Blessing of Pets

     One of the great moments of my priesthood is the annual blessing of pets and animals on or near the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4th.  Yesterday saw another one of those wonderful days.  In our parish, we scheduled such a blessing at 2:00 pm in the afternoon at the church, and I experience another "first".

     It was a beautiful Fall day and our parishioners brought out about thirty five pets.  This year they were mostly dogs of every variety, size and shape ... but there were also hermit crabs, a gecko, a parakeet, and for the first time, a horse.   With that many animals in one place, you can imagine the commotion and the strain on leashes.  But as always, when it came time for the blessing, there was a very noticed quieting of those present.  I shared a little of the life and spirit of Francis of Assisi, and then asked the Heavenly Father to bless these friends and companions of our parishioners.  They then were blessed with holy water ... a few, at the request of their masters, for a double dose.  Our horse this year, named Mishu (spelling ?) even did a graceful bow before receiving the blessing.

 

Mishu and yours truly

 

 

Mishu "Bowing for the blessing"

 

     In the past years we have given out medals or holy cards on this occasion.  This year we asked people to bring something to help a local Animal Shelter, and we received a load of stuff that we will take to them this week, as well as a monetary gift for their fine work.  It was a tremendous response, an inspiring event, and most importantly, a lot of fun.

 

     My sister, Janie, had her little one, Sammy, there as well.  He is such a good boy, and Uncle Len loves him.

 

 

 

Samuel Leonard Stoviak ... Sammy







Inspired and truly blessed

     I have attempted to sit down and post following the return to Rome of our Holy Father Pope Francis, but could not find the words to express my heart.  I can delay no longer.

     The visit of the Holy Father to the United States was powerfully moving to me.  I must admit that I was a bit fearful that the people of this nation would be unconcerned and unmoved by this papal visit, and relegate it to the "showy but unimportant news of the day".  I was pleasantly surprised by the coverage and by the interest of so many, catholics and those of other faiths and those of no faith.  And the coverage was generally very balanced.  The Church was center stage and the Holy Father was the catalyst.  And his messages, rooted in the simple Gospel message of love, were listened to and affected many lives.  He gave us an invitation to re-group and recommit ourselves to the building up of the Kingdom of God.   But he has gone home and things are back to normal - routine - broken.  Even before he left this nation, the political parties were at each other, after having listened to the inspiring words to Congress by the Holy Father ... as were the candidates for our highest office, whose attacks of each other do little to exhibit respect and civility in the public forum.  Confrontation rather than cooperation was the mode of the day at the U.N General Assembly after he spoke to them.   The call to end the death penalty was met with the execution of a woman in one of the States.  And another sensless shooting at a college campus brought violence into our homes once again.  Words that he spoke and actions that he took were being used to promote agendas.  A desecration of the shrine of our newest saint - Junipero Serra - by protesters last weekend at the Mission of Saint Charles Borromeo in Carmel was cruel.  And I find a sense of hope, which he called us to, to be a difficult comodody to find.

     But what he said was so simple and so necessary for us to hear:
We are loved by God ... we are sought by God, he waits for us ... our Father will not be outdone in generosity ...  we must have an openness to God ... we must respect each other, and find ways to work together through diologue to meet the challenges that confront us ... we must be generous with our blessings, for that generosity is itself a blessing ... we must be people of hope ... and people filled with gratitude at the rich heritage and traditions that this nation is founded upon.   The positive challenges continue to resonate with those whose hearts are open.

     As I reread his words and rejoice in his actions as a pastor, I see hope and joy that will spur us on to do greater things.  May our openness to God continue to guide our lives in the days ahead, for without witnesses like us, I fear for the life of this nation and the world community.  And they have been entrusted to us for stewardship.   We must embrace our roles of servant leaders.

