Fr. Harry Bielewicz understands that Our Campaign for The Church Alive! is a unique opportunity to invest financial resources in people and programs as well as places. It’s also a teachable moment that will help his people live the gospel message.

The pastor of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Michael the Archangel parishes in Butler is forming six teams of parishioners who will use campaign funds to evangelize, reach out to the poor locally and in Appalachia, help families afford a Catholic education, invest in adult faith formation, and maintain church buildings.

“These teams will develop guidelines on how to spend donations from all three of our parishes, forming a process and a plan,” Fr. Bielewicz said. “They’re excited to learn more about the needs in our community and how they can help others.”

Other pastors like Fr. Tom Miller of St. Joseph Parish in O’Hara Township are finding innovative ways to evangelize. Campaign funds helped to send about 100 parishioners—half of them students—for the diocesan pilgrimage in October to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., led by Bishop David Zubik.

St. Joseph Parish also plans to invest donations in stewardship, catechesis formation, their Caring Fund, and infrastructure repairs.

Parishioners at Holy Trinity Parish in Robinson have been celebrating Mass in the school gym while major renovations are made to the church building interior. Business manager Bruce Hayes said the project is on schedule for completion in mid-December.

Faith formation students are getting the VIP treatment at St. Patrick Parish in Oakdale and St. Christopher Parish in Prospect. Fr. Ben Vaghetto said St. Patrick is receiving bids to renovate the church hall, enhancing the space for faith formation classes with soundproof partitions.

Significant renovations have already taken place at St. Christopher Parish. In addition to newly renovated meeting space for faith formation, a cry room was built in the church, the choir loft enlarged, confessionals refurbished and the sanctuary was painted.

Fr. John Harvey reports they have completed the basement renovation at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Lawrenceville. Walls were torn down to create larger meeting rooms, along with restrooms and a kitchenette.

Other examples of campaign progress in our parishes:

• St. Scholastica Parish, Aspinwall. An assistant director for religious education and youth ministry was hired, and parish school windows were replaced.
• St. Michael Parish, Elizabeth. An endowment fund is being established for several ministries and new lights and carpeting were installed in the church.
• St. John of God Parish, McKees Rocks. The roof is being repaired at St. Mary church and new carpeting installed in Mother of Sorrows chapel.
• St. Teresa of Lisieux Parish, Munhall. The parish school roof and boiler were repaired. The church bell is ringing again.
• Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Charleroi. The upper two floors of the parish center were demolished, with the basement saved for storage. LED lighting was installed in the church.
• St. Pamphilus Parish, Pittsburgh/Beechview. Mold is being removed from the church basement.
• St. Colman Parish, Turtle Creek. Repairs were made to the school roof.
• St. Cyril of Alexandria Parish, Pittsburgh/Brighton Heights. The church roof is being repaired.
• St. James Parish, Sewickley. A new maintenance truck was purchased.
• St. Gregory Parish, Zelienople. The old sound system in church is being replaced.

The goal of Our Campaign for The Church Alive! is to help address the urgent needs in the life of our Church—to sustain and strengthen parishes, invigorate evangelization, revitalize sacramental life, support education and formation in the faith, train clergy and lay leaders, and serve the poor and marginalized.