Ria Fruscello had her own idea about how she could help serve her parish, but a small voice kept contradicting her. Parishioners are glad she listened.

Her story begins in the ChristLife evangelization program at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Parish in Whitehall, funded locally through sacrificial gifts to Our Campaign for The Church Alive!  At the end of the three-part series participants were invited to think of something they could do for their parish or the universal Church, and to give a talk about it.

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Bishop David Zubik wants to fully prepare men for the priesthood of the future, and donors to Our Campaign for The Church Alive! are playing an important role in that effort.

With the graduate-level seminary program extended to five years, adding a “pastoral year” in parishes, the non-profit board of the campaign has approved a grant to provide for Days of Recollection for seminarians to reflect on their parish experiences.

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When students at St. Vitus Parish School recently held a fundraiser for the diocesan mission supporting the poorest of the poor in Chimbote, Peru, they collected $800, which was soon anonymously matched by a parishioner.

“Only because 125 students made small contributions was this brother in Christ able to make a larger gift,” said Father Frank Almade, pastor of the Catholic Community in New Castle. “Our children teach us that every gift matters.”

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Having their first marriages annulled was not an easy process, but now that Jennifer and Luke are again in full communion in the Church, they both say it was worthwhile.

“Our faith is a big part of who we are as a couple, and every Sunday at Mass I felt like I had a hole in my heart,” Jennifer said about not being able to receive the Holy Eucharist following their civil union.

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Father George Dalton is looking into the not-so-distant future when there will be fewer priests and a greater need for lay leaders in ministry.

So the administrator of St. Irenaeus Parish in Oakmont is investing in leadership development, sending three staff members to training sponsored by the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

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After their landlord failed to pay overdue utility bills, two local families suddenly were without shelter. But Catholic Charities helped them find new homes and new hope for the future.

One family was an elderly woman in a wheelchair whose daughter was recovering from major surgery. The other family was a single mom with two teenage children who were doing well in school. It was critical that their education wasn’t interrupted.

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Tracy Craig remembers the doctor breaking the news that her infant daughter Kelly had hearing loss. Four years later came the same diagnosis for Kelly’s baby sister Audrey.

“It was hard,” Tracy said. “You always have expectations for your children. You want them to be healthy. So at first it was a grieving process.”

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At first glance, Mayhew looks like any typical teenager. The 17 year old lives with his mother and sisters in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood and dreams of becoming a veterinarian.

He’s also left his high school because one of his sisters allegedly was assaulted there. Mayhew says a few friends also have been victims of violence. On Christmas Eve, a young man was gunned down on a Garfield street.

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Tim Storino coaches high school sports, and his players work hard to get ready for games. He figures, why should it be any different in practicing our Catholic faith?

“We don’t just show up and play the game,” Storino said. “The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”

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When members of the Catholic parishes in Butler began writing their campaign case for support, they knew their buildings needed repairs. But they wanted to focus on people more than places.

So they looked beyond their parish walls and into the faces of the needy.

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