Each January thousands of Catholic men and women along with other people of faith join in the March for Life in Washington, DC. This year, because of COVID-19 we are not sponsoring a bus to take people to the March for Life on Friday, January 29. At the same time, we strongly encourage ALL members of St. Paul Cathedral Parish to advocate for an end to abortion and for legislation that respects the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death. Click for more information!

At the 10:00 am Mass on Sunday, January 17 we are remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his work to end racial prejudice and discrimination. Following the Mass the Race and Reconciliation Dialogue Group of Saint Paul Cathedral parish will present, via Zoom, its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Program. The virtual program will begin at 2:00 pm on January 17. Click for more information!

There will be one vigil Mass celebrated on Thursday, December 31 at St. Rosalia site at 6:30 pm. There will be two Masses celebrated on Friday, January 1 which include a Mass at 8:15 am and 10:00 am at St. Paul Cathedral. Please note that there will be no 12:05 pm Mass on Friday, January 1. Click for more information!

Christmas will be very different for all of us and our families this year as we continue to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and engage in safe practices to protect as many people as possible. I encourage you to reflect carefully on whether or not to come to Mass this year for Christmas. Here are a few guidelines to consider...

Please note that the novena scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, has been cancelled due to the current weather forecast. The novena will not take place on December 16, December 23, or December 30. Our weekly novena to Mother of Perpetual Help will resume at Saint Paul Cathedral on January 6 beginning at 7:00 pm.

There will be two Masses celebrated on Thanksgiving Day which include a Mass at 8:15 am at St. Paul Cathedral and a 10:00 am Mass at St. Rosalia site. Please note that there will be no 12:05 pm Mass on Thanksgiving Day. The St. Paul Cathedral Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 in observance of Thanksgiving Day. The office will reopen at 9:00 am on Monday, November 30.

Faithful citizenship requires Catholics to exercise their right to vote and uphold the teachings of their faith in voting. Pope Pius XII in 1946 spoke of the exercise of the right to vote as "an act of grave moral responsibility," arguing that "in the present circumstances" any Catholic who failed to vote due to weakness or laziness committed "a sin grave in itself, a mortal fault." This teaching of the Church is even more urgent today as we face serious issues and concerns in our country. We Catholics in the U.S. are not first and foremost Republicans or Democrats. Nor are we first and foremost Americans, or citizens of whichever country in which we happen to be living...

This Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. It is critical that each and every one of us exercise our right to vote. Exercising this right to vote is a serious duty and obligation of faithful citizenship which is required of all Catholics....

Some years ago, our then Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bishop Donald Wuerl, wrote a pastoral letter entitled, Speaking the Truth in Love: Christian Discourse within the Church. Sadly, it was written out of necessity to address the manner in which some of the faithful were responding to the decisions and changes that were being made for the good of the Church as part of the parish reorganization. We were reminded in that pastoral letter that as members of the Church we share one faith, one baptism, one life in Jesus Christ...

Bishop David A. Zubik has released a five-point action plan in his pastoral letter, The Church Healing, responding to what he heard from Catholics and non-Catholics in the Diocese of Pittsburgh during listening sessions in the wake of the August 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Reprot on child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

VETERANS’ DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED ON Monday, November 12. In a special way at all the Masses we will be remembering the brave men and women of our country who have served – and those who continue to serve – in the armed forces and who defend our freedom and the ideals of our great nation.

Several weeks ago I published an article in our parish bulletin entitled Catholics Care. Catholics Vote. I know these are incredibly sensitive issues and communicating well is really important in the age in which we live. One of the primary tasks of a pastor is to teach the faith and I have always done that to the best of my ability.

A special Mass for Healing and Peace will be celebrated at Saint Paul Cathedral on Tuesday, November 20 at 7 pm. In my own name as administrator and rector of the Greenfield, Hazelwood and Oakland grouping, along with the clergy team and the faithful of our four parishes, invite everyone in our community to gather in prayer and solidarity in the aftermath of the horrific massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday, October 27.