He has arrived

     We live in a vast nation that prides itself in its diversity despite generations of hostility and fear and prejudice for what is different.   That is why the welcome and the coverage of the visit of Pope Francis to the United States is so unusual and comprehensive and gratifying.   Watching his arrival in Washington this afternoon and the fact that most stations devoted enormous coverage of the events was uplifting as a Catholic.  I pray that his visit with us be one of safety, health and spiritual challenge.

     Everyone wants to know what he is going to say and do, what issues will he challenge our leaders and the representatives of the world with, and the reaction of our society and politicans to his message.  Sometimes I find the commentators frustrating in their "analysis" and words of prophetic controversy, even Raymond Arroyo and his companions at EWTN.

     I enjoy the posts by Bishop Lynch of Saint Petersburg, Florida.  In today's, entitled "The Barque of Peter Arrives on the Shores of the U.S.", he had this to say about how we as Catholics should be attentive to the message of Francis in these next few days.  He says:

" ... listen to the Pope and carefully read and ponder what he has to say.  Agendas abound for this visit but there is only one which really matters and that belongs to the Successor of St. Peter, Francis.  His is a message of "yes" and not "no".  His is a message of God's love for every human being and not just for those who feel they have it made.  His is a message of mercy, not punishment.  His is a message of sharing not hoarding.  His is a message of inclusion, not exclusion.  His is a message of joy in the Gospel, not burdens.  His is a message of relief, not bondage.  Listen to him - this immigrant to our shores, as he opens the vision of Jesus to all humankind.  Don't let the "spin-doctors" spoil the moment - one of the greatest for Catholicism in my lifetime."

     I wholeheartedly agree.  We live in a world of many talking heads, of opinions that are rooted in the greatness of the one expounding them, of an intolerance of others.  I spoke this past Sunday about the basic truth of the Gospel message, which Francis bases his life and message on.  It is stated well in the Collect of last Sunday, the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.  I repeat it here because it is important to keep before our eyes and in our hearts.

"O God, who founded all the commandments of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant us, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life."

     "THE" God given Law, rooted in the love of God first and then of neighbor (not self) must guide our lives ... and by keeping to that Law we may attain to that life that is unending and filled with ultimate happiness.  I look forward to hearing and witnessing that message of love in the visit of Pope Francis.  I hope that you do as well.

Youthful enthusiasm

     I just returned from the first fund raiser of the school year for our Regional Queen of Angels Catholic School.  School began a few weeks ago, and we are at it already.  This first fund raiser is a "Walk-a-thon" held for the past few years on the campus of Saint Edward Church in Herminie, one of the five parishes responsible for the school.  The day was beautiful and the kids filled with energy and enthusiasm.  Saint Edward is in the country, and the course was set around their upper parking area with plenty of grass and trees to provide a relaxing setting.

     The kids get pledges or gifts from family and friends for the laps that they complete.  The day began with a prayer time in church followed by a group picture and then the laps. Teachers and parents helped with the kids, the older ones walked with the younger ones, and a number of parents and even grandparents also did the laps.  They had fun.

     For the past few years, there has been a friendly competition among the five pastors as to who might bring in the most money for this event.  We share this challenge with our people, and encourage them to support this effort by sponsoring us.  My unique perspective on this challenge is that, given by back problems and mobility issues, I ask them to sponsor me to watch the others walk.  Our people are great, and to date I turned in $2,100 from about 90 donors from the parish.  I have to report that I watched everyone walk and cheered them on with enthusiasm.  I hope to bring in more this weekend.  People are great, and so is the cause.

     Last evening I attended the Open House at the school, where the administration gave a "state of the school" report, we opened a twenty-five year old "time capsule", blessed a renovated front entrance way with new ramp, visited classrooms and teachers, and had an ice cream social, thanks to the generosity of a local ice cream parlor owner and supporter of the school.  The school was bustling.  Queen of Angels has an enrollment this year of over 260 from PK through grade 8, the second largest elementary school in this Diocese.   Our enrollment remained consistent with last years numbers.  Enrollment continues to be a challenge with tuition being high and surrounding school systems that are very good.  I remember the days when our grade school at Saint Joseph in Uniontown had over three hundred kids, and we were one of four grade schools in town, plus a high school.  Now there is one catholic school in Uniontown.  Times and circumstances change, but our commitment to Catholic School education continues.

