August 18, 2019

Holy Spirit Parish Festival, a smashing success!

Once again, a huge thank you to all who helped in any way to make Holy Spirit Festival a smashing success. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather as a community and celebrate life. The festival committee did an outstanding job in pulling  people together from all the previous seven parishes. Thank you for those of you who were willing to pitch in and help out. You did a wondrous job in the name of the Lord.  Thank you to the festival committee, Bo DeCarbo, Nancy Bonk, Mike and Sharon Marshall, Ruth Ann Venasco, Bob Hetrick, Tom Zumpella and Mark Mijavec, and of course, all of you who attended, thank you for your patronage.

August is winding down which means the school year is winding up! Please keep all of our teachers and children as well as their parents in our prayers as they transition back to school. Please keep St. Vitus School in your prayers in a particular way as this is a very important year for our school and for our future. Their classes begin Tuesday, August 20, and preschool begins the following week.

Kids’ Kingdom Preschool & Daycare at St. Camillus is also starting up. Daycare began on August 12 and preschool classes begin on August 26. Contact Jeniffer Mangino at 724-510-7302 for information.  Also at this preschool, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is available to those who sign up their children.

Religious Education and Faith Formation, this coming school year will be, indeed, very exciting under a new format and leadership. The Mass itself will be an important component of Faith Formation. Students have the option of attending a Teaching Mass Saturday, September 14 ^th at 4:00 pm either at St. Camillus or St. Vitus, or  Sunday morning at 9:00 am Mass at St. Vitus or the 11:00 am Mass at St. Camillus. Mass Attendance at either place is required for all students in Faith Formation as well as their families. We hope that parents, families, children, will all take an active part in these liturgies each week.

Learning about God is a good thing, but what is even more essential is becoming one with the Lord through the sacraments he has given us. To know Him, to love Him and to serve Him is the road to eternal life. Knowing the road, but not traveling on it isn’t too bright! It takes more than “to know”; it takes living the way that’s important. And we know Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without Him, we can do nothing and we certainly cannot go anywhere. So, if our destiny is the next world, His kingdom of Heaven, we had better be sure we are actively on the way!
                 God love you,