Christ the Divine Shepherd  

Penn Hills/Pitcairn/Monroeville 

I spend more time writing these columns than I probably should.  I try to make them as informative, accurate, and educational as possible without being too dry or obtuse in the limited space that I have available.  The problem is that I’m a perfectionist, so I overthink everything and go through multiple drafts before submitting my final copy right at the Wednesday deadline.
And then it doesn’t matter anyway, because something really big happens that makes what I’ve written irrelevant (or at least seem that way.)  Such was the case last week; I spilled a lot of ink trying to write in a meaningful way about vocations, only for the Supreme Court to issue their ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson on Friday.
I actually don’t have too much to say about the Dobbs case.  After all, I’m not a lawyer, and it’s been a long time since my last political science course.  I do know that the ruling is a step in the right direction, but after seeing a lot of the reaction to it, and reading a lot of the commentary, it’s evident we still have a long way to go.  The criticism most leveled against the Church is that we are pro-birth but not pro-life.  Nothing could be further from the truth, so now seems as good a time as any to prove it.  Let us redouble our efforts to charitably promote, protect, and defend life in all forms and at all stages, because in the end, all life is precious in God’s sight.
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Welcome – Once again, please extend a warm welcome to Fr. Jeremy Mohler, who begins his assignment with us this weekend.  Father is primarily assigned to be the chaplain to the patients and staff at UPMC East and Forbes Regional Hospitals, and additionally as part-time parochial vicar at CDS.  He will reside in the Monroeville rectory.  Welcome receptions for Father will be held after the 11:00 AM Mass in Monroeville on July 10, and after the 9:00 AM Mass in Penn Hills on July 17,
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4^th of July – Please note that the morning Mass on Monday, July 4, will be at 8:00 AM, not 9:30, so as to not be in conflict with the Monroeville parade.
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Budget – Friday, July 1, began a new fiscal year for the parish.  I am happy to report that, thanks to the hard work of Jerry Brandl, our business manager, and the careful oversight of our parish financial council, we have a balanced budget for the new fiscal year.  In the next few weeks, we’ll be presenting a year-end report for the year that just ended.
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Youth Ministry – The search begins!  One of the things that has been very evident to me since I started here is the lack of a youth ministry program.  It is a situation that is, quite frankly, unacceptable.  Our new budget includes funds for a full-time youth minister position.  We will be posting for this position this week, and hope to begin interviewing soon.  I will keep you updated on our progress.
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DMA – The search continues!  The PERCES Board has formed a search committee and has begun interviewing candidates for the principal position at DMA (and several other schools in the region).  The hope is that this process will be completed in the near future.  Again, I’ll keep you posted.
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Flea Market – Just a reminder that drop-off for flea market items begins this Friday, July 9^th.  The sale will be the following weekend, July 15-17.  Part with your old treasures and find new ones, all while benefitting our parish family!
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Precious Blood – We have received news that we are able to resume distribution of the Precious Blood at Mass.  Our plan is to do beginning next weekend, July 9/10.  However, we will need additional extraordinary ministers to make this happen.  Please check your settings and availability in MinistryScheduler.  Call Deacon Mike with any questions.
Also, if you are not yet comfortable receiving the Precious Blood, note that you are under no obligation to do so.  We receive the fullness of the Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity no matter which of the Sacred Species we receive.  And if you are feeling sick, please refrain from receiving from the chalice.
Oremus pro invicem!