     And this past Tuesday I had the weekly school Mass for the kids.  We celebrate Mass in the auditorium, and it is a little bit strange to have the altar "on stage".  But I always enjoy the experience.  This was a "school week" for me and a week of youthful enthusiasm.

Good and Faithful Servants

     Within the past few weeks the people of this area have lost three priest who have entered Eternal Life.  Two were retired diocesan priests, and one was a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe.  I knew all three, and can attest that they were good priests.  Together, they gave 158 years of service as priests, and the Church has been truly blessed.



     On August 7th, Benedictine Father Blane Resko died at the Archabbey.  He was 75 years old.  He was from Patton, Pennsylvania, a great Benedictine stronghold, and was solemnly professed as a Benedictine in 1954.  He served in school ministry, parish work, and held various positions at the Abbey.  It was during his tenure as pastor of Saint Bruno Parish in South Greensburg that I came to know Father Blane.  I was pastor at the neighboring parish of the Church of Saint Paul.  Blane was a quiet, simple man of deep faith and gentle pastoral zeal.  He was also a good friend and brother in our shared ministry.  He has been at the Archabbey since 2007.  His funeral Mass was on August 11th.  God grant him eternal rest.

 

     Ordained fifty years ago by the late Bishop William G. Connare, Monsignor Charnoki served Bishop Connare as his secretary during two different terms.  It was sort of a running commentary that he shared with everyone, and the lighthearted banter usually involved someone saying: "Did you know that Bill was Bishop Connare's secretary?" followed by a knowing smile.

 

     Father Bill Charnoki was ordained in 1965 and his first assignment was at Saint Mary (Nativity) in Uniontown, my hometown, where as young high school seminarians Father John Cindric and myself received lots of encouragement and support from this young priest.  Bill served in many parishes, was secretary to the bishop, received his degree in Canon Law and served on the Diocesan Tribunal, was assistant chancellor and served on many committees and councils, and was named a monsignor in 1986 and in 2005 was named a prothonotary apostolic supernumerary, the highest rank of monsignor.  Proud of his humble upbringing in Greene County and his Slovak heritage, he was also very active in support of Saint Vincent Seminary which he attended, he retired from parish life in 2013.

 

     An interesting fact about Bill was that he was the third priest in the family - he had two uncles who were priests: Father Andrew Charnoki (whom I replaced in Masontown) and Father John Charnoki, a priest of the Pittsburgh diocese.

 

     Bill was always warm and caring, showing a genuine interest in priests and seminarian, and loved his people.  He was buried from his former pastorate at Holy Family in Latrobe on August 19th.  May he rest in peace.

 

 

     And finally we received word of the death of another retired priest of our diocese, Monsignor Stephen McCarren, who died on August 31st at the age of 86 in Florida.  Monsignor McCarren served in a number of parishes and capacities over the years in the diocese, and in 1983 went for further studies before serving for many years as a chaplain for the Archdiocese of Military Services at VA hospitals.  In 1993 he was named a Monsignor.  He has been living in Florida, where his funeral rites will be held.  Steve was another warm and outgoing guy who always shared a smile and a good word.  His 60 years of priestly service have been a blessing to countless people.  God grant him joy and peace.

 

 

The Church is so blessed

with good and holy priests.

These three are but a small example.

Pray for continued vocations to priesthood

and religious life.







On the road

     Ever since his Ordination a little over a month ago, Bishop Ed Malesic has been "on the road", travelling the Diocese of Greensburg and using every opportunity to "meet and greet" the good faithful.  He is doing and outstanding job and is winning the praise and gratitude of people throughout the area.  Tonight he will be at my home parish of Saint Joseph in Uniontown, as part of a series of area wide Masses (eleven in all) where he meets for dinner with the local priests, celebrates a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit in one of the churches, and then attends a reception where he makes sure to greet everyone who wants to meet him.

