BISHOP ZUBIK NAMES REGIONAL VICARS FOR THE DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH – Bishop David A. Zubik has appointed three additional priests to serve as Vicars for the new Regional Vicariate structure for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The three priests will join Father Robert F. Guay, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish, Conway, as the vicars to the four Regional Vicariates.

The three priests who will serve as Regional Vicars with Father Guay are:

Father Frederick L. Cain, pastor of Holy Child Parish, Bridgeville. Ordained on May 6, 1970 by Bishop Leonard, Father Cain is presently the Dean of the Southwest Deanery. Among his many assignments in the Diocese, Father Cain served as Spiritual Director at Saint Paul Seminary and has served on the diocesan Liturgical Commission since 1977 and the Priests’ Benefit Board since 2002.

Father Philip N. Farrell, pastor of Saint Camillus Parish, New Castle. Ordained on June 29, 1993 by Bishop Wuerl, Father Farrell is the Dean of the Lawrence Deanery. Pastor of Saint Camillus since September 2002, Father Farrell also served as the CCD Deanery Director in the South Hills Deanery.

Msgr. William M. Ogrodowski, pastor of Saint Peter and Paul Parish, Beaver. Ordained in June 1975 by Pope Paul VI at Saint Peter Basilica in Rome, Msgr. Ogrodowski served as Vice Rector and Rector of Saint Paul Seminary and later Vice Rector of the North American College, Rome. He also served as Dean of Beaver County (pro tem) several years ago.

The four regional vicariates will replace the system of 16 Deaneries in the pastoral governance of the Diocese and will cover all six counties of the Diocese.

The announcement is being made in the May 29, 2009 issue of the Pittsburgh Catholic that will be distributed this weekend.

“I am so very grateful to these fine priests and pastors for their willingness to take on the new and exciting challenge of being our first Regional Vicars. My plan remains to have our Regional Vicariates inaugurated on October 1,” wrote Bishop Zubik in making the announcement.

“Our four new Regional Vicars will be catalysts to help our parishes work together, share resources together, and support each other together. Each Vicar with the authority of his office will represent me to the parishes within his Vicariate—and in turn each Vicar will represent the parishes in his Vicariate to me.

“Through the Regional Vicars, we will have better communications, a greater ability to help overburdened pastors do their jobs, the promise of greater Church unity and greater collaboration among parishes,” Bishop Zubik said.