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I am very proud of you, the people of Holy Spirit Parish. Why would I say that? Because many of you take your discipleship in Jesus Christ seriously. You are people of prayer and you make true sacrifices to serve God and your neighbor. Not all who claim to be Catholic, or even Christian, not all who are registered as our parishioners, put their faith into action or fully participate in the sacraments. But those of you who do are making a huge impact in our parish and on our community. Let me give you a few examples: those of you who make the sacrifice to pray before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration Chapel at St. Mary provide our parish and community with spiritual power; those of you who volunteer in the countless opportunities to serve your neighbor, whether it be the occasional blood drive or food preparation or those who assist with food and clothing distribution, those who call parishioners and ask if they need anything and check in on their neighbors; those who take the Blessed Sacrament to the sick, the homebound, nursing homes, hospitals and those who are temporarily homebound because of illness or surgery. The list goes on and on.

On the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4th, we were treated to a joyful surprise. Fr. Nick Spirko drove all the way, himself, from the Vincentian Home to visit us. As you can tell from his photograph, he is looking fabulous! He said he is feeling better than he has in many years. The rehab has done him a world of good. He is very grateful for everyone’s prayers and support over these months of recuperation. Father is doing so well that he hopes to move from the Vincentian Home to the St. John Vianney Manor in Crafton, the retirement home for priests of the diocese.

As you know, this past week we celebrated the last of our Patron Saint Feast Days for this year—for St. Vincent de Paul. The following is a brief summary of the life of St. Vincent de Paul taken from the publication, Give Us This Day, a Catholic Daily Mass booklet.

A huge thank you to God Almighty for the beautiful weather and spirit of peace and joy on our 1st Annual Holy Spirit Parish Picnic at Cascade Park! I am extremely grateful to God and to you for your participation in this spirited gathering of our parish families. Words cannot express my heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Parish Picnic Committee who worked long and hard to make the picnic a fabulous time for all in attendance. I’d like to personally thank the Picnic Committee for their unselfish dedication to this new project:

What happened 20 years ago on September 11th scarred our country. There was a pouring out of evil—and yet, an even greater pouring out of good! We can focus on the few terrorists who took innocent lives and caused great havoc, or we can focus on the thousands of courageous, brave, and daring noble people who ran to help their neighbors.

It will soon be 20 years since the 9-11 attack on our country. I don’t know about you, but it is hard for me to believe it was 20 years ago. In some ways, it seems like a lifetime ago and in other ways, it seems like it was just yesterday.

As we begin this new school year, it is exciting to know that we have over 40 students going to our new partnership with St. John Paul II Elementary School and the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools! Our pledge to help with tuition relief in our support of Catholic Education for the children in Lawrence County continues. Friends of Catholic Education is the organization in our parish that assists our families that have children in Catholic school. We not only support those going to St. John Paul II Elementary School, but any child in our parish that attends a Catholic elementary school. We have two children from the parish in other Catholic schools in the diocese that we also support financially with tuition relief. If there are others in the parish, we would support them as well.

September 12th is our First Annual Holy Spirit Parish Picnic. It will be held in Cascade Park beginning with Holy Mass at 11:00 am. After Mass, our three food trucks will be open from Noon to 6:00 pm to take the free food tickets you get when you check in at the Registration Table. There will be competitive games from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, including Bocce and Cornhole for adults as well as games designed for the kids. During the day, vintage cars will be displayed in front of the Dance Pavilion, visible from East Washington Street. Paint the Holy Spirit on Canvas will be in the Carousel building from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. The Red Coat Band will play from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Then, at 4:00 pm, we open our celebration to residents of the county to hear the music of the Dorals, who will play until 6:00 pm.

This weekend, as we celebrate the great Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, we also celebrate our oldest church building, St. Mary’s. Just like all of the other commemorations of our church buildings, we are celebrating a Saturday evening Mass followed by a small reception.

I cannot help but think of my mother, Alice McCaffrey, on this weekend. Of course, I think of her every single day and pray to her as well. But on this weekend, I am particularly mindful of her, her laughter and her sweet smile, as I remember her tender love. On the 7th of August, 1960, she gave me life. On August 8th, 2011, she was born to eternal life as she passed from this world into eternity.