    This Tuesday he was in our area at the neighboring parish of Saint Agnes where about ten priests shared the hospitality of Monsignor Paul Fitzmaurice before concelebrating a wonderful liturgy in a packed Saint Agnes Church (one of our larger ones).  The liturgy saw a combined choir from the three local parishes and shared ministries of lectors and servers.  The bishop's homily was very well received in his easy style, filled with humor and rooted in the message of Jesus as the center of our lives.
The Christian Mothers of Saint Agnes prepared the goodies for the reception, and from the end of Mass until eleven o'clock he greeted people, spoke to everyone and took a multitude of pictures.  It was a great evening.  I've enclosed some pictures from this visit and his previous ones to the parishes, compliments of the Diocesan facebook page.

 Mass at Saint Agnes on August 18th

 

Mass at Saint Agnes on August 18th

 

    The bishop began his visits at Saint Thomas More University Parish in Indiana, Pa on July 21st.

 

 

Saint Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell on July 23rd.

 

 

Saint Pius X in Mount Pleasant on August 4th.

 

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Kittanning

on August 11th.

 

 

and Saint Francis Parish at the Footedale site

on August 13th.

 

 Father Bill Berkey, Pastor

 

 

 

     In addition, he has been "everywhere" - Slovak Mass at Kennywood park, Mass for the Deacons and their wives on

their annual retreat, celebrant and homilist for the Annual Priests' Day celebration at Saint Vincent, Mass and visit at Saint Anne Home for the Elderly in Greensburg, dinner at the Catholic Charities Golf Outing this past Monday, and so many other opportunities.  On Wednesday he presided at the funeral of one of our priests, Monsignor Bill Charnoki before installing Father John Harrold as pastor in Ford City that evening.  He continues these area Masses and now begins the installation of other new pastors.   He is making his presence known and is bringing the warmth of the massage of Christ's love to the people of God.

 



Our "Cure of Ars"

     This past Tuesday, August 4th, the Church remembers and honors the Cure of Ars, the parish priest of the French town of Ars in the early 1800's - Saint Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney.  This holy man is recognized as the patron of parish priests, and is one of my favorite saints from my youth.  I guess what drew me to him was the fact that he was not a great student, and had special difficulty with Latin (not one of my favorite disciplines in school), and also the fact that he was a simple parish priest, which I was hoping to become as well.  But he was a man of deep personal faith and possessed a great and deep love of the people entrusted to his care.  In my high school days when I became a Third Order Franciscan with the local Friary in Uniontown, I chose the name Jean Marie.

 



     On this past Tuesday, I journeyed to Saint Pius X Church in Mount Pleasant for a regional mass and gathering of God's people with our new bishop, Edward Malesic.  Bishop Malesic has scheduled a number of masses and gatherings throughout the diocese (this was the third of these) and is using his first few weeks visiting parishes and communities in order the meet the people and pray with them.  I have to say that he brings with him the spirit of a pastor and a personal appeal that is refreshing.  About fourteen priests gathered for a relaxing dinner, followed by the mass, filled with prayer and song, warmth and laughter, and a great homily that affirmed our existence as Church. 

 

The bishop then meets every person who visits with him at the reception.  He has to be exhausted by the end of the day, but those who meet him come away with memories and a spirit of joy.  

Pictures courtesy of the Diocese of Greensburg Facebook page

 

It took Jean Marie Vianney a long time to win the trust and the acceptance of the people of Ars, but when he did, God worked great things there.  In our day things move more quickly, and the Bishop took very little time in winning the acceptance and trust of the people of the Greensburg Diocese as their Cure, or pastor.  What great things await us.  I look forward to his visit in our area on the 18th of August.