful and free. Love, Fr. Michael
Divine Mercy Sunday
“God is love and those who abide in love abide in God.” 1 John 4:16
These words of St. John really sum up for me what I appreciate as “Divine Mercy.” That Divine Mercy is being engulfed into a sea of love; a love that is abundant, extravagant and unconditional. A love that washes over our brokenness that fills the wounds of our hurts; that enfolds us in the arms of Jesus.
There in Jesus’ arms, engulfed in divine love, we embrace our dignity, our humanity, our very personhood. There in the arms of Jesus we discover the freedom to live in the wonder and mystery of Divine Providence, letting go of our pride, our obsession with control, so as to simply trust that God is with us in every success, every failure, every dream, every relationship, every moment, encounter and experience of life.
Divine Mercy is living in the wonder, majesty and mystery of God’s abundant, extravagant and unconditional love!
Closing prayer for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless
and the treasury of compassion is inexhaustible,
look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us
that in difficult moments we might not despair,
not become despondent,
but with great confidence, submit ourselves to your holy will,
which is love and mercy itself. Amen.
“God is love and those who abide in love abide in God.”
Lighting Vigil Candles: If you would like to have a vigil candle(s) lit in one of the churches of our parish grouping, you may mail that request to the parish office. Please include your name, the intention, the name of the church in which you want the candle lit, and the $3.00 donation for each candle. The candles will be lit in the church of your choosing: Saint Francis of Assisi in Harmar, Saint Edward in Blawnox, Saint Scholastica in Aspinwall, Madonna of Jerusalem in Sharpsburg, Saint Mary in Sharpsburg, or Saint Joseph in O'Hara.
When, for any reason, we cannot participate in Mass, the Church invites us to unite with Christ through this prayer of Spiritual Communion. Praying this prayer is a beautiful way to unite our hearts to Christ's when we cannot receive him physically in the Eucharist.
A Prayer for Protection
In Time of Pandemic
O Mary, you always brighten our path
as a sign of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you,
health of the sick,
who, at the Cross, took part in Jesus' pain
while remaining steadfast in faith.
loving Mother, you know what we need,
and we are confident you will provide for us
as at Cana in Galilee.
Intercede for us with your Son Jesus,
the Divine Physician,
for those who have fallen ill,
for those who are vulnerable,
and for those who have died.
Intercede also for those charged with
protecting the health and safety of others
and for those who are tending to the sick
and seeking a cure.
Help us, O Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who took upon himself our
sufferings and carried our sorrows,
so as to lead us, through the Cross,
to the glory of the Resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection we seek refuge,
Holy Mother of God.
In our needs, despise not our petitions,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
Question:
Where did the feast of Divine Mercy come from?
Answer:
If you were born well before the year 2000, you know the feast of Divine Mercy has not always been celebrated in the Church. In the early 1900s, a young Polish nun began receiving private revelations. Jesus appeared to her during her times of prayer, speaking a message of mercy and love for the world. She received a set of prayers — the Divine Mercy Chaplet — and the request to have a feast day established to remind the Church of the mercy of God. St. Faustina died in 1938, on the cusp of war and in the midst of one of the most violent centuries in the history of the world.
Her story and her diaries began circulating in Poland and beyond. It quickly became apparent that this was a holy young women, and the cause for her canonization opened. In the year 2000, she was canonized by the first-ever Polish pope, St. John Paul II. On her canonization day, he established the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, “a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind with experience in the years to come.”
©LPi
