George A. Plaufcan, Sr. 82, of Shenango Township passed away the afternoon of May 21, 2020 at his residence. Born on February 7, 1938 in New Castle he was the son of the late John and Katherine Klenotic Plaufcan. On December 28, 1972, George married his beloved wife, the former Rosemary A. Benincase. She preceded him in death on May 10, 2017.
Joann B. Vrabel, of New Castle, passed away on May 21, 2020 after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Born in Pittsburgh's Seldom Scene on February 18, 1937, to William D. and Anna Marie Lambert.
A glorious and happy feast day to all of you Holy Spirit parishioners on this day of Pentecost! This is our parish feast since it is the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Blessed Mother and the Apostles. It is the birthday of the Church and the birthday of our parish, named in honor of the Holy Spirit. May our patron, the Holy Spirit, fill your minds and hearts with the love of God and the peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
Michael Samuel Noviello, 42, of Clen Moore Blvd., died Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at his home in New Castle. Michael was born on September 16, 1977 a son of the late Joseph Noviello and Susan (Gierlach) Noviello. His mother survives in New Castle.
Frank Lovich, 90, formerly of Pulaski, passed away the morning of May 19, 2020, at Edison Manor. Born on Sept. 23, 1929, in Kittanning, he was a son of Stefan and Magdeline (Tokar) Lovich. Frank married Erma J. (Lewis) Lovich on March 31, 1948. Erma preceded him in death just six days earlier on May 13, 2020. They now will rest in peace together after 71 years of marriage.
Ivan "Ike" Dubrasky, 72, of New Wilmington, passed away peacefully due to a short illness on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 with family by his side. Ike was born February 26, 1948 in New Castle. He was the son of the late Andrew and Helen Piroga Dubrasky. Mr. Dubrasky was married 40 years to the former Kathleen A. Shevitz, surviving at home.
Anna Madeline Buckley, 96, of New Castle, passed away Monday evening, May 18, 2020. Mrs. Buckley was born April 24, 1924, in Duquesne, PA, a daughter of the late James Joseph Pearson, Sr. and Anna Margaret (Gormley) Pearson. Her husband, Anthony John Buckley, Sr., whom she married December 27, 1947, passed away November 5, 1992.
Irma Domenick, 91, of New Castle, passed away the morning of May 18, 2020 at her residence. Born on July 23, 1928 in New Castle, she was the daughter of the late Tony (Scipioni) and Marietta Bucci Schepp. On June 14, 1952, Irma married her beloved husband, Albert P. Domenick. He preceded her in death on March 9, 1990.
Lena Delliquadri, 92, of New Castle, passed away the morning of May 17, 2020 at Quality Life Services of New Castle. Born on August 17, 1927 in New Castle, she was the daughter of the late Michael and Angelina Diorio Delliquadri.
Given the bulletin deadlines, unfortunately, I can’t give you an update on what we are doing. The pastoral staff is meeting this Tuesday and the Finance and Pastoral Councils will be meeting Tuesday evening to discuss our plan for reopening the parish based on the Bishop’s directives. Unfortunately, because of the bulletin deadline, this has to be in on Tuesday and therefore the update will have to come via live streaming, our website, YouTube, Flocknote, and Facebook. As I dictate this bulletin message, I can tell you that the Bishop has issued a large document with directives regarding how we can proceed with getting back to celebrating the sacraments with all of you. We hope to be able to announce what church building will be available for you to access in order to provide private prayer. You will need to follow the guidelines posted on the doors of the church and also to sanitize the space where you have been praying before you leave. Many people who go to the gym realize that routine. You’re always to sanitize the equipment after you use it as a courtesy to those who will follow you. We hope to have a sanitation product available for you to use. But it will require that you sanitize your spot before you leave. We will have no idea in what part of the church you have been and that will be your responsibility to do that for the sake of the person following you. We thank you for your cooperation. Click on the title for the full message.
On May 19, the pastoral team met in the morning and the Pastoral and Finance Councils met in the evening. Adoration continues at St. Joseph the Worker site, lower level parking lot, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from 8 am to 4 pm. Sunday through Friday. Click on title to see full message.
Erma J. Lovich, age 90, of Pulaski, passed away the morning of May 13, 2020, at her residence. Born August 28, 1929, in Freeport, PA, she was the daughter of Ward and Mabel (Dougherty) Lewis.
Patricia Ann Spagnola, 86, of Scott Township passed away the afternoon of May 13, 2020 at her residence. Born on February 28, 1934 in Pittsburgh, Pa., she was the daughter of the late William and Mary Haas Marshall. On April 30, 1955 she married her beloved husband, Anthony Spagnola. He survives at home.
Deborah Lynn (Ross) Flannery, 65, of Butler Avenue, died Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at her residence. She was born in New Castle on November 30, 1954, a daughter of the late James and Leslie (Combs) Ross. Deborah was a case worker at the Lawrence County Public Assistance Officer retiring after 25 years.
Gov. Wolf and the PA Department of Education are looking to take most of the funding that Congress wants distributed equitably in COVID-19 relief to ALL schools in PA and across the country. Pennsylvania received $471 million in funding from Washington. But PCC Education Director Sean McAleer says “the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) created its own set of rules to distribute that money that blatantly ignores federal guidance. The end result significantly lowers the amounts to be given to Catholic and nonpublic school students.” McAleer broke down the disparity this way: “the Wolf Administration is calling for roughly $19 million to go to Catholic and nonpublic schools students, while Washington is calling for $66 million. The Wolf administration is misappropriating some $47 million in federal funds and harming families who have chosen to send their children to Catholic and nonpublic schools.” "Catholic and nonpublic school students matter," said McAleer. "We are asking Mr. Wolf And Education Secretary Pedro Rivera to please follow the federal guidelines! In a time when thousands of Pennsylvania’s children and families are suffering and struggling to make ends meet, the administration has chosen to cause further harm by refusing to allocate money as directed by the federal government.” Follow the link below or click the title of this post to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/bLoi7nwoDwEslKQVryFTuQ
Do not let your hearts be troubled! See the Sunday message in the bulletin at hsplc.org/fr-macs-messages, to read about the state of the parish, the status of the festival and the sale of St. Lawrence site. Click title for video address.
Dorothy Evelyn Panella, 87, passed away the morning of May 11, 2020 at the Haven Convalescent Home. Born in New Castle on January 15, 1933, Evelyn was the daughter of the late Harvey C. Hammond, Sr. and Bertha Earl Hammond. Preceding her in death on January 31, 1981, was her loving husband, Richard C. Panella, Sr. whom she married on December 1, 1956.
Holy Spirit Parishioners, the bishop is sending a 50 page document to the priests of the diocese at some point this weekend. We will need to review this document and understand its contents regarding suggestions and requirements for our re-opening.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” John 14:1 These words of our Savior should bring us great comfort and encouragement. Even in the face of these trying and surreal times, we refuse to be discouraged or depressed. We are a tenacious people of faith. As the bishops and government officials continue to struggle with how to get our community back to normal, we as a parish community also are eagerly preparing on our end. I have presented to the bishop a number of plans that the Finance and Pastoral Councils have suggested for us to begin again to have Mass with all of you. Click on title for full message.
William N. “Bill” Donofrio, 90, of Union Twp., passed away peacefully Monday morning, May 11, 2020, in UPMC Jameson Care Center, Neshannock Twp. Mr. Donofrio was born March 25, 1930, in Hillsville, a son of the late John and Nicoletta (Lagnese) Donofrio. His beloved wife of 67 years, the former Marie J. DelPrincipe, whom he married January 6, 1953, survives at home.