As I spend my first Christmas with you as your Administrator, I am honored to be a priest and serve you. The last few months have been a transition for everyone and I appreciate your patience, love, support and prayers.
Volunteers are needed on Saturday, January 5, from 8:30am to noon at the Volunteer Firefighter Bingo Hall in Braddock to help distribute fresh produce to our food insecure neighbors.
Tune into the PCNC TV-Mass on Sunday, December 30. Our very own CCEEP Music Ministry team will be singing and the Rev. Thomas J. Burke will be the presider.
As you make decisions on your end contributions, please consider St. Bede, St. Charles Lwanga and St. James. An open donation helps us utilize your gift where it is most needed to run the day to day operations of our parishes. If you would like, you can designate your donation for Parish Share 2018. Remember all PSP contributions stay in the parish!
ADVENT /CHRISTMAS AMBIANCE: Thanks to the trio of Nancy O’Brien, Becky McGough and Kay Boyle who have done a great job providing the appropriate floral atmosphere during Advent and for the Christmas Season; and to Marge Pikunas who supervised setting up the Nativity scene. Their artistic ability is a gift to St. Bede Parish.
THANK YOU: to the “Bucket Brigade” who came Sat., Dec. 15 for the Church cleaning. The “Cleaning Crew” of between 10-15 volunteers carried out the biannual project to provide a clean worship space for parishioners, friends and guests this Christmas season.
Saint James 20-Bell Carillon will be announcing to Wilkinsburg the coming of Christmas. Michael Kearney, a graduate of Geneva College and currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Duquesne University, will play Christmas carols for about 20 minutes each evening on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (December 19th, 20th and 21st) at 5:00 pm. The bells are best heard outside the church... just drive up, park and open the car windows. Please stop by to listen to these beautiful bells.
The St. Bede Adult Choir will present their annual Christmas Eve Prelude Concert, 9:30pm on December 24th at St. Bede. This extended prelude will feature the St. Bede Adult Choir, instrumentalists, and a narrator. We invite you to join us this Christmas Eve! Mass will immediately follow the conclusion of the concert at 10pm.
St. James Ministry Center needs help on Wednesdays, 8:30 to 11 am with pick ups from the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank...involves heavy lifting. For more information you may contact Josie at 412.241.1309 or the church office.
Decorating the Church for Christmas is an annual tradition for some and we welcome everyone to join us. We will begin on Saturday, December 22,at 10:00 am. Those able to help will be decorating and hanging wreaths, aid with the set-up of trees and manger in both the church and Chapel
Christmas Decorating at St. Charles Lwanga, Mother of Good Counsel Church will begin soon. If you are interested in helping with the decorations, please contact Mary Grace Prata, 412.731.1439. Also don’t forget to make a contribution for the Christmas flowers which help to enhance the beauty of the Christmas Season in our parish.
Thanking Sister Mary Elizabeth for her fifteen years of service to St. Bede Parish and School, we will be having several farewell celebrations for her: December14, 15 and 16.
Staff Changes We continue moving forward to bring our three parishes - St. Bede, St. Charles Lwanga, and St. James in the Catholic Community of the East End of Pittsburgh (CCEEP) together as one parish family. So far we have already combined our Religious Education and R.C.I.A programs and our Music Department is working with one another. With the new year of 2019 approaching we are adjusting some of our staff positions
Thank you to all the generous “Secret Santa’s” who helped make our St. Bede Angel Tree Project a success. Hundreds of gifts were dropped off at the church and rectory for distribution. This year we are able to help Auberle, Bethlehem Haven, Every Child, Life Line, CCEEP needy parishioners, and St. Vincent de Paul.