St. John the Evangelist & St. Rose

               It is with joy and gratitude that His Excellency, The Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL has appointed The Reverend William G. Berkey as the new Pastor of St. John the Evangelist and St. Rose Parishes, effective June 24.
     Father Berkey is currently the Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Western Fayette County.  As many of you probably know, Father is a native son of St. Rose Parish and was ordained to the Priesthood in 2002. 
     It may very well be in God’s Providence that, as I prepare to begin my new assignment as Pastor of my home parish in Ford City, Father Berkey will be returning to his home community of Latrobe as well. 
     I would ask that you keep Father in your prayers as he begins this period of transition, and that you continue to keep me in your prayers over these next few weeks as welI. 
     I will have a chance to bid farewell to everyone from our partner parishes the weekend of June 12 & 13 at a reception following both the 5:00 Mass at St. John and the 10:30 Mass at St. Rose. 
     I assure you that both Father Berkey and I are praying for all of you who are a part of our beloved community of faith.
Gratefully in Christ,
Father Dinga

As Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, effective immediately, I hereby abrogate all pandemic protocols currently in place, as well as any other measures which have been adopted, and replace them with the following revised protocols for the celebration of public Masses and Sacraments in the Diocese of Greensburg:

PRELIMINARY REMARKS

1. The use of all pews is permitted

2.Pastors and others should presume peoples’ good will in following these directives. They should not inquire of anyone as to whether or not they have been vaccinated. 

3.Individuals are no longer required to wear masks when in church. Those who are not fully vaccinated are strongly urged to wear masks while in church, both for their protection and for the protection of others. Parishes should post signs requesting the unvaccinated or those at risk, to continue to wear masks. 

4. Dispensation from the Obligation to attend Sunday and Holy Day Masses remains in place. 

5. Livestreaming of Masses (both daily and Sunday) should continue wherever feasible.

6. The use of confessionals is once again permitted. 

GENERAL NORMS FOR ALL MASSES

1. The following actions remain suspended 
 • Distribution of the Precious Blood 
 • Placing of Holy Water in fonts or other dispensers 

2. Entrance and recessional processions are permitted, but not the offertory procession. 

3. Priests may greet parishioners before or after Mass, provided that they do not shake hands. 

4. The regularly scheduled use of servers, lectors, musicians and choirs is now permitted. Unvaccinated ministers are encouraged to continue to wear masks.

5. A verbal exchange of the sign of peace among the faithful, without physical contact, is permitted whenever it is considered opportune. 

6. It is recommended that all common surfaces be wiped down once daily. 

ENTERING AND LEAVING

7. Parishioners who are not feeling well are requested to stay home. 8. It is not the priest’s nor any church personnel’s responsibility to police who is attending or wearing masks. 

SEATING

9. Hymnals and other similar items are still not to be used. Printed Worship Aids are acceptable. 

10. Hand sanitizer is to be available at the church entrance for parishioners. 

11. Collection baskets, with or without handles, are still not to be used in the pews. 

THE COMMUNION RITE

12. Priest Concelebrants and Deacons should continue to receive by intinction, except for the one who will purify the chalice. 

13. Note Well: Masks are required of all Ministers who are distributing Holy Communion. All ministers of Holy Communion should sanitize their hands before and after the distribution of Holy Communion. 

14. It is still highly recommended that one receive Holy Communion in the hand, but the right to receive on the tongue remains in place. 

15. It is recommended that those approaching for Holy Communion should sanitize their hands before entering the line to receive Holy Communion. 

16. Note well: There is to be a table with purificator or ablution bowl and hand sanitizer at each station for the distribution of Holy Communion. Those distributing Holy Communion who accidently physically contact a communicant should wipe their fingers on a purificator or use the ablution bowl, and then use the hand sanitizer before proceeding to the next communicant.

Given at the Chancery
of the Diocese of Greensburg 
on this 14th day of May, 2021 


+ Larry J. Kulick

The Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL 
Bishop of Greensburg

Please consider donating to Unbound, a ministry promoted by Fr. O'Shea, that strives to build lasting connections between people of vastly different cultures, and to give assistance to the impoverished. To donate, or look into the ministry itself, please visit the Unbound Outreach page put together by Fr. O'Shea:

Unbound

To stay continuously updated with communications, recommendations, and actions taken by the Diocese of Greensburg to combat the spread of the coronavirus, text "Faith" to 724-305-3057 to sign-up for important text message alerts. Up-to-the-minute communication is available on all diocesan social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - and on its website: www.dioceseofgreensburg.org/healthalerts

Greetings in the Lord!  My name is Father Eric Dinga and I am the Pastor of St. John the Evangelist and Saint Rose Parishes in Latrobe, which is part of the Diocese of Greensburg. On behalf of our parishioners, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to anyone who might feel drawn to be a part of our Partner Parishes in any way. Our goal is to provide a joy-filled, welcoming, and caring environment for all who join us to celebrate our faith and the great mystery of God‘s love for us, most especially in the Sunday Eucharist. As members of these faith communities, we strive to use our gifts and talents to build up the Body of Christ among us in this corner of God‘s kingdom. We look forward to you joining us in this effort. May God bless you and those you love!
 
Father Dinga

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) has become popular with parishioners for their offertory monthly donation especially during this difficult time. The parish sends confidential and secure payment files to the bank for the 4th and the 15th of each month, whichever day you choose, to have your monthly offertory deducted from your account (savings or checking). If you are interested in enrolling, please either pick up a form in the vestibule or contact the offices at either
724-537-3709 or 724-537-8909

Another way to be able to consistently offer your giving is to use the link below from the diocesan website.  Of course, you may always continue to bring or mail in your envelopes to the parish offices as well.  Thank you for your generosity and support as we strive to move forward together as best we can. 

https://www.dioceseofgreensburg.org/giving/Pages/Parish-Giving.aspx

We will continue to live-stream Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM from our Partner Parish Facebook page until further notice.  This is so that our parishioners who may not yet feel comfortable returning to Mass in person for whatever reason will continue to be able to join us spiritually by participating in the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist virtually.