May 12, 2021
Having celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord this week, we keep in our hearts Paul's words to the Ephesians, "I urge you to live ...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another with love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all".
Following this week’s two Parish Assemblies, we want to let you know where we go from here:
We have gone through the process of evaluating our ability to build a strong and vibrant unified Catholic faith community. Based on the diligent work and advice of the Resource Task Force, the Interim Pastoral Council and Finance Council, as well as your responses to the parish survey and at our assemblies, and the prayerful discernment of our Clergy Team, we have developed a recommendation on what sites can best serve our Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish now and securely in the future.
We have followed the guidelines set by the diocese with much prayer and have finished sixteen of the nineteen steps toward a final decree. The Clergy team will now submit a petition, including all necessary documentation, to the diocesan Vicar for Canonical Services. After review by the Vicar of Canonical Services, the petition will be forwarded to Bishop Zubik and then he will present it to the Bishop's Priest Council. After hearing the Priest Council, Bishop Zubik will make a decision regarding the parish's recommendation in light of the data presented and the greater good of the Church of Pittsburgh.
We cannot give you an exact day by day timeline of a final decision, but we want you to know the sequence of how this most important decision will be made.
I leave you with this verse from the prophet Jeremiah. Please pray this one line daily as we move forward in hope.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Bess Biamonte