News - June 2020 RSS Feed

Father Matthew Hawkins reflects on the words "Black Lives Matter" at a Black Catholic Prayer Service on June 28, 2020.

More than a century after a Catholic elementary school in New Castle first welcomed students and 70 years after it reopened, educators and faith leaders are ready for another new beginning. St. Vitus School officially becomes Holy Spirit Academy on July 1.

A parishioner with potential exposure to COVID-19 who attended Mass at St. Januarius in Plum has tested negative for the virus.  The parishioner reported being with a relative who later tested positive for COVID-19.  

On June 19, 2020, Bishop David Zubik announced the forming of a personal parish for the Black Catholic community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh under the title of Saint Benedict the Moor Parish (Hill District) effective Monday, July 13, 2020.

“This memorial Mass allows everyone who has grieved without a funeral to pray together for the souls of their loved ones and to receive comfort in God’s promises of mercy and salvation,” Bishop Zubik said.

On Sunday June 28, 2020 at 10 a.m., Bishop David A. Zubik will livestream a memorial Mass for all local Catholics who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom did not have a funeral Mass due to the lockdown.

A parishioner who attended evening Mass at St. Januarius in Plum on Monday, June 22, 2020, is being tested for COVID-19 after a relative tested positive for the virus.

Bishop David A. Zubik, Diocese of Pittsburgh, will ordain three men to the priesthood during a Mass of Ordination on Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 10 a.m. at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Bishop Zubik announces the following clergy appointments: pastor, administrator, permanent deacons, residence change, withdrawn from ministry.

Deacon Jeffrey Craig’s journey to the priesthood has given him a deep desire for sainthood, both for himself and for the people he will minister to as a priest.

Deacon Matthew Hawkins often felt unsure that he could make the sacrifices required by the priesthood, but the Lord repeatedly surprised him by opening his heart and showing him the way forward.

It was fitting that Deacon Michael Faix spent one of the weeks leading up to his priestly ordination conversing with God on a silent retreat. His journey to the priesthood began through dedication to daily prayer.

Bishop William J. Winter, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, will ordain seminarian Joseph S. Uzar (Joe) as a transitional deacon on Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m. at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Carnegie.

As a follow-up to a listening session on February 23, 2020, Bishop David Zubik is pleased to announce the establishment of a personal parish for the black Catholic Community in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, under the title of Saint Benedict the Moor Parish, effective July 13, 2020.

Today the Little Sisters of the Poor pulled out all stops with a drive-by parade for two widowed residents as Kay Canyock turned 100 and Mary Sahayda turned 103.

During COVID-19, the Ladies of Charity of the Diocese of Pittsburgh have continued to do what they always do: looking after the elderly and ill, feeding the hungry, providing older people with emergency funds, clothing children and more.

Bishop Zubik announces the following clergy appointments: special assignments; pastor; team ministry; senior parochial vicar; retired priest with assignment; and retired priest. Corrections to previous appointments included.

Transition support will be offered for teachers, principals, and families.

He calls their ministry, “a tremendous witness of discipleship”

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce a new name for a new elementary school resulting from the merger of St. Anne, St. Bernard, Our Lady of Grace, and St. Thomas More schools in the South Hills.  The school will be named Ave Maria Academy. The merger will take effect on July 1, 2020.