Next Saturday, August 7th, at 4:00 pm in St. Vitus Church, we will remember the legacy of Holy Spirit Academy, formerly St. Vitus School, in a very special way, and pledge our continued support for Catholic Education as we move forward in our partnership with St. John Paul II and the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools. At the beginning of Mass, there will be the viewing of a video message from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart who were the founding religious congregation of St. Vitus School. Their love and prayers continue for our students and for our future. I am very grateful to Friends of Catholic Education and the committee who have worked so hard to make this celebration a beautiful remembrance and a pledge of continued support for the future. Immediately following the Mass, there will be a program and reception in Fabbri Hall.

Two important liturgical announcements were in the news this week. The first was a joint announcement from the Bishops of Pennsylvania regarding the reinstatement of the obligation to attend Mass. The second was a statement from the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding Pope Francis’ changes in the status of the Latin Mass.

Thank you to TJ Belsterling, our coordinator of Middle School & Youth Ministry. He hosted a fabulous, and first time ever, movie night on the lawn at the St. Camillus site. According to TJ: “It was a beautiful day, with volleyball, corn-hole, kickball, bocce ball, and yes, the movie! About 40 people came, from little ones and their parents to members of our youth group!” It was a wonderful opportunity for families and parishioners of all ages to come together and enjoy each other’s company.

Did you know that there is a National Association of Priest Pilots? It has actually been in existence for over 50 years! And, believe it or not, I am the current president of the group. The purpose of this association is for priests who also share an interest in aviation to come together, enjoy each other’s company, pray, and explore their common hobby and interest in flying. The mission of the group is to provide some assistance to those who actually use aviation in the service of the Catholic faith. Dioceses such as those in Alaska and other parts of the world where aviation is a necessity use pilots to reach the people of the dioceses and to bring them the sacraments.

Congratulations on two firsts for Holy Spirit Parish. Our first Annual Golf Outing was celebrated last Saturday at Castle Hills Golf Course. It was a smashing success! Enormous thanks to Ed and Gina Sharbaugh and their entire team of volunteers including some of our teachers and families and friends who volunteered to make this first annual outing an amazing time of fellowship and fun. All of their hard work raised much-needed revenue to support tuition relief for families in our parish sending their children to Catholic Schools.

Beginning this weekend, we have added a 7:00 am Mass at St. Vitus on Sundays. The Mass schedule is: on Saturday, 4:00 pm Mass at St. Camillus and at St. Vitus. On Sunday, 7:00 am Mass at St. Vitus, 8:00 am Mass at St. Camillus, 9:00 am Mass at St. Vitus, and 11:00 am Mass at St. Camillus.

We have four big celebrations this weekend. Blessings on all the men of the parish, especially our dear fathers, both living and deceased. On Saturday, June 19th, Fr. Anthony will celebrate the 4:00 pm Mass at St. Camillus followed by a reception. This is an opportunity for us to thank him and assure him of our continued prayers and support as he begins a new assignment at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. If you are unable to participate in his farewell reception you may want to send a card to: Fr. Anthony Sciarappa, St. Michael the Archangel, 311 Washington Rd, Pittsburgh PA 15216

On this glorious weekend, we celebrate the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua at our own St. Anthony of Padua Church in Bessemer. St. Anthony was a disciple of St. Francis who sought to serve Christ and see Christ in the poor and all in need. I am very proud of the people of St. Anthony’s and the entire parish of Holy Spirit who have, in the spirit of St. Anthony, graciously allowed Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church the use of St. Anthony Church for worship due to their own church being under construction. This is a beautiful example of Christian Catholics and non-Catholic Christians working together and sacrificing for each other.

On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Catholics throughout the world celebrate our faith in the true presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. We believe our Savior is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine every time we celebrate Holy Mass. In this sacrament, we become one with the living Christ. As Catholics, we also adore our Lord in the Holy Eucharist through Eucharistic Adoration.

My congratulations to all who were confirmed these past two weeks. Congratulations also to their parents and sponsors who participated in the sacrament. My thanks also for the gift I received from the Confirmation Class of 2021. Ailis appreciated it too.