This week — October 21, 2020:
- A Message from Deacon Tim
- Indoor Weekend Mass Registration
- Respect Life Month
- Mother of Sorrows Sale
- Upcoming Events
- Parish Announcements
A MESSAGE FROM DEACON TIM
Deacon Tim Killmeyer challenges us with the question, "What are we doing to exercise our SOUL?" in this short reflection on last Sunday's readings.
All Masses will be celebrated inside the churches according to schedule with the exception of the 10:00 AM and the 12:30 PM Sunday Masses at Holy Trinity, which will be celebrated in the parking lot. Visit www.archangelgabrielparish.org/covid19 to find out what we are doing as a parish in response to COVID-19 in order that you can make the best decisions about participation for you and your household. Bishop Zubik has granted everyone a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass.
Individuals are required to register for weekend indoor Masses ahead of time.
All individuals vulnerable to COVID-19 and all who are sick are asked to please stay home. For resources on how to pray from home, you can visit archangelgabrielparish.org/sunday. The 10 AM Mass will continue to be live streamed on Facebook each week at facebook.com/archangelgabrielparish/live
Each October, the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. This week, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, Chair of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, reminds us of the need to prioritize the dignity human life, particularly on the abortion issue, with our votes.
"As Catholics approach the polls, we are asked to weigh many important issues. The U.S. bishops have reaffirmed that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.”[1] While they did warn us not to “dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty, and the death penalty,” they did give priority to upholding and defending our brothers’ and sisters’ most basic right—to live. "
To read more from Archbishop Naumann's article, Priorities at the Polls, click the button below.
MOTHER OF SORROWS SALE
On Thursday, October 15, Archangel Gabriel Parish sold properties associated with the former Mother of Sorrows Church to RCH Realty. The sale included the former church, school, social hall, parking lots, and numerous undeveloped lots around the Norwood neighborhood.
The stones of the altar have been interred at St. Mary Cemetery. Some statuary has already been repurposed, and a rededication of the large, outdoor sculpture of the Holy Family has already been scheduled for October 27 at Archangel Gabriel School. Other items, including a marvelous stained-glass set of saints and a set of wooden reliefs of saints, have been warehoused for future re-use here or at other churches in the Diocese.
The sale will greatly reduce our maintenance costs and yields a modest infusion of funds. Please remember to say a prayer of thanksgiving especially for the generations of the faithful, many now deceased, who sacrificed to build up the former church and parish in Norwood. God grant that they receive their full reward on the day when all things are restored in Christ!
For more details about the sale of Mother of Sorrows properties, visit www.archangelgabrielparish.org/mos
UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS
Catholicism with Dr. Stephen Graham | Wednesday, October 21 at 7 PM | Join this five week series exploring the Catholic Faith through stories, theology, and beauty. Meet on ZOOM at zoom.us/j/98747606976. Contact Stephen Graham at graham@ats.edu for more info.
Live Stream Sunday Worship | Sunday, October 25 at 10 AM & 6 PM | Live Stream Mass at 10 AM and Solemn Evening Prayer at 6 PM every Sunday. Both events are streamed from Facebook at facebook.com/archangelgabrielparish/live. If you wish to receive the weekly email with live stream Mass information, please join the Live Stream Mass email group HERE.
Alpha | Monday, October 26 at 7 PM | Meet on ZOOM at tinyurl.com/AGPalpha2b. Contact Maria Fenner at mfenner@archangelgabrielparish.org for more info.
Bereavement Support Group | Tuesday, October 27 at 6: PM | Our Bereavement Support Group is open to anyone grieving the death of a loved one. The group offers an opportunity to meet with others who have a common experience of grief. It provides a safe and healing environment where grieving individuals can listen, share and learn together. Meet in the Saint Malachy Church Hall. Social distancing and mask wearing will be followed. Registration is strongly encouraged. To register, contact Mary Stevens at 412 874-0604 or mps2150@yahoo.com.
PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 10 AM and 12:30 PM Sunday Masses will be held in the Holy Trinity Church parking lot except when thunderstorms threaten, in which case the public Mass will be cancelled. (The priest will still say the Mass, but out of public view). To hear the parking lot Mass from your car, you can use your phone to to listen via ZOOM. Weather updates and instructions for listening can be found at our website using the button below.
Exciting news --- we will be temporarily extending our hours of Eucharistic Adoration to include afternoon hours in order to encourage prayer for our country before and after the elections!
On Monday through Friday, beginning on Monday, Oct 26th and going until Friday, Nov 6th, Eucharistic Adoration will take place all day from 5 AM until MIDNIGHT at St. Malachy Church. Saturday hours will remain 9 AM - 1 PM.
Please consider helping us fill up the special afternoon hours by signing up for a few time slots at the link below (each slot is a one time, not a weekly, commitment).
If you don't already have a regular weekly adoration time, this is the perfect opportunity make a smaller commitment to adore our Lord for a specific purpose! If you do have a regular adoration time every week, consider adding an extra Holy Hour or two to pray for the future of our country.
Journey around the world and deep into the Faith. In breathtaking, high-definition cinematography, the beauty, goodness and truth of the Catholic Faith are illustrated in a rich, multimedia experience.
From the sacred lands of Israel to the beating heart of Uganda... from the glorious shrines of Italy, France, and Spain, to the streets of Mexico, Kolkata, and New York City, the fullness of CATHOLICISM is revealed. Journey deep into the Faith as you watch each episode.
Dr. Stephen Graham will lead this virtual meeting each week, with discussion following the video.
We are currently conducting our 22nd Annual Winter Coat and Clothing Drive for the needy families of the Appalachian Region of West Virginia. Please leave any winter coats, clothing, hats, gloves, blankets, and toys in front of the far right door of the three-car garages, located at the Holy Trinity Parish Ministry Center. If you need any additional information, please call Barb Angelo at 412-953-4949.
Monday, November 2, 2020, is the celebration of All the Faithful Departed, commonly called All Souls’ Day. It has become a tradition here at Archangel Gabriel Parish, that the liturgy memorializes those who died and were buried from the parish over the past year. This year’s commemoration will be held in all three churches given the restrictions in place because of the pandemic with regards to seating capacities.
The next of kin was sent an invitational letter and asked to respond to the parish office if they plan to attend any of the three Masses. It is imperative to respond before October 29, so appropriate plans can be made regarding seating and the assignment of volunteers who will assist those coming to participate in the celebrations.
The Masses are scheduled for 6:00 PM at Saint Mary, Help of Christians; 6:30 PM at Holy Trinity; and 7:00 PM at Saint Malachy, and will remember those who died between October 16, 2019, and October 15, 2020. Because we are required to follow the safety precautions, we ask that those who wish to attend one of these Masses but have not received the parish invitation call the office to register so we may stay within our attendance capacity for each church building.
Given the precautions in place because of the pandemic, like our other indoor Masses, seating is limited in each church building, and requires that we use alternate pews for the Masses, and masks are expected to be worn.
Choices Pregnancy Services VIRTUAL Baby Bottle Campaign: October 4th – 25th. This year’s campaign is virtual. All funds go to support Choices Pregnancy Services in their support of women with troubled pregnancy and their abstinence programs taught at high schools. 79% of abortion-minded/abortion vulnerable women who receive services at Choices choose life after seeing an ultrasound image, seeing their baby’s heartbeat and talking with a counselor who helps them consider the support and alternatives available to them. Choices offers free services at clinics in Coraopolis and Beaver Valley, and also serves women in numerous locations with two state of the art mobile clinics operating in Pittsburgh and Beaver County. Last year, $5,509 was collected from our generous parishioners through this effort.
Click on the button below to support this life affirming organization.
ONLINE GIVING | Giving online is a convenient and secure way to support the work of the parish. Click HERE to give online today!
TEXT TO GIVE | Text a dollar amount to (412) 775-2460.
We have created a page of obituaries to keep parishioners in the loop of recent deaths in our parish family. Please keep the recently departed, and their families who mourn their loss, in your prayers.