Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announces parish mergers, new shrines – WTAE Pittsburgh

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced parish mergers and new shrines as part of the On Mission For the Church Alive! initiative Saturday.

Each of the five groupings will become a single new parish, with a new name and multiple worship sites.

The five new parishes are:

• Christ Our Savior (North Side), which brings together the parishes of Saint Cyril of Alexandria (Brighton Heights), Holy Wisdom (North Side), Saint Peter (North Side), Risen Lord (Marshall-Shadeland);

• Holy Spirit (New Castle Area), which brings together the parishes of Saint Camillus (Neshannock), Christ the King (Bessemer/Hillsville), Saint James the Apostle (Pulaski), Saint Joseph the Worker (New Castle), Mary, Mother of Hope (New Castle), Saint Vincent de Paul (New Castle) and Saint Vitus (New Castle);

• Saint Matthias (Greene County), which brings together the parishes of Saint Ann (Waynesburg), Saint Hugh (Carmichaels), Saint Ignatius of Antioch (Bobtown), Our Lady of Consolation (Crucible/Nemacolin/Rice’s Landing) and Saint Thomas (Clarksville/Jefferson);

• Saint Paul of the Cross (Castle Shannon/Mount Lebanon), which brings together the parishes of Saint Anne (Castle Shannon) and Saint Winifred (Mount Lebanon);

• Saint Teresa of Kolkata (Beechview/Brookline), which brings together the parishes of Saint Catherine of Siena (Beechview), Our Lady of Loreto (Brookline), Saint Pamphilus (Beechview), Saint Pius X (Brookline) and Resurrection (Brookline)

“These five parish groupings have worked extremely hard since last October to foster relationships and, after consultation in the groupings, were prepared to share with me their desire and readiness to form a new parish community,” Bishop David Zubik wrote in a letter to the clergy.

At this time, no church closures are being announced related to these new parishes.

Zubik also announced the creation of a new parish grouping.

The new Shrines of Pittsburgh Grouping brings together the parishes of Immaculate Heart of Mary (Polish Hill), Most Holy Name of Jesus (Troy Hill), Saint Nicholas (Millvale) and Saint Patrick-Saint Stanislaus Kostka (Strip District).

The shrines included in this new grouping are:

• Saint Anthony Chapel (Troy Hill), which contains the world’s largest collection of relics after the Vatican and the largest collection of relics available for public veneration;

• Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (Polish Hill), a prime example of “Polish Cathedral” architecture, which is modeled after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and the first church in the United States to have the Divine Mercy Novena;

• Saint Nicholas Church (Millvale), which houses the one-of-a-kind murals of Maxo Vanka. The murals depict the immigration of Croatian peasants to the United States, Vanka’s expression of the futility of war and his sadness at the destruction of Europe during World War II;

• Saint Patrick Church (Strip District), which contains one of the few replicas of the Holy Stairs that Jesus ascended to be judged by Pontius Pilate before he was crucified;

• Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church (Strip District), one of the earliest Polish communities in the United States, was visited in 1969 by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope Saint John Paul II.

The parish church included in this new grouping is Most Holy Name of Jesus (Troy Hill), which is connected with Saint Anthony Chapel.

Bishop Zubik also announced the realignment of the parish groupings from which the Shrines of Pittsburgh were withdrawn:

• Bloomfield/Garfield/Lawrenceville Grouping, which now comprises the parishes of Saint Maria Goretti (Bloomfield/Friendship/Garfield) and Our Lady of the Angels (Lawrenceville);

• City Center/Hill District Grouping, which comprises the parishes of Saint Benedict the Moor (Hill District), Epiphany (Uptown) and Saint Mary of Mercy (The Point/Gateway Center);

• Etna/Glenshaw/Millvale/Reserve Grouping, which now comprises the parishes of All Saints (Etna), Saint Aloysius (Reserve Township), Saint Bonaventure (Glenshaw) and Holy Spirit (Millvale).

All of the above changes will take effect on July 1, 2019.

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