Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope your Lenten season is off to a holy and meaningful start. Today, I’m rejoicing even if my hand is still a little sore from signing nearly 400 letters.
Those letters are the result of Called By Name, which invited parishioners to prayerfully suggest men they believe may be called to the priesthood. I am grateful and humbled by the response. Hundreds of names were submitted. Praise God.
I’m inviting these men to dinner so they can learn more and ask questions about vocations. Please join me in continued prayer that those whom the Lord is calling will listen with open hearts and follow where He leads in sacramental ministry.
Out & About
Last week I caught a wonderful glimpse of the next generation of Catholic leaders when I visited Saint Wendelin School in Butler County. As you can see in their faces, the students were full of energy, joy, and love for the faith.
God has a call for each one of them. Please pray that they continue to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and friendship with Christ.
Our diocese is also blessed by men discerning a call to the permanent diaconate. Six men are currently in formation and hope to be ordained in October 2027. We recently gathered at Saint Bernadette Church at Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish in Monroeville, where I installed them in the ministry of lector. Please keep these men, and their families, in your prayers.
My parish visits continue to be a great blessing. Last week I visited Saint Teresa of Kolkata Parish in Beechview, where I was reminded of the saint many of us knew as Mother Teresa when she visited Pittsburgh years ago. Her spirit is very much alive there.
One teacher shared a story that stayed with me. She had encountered a former student now living on the street and said, “I don’t see him as a homeless man. I know him as a little boy.”
Seeing the person before the problem reflects Mother Teresa’s belief that small acts of love matter deeply. As she once said, “It is the little things, the gesture, the kind word, the greeting, that sometimes make a world of difference.”
I also visited Saints Joachim and Anne Parish in Elizabeth, where one parishioner spoke about rediscovering the importance of Mass after witnessing the faith lived so clearly in other families.
Another way we are strengthening our commitment to the works of mercy is through greater collaboration. This past week marked the first meeting of our new diocesan Charity Commission. I greatly admire the work our Catholic charitable organizations are doing, and I invited several leaders together to create space for shared learning, relationship-building, and collaboration. Working together more intentionally will help us serve those most in need even more effectively.
I am also grateful for our Diocesan Pastoral Council, which helps me discern the pastoral priorities of our diocese through prayer, reflection, and collaboration. Last week, council members learned more about some of our new initiatives and offered thoughtful and valuable feedback. Their service is a true gift.
Last week was also a busy media week. We recorded Ash Wednesday messages and blessings for our faithful and for our Catholic school students. I was a guest on KDKA-TV’s Intersections, hosted by Mamie Bah, where I joined Pastor Theodore Pugh, Sr. of Jerusalem Baptist Church to talk about the importance of the Lenten journey. I also spoke with a reporter from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about moving through Lent in this new role.
I was grateful for these opportunities to share that Lent is a time for each of us to look honestly at our lives and how we are living our faith, how we are loving God and one another, and where we may need to make small but meaningful changes. It is a season of conversion, one that draws us closer to Holy Week and the joy of Easter.
As we continue this Lenten journey together, let us encourage one another with prayer, kindness, and patience. May these weeks lead us to deeper trust in the Lord and a renewed desire to follow Him more faithfully, one day at a time.
Please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones. May God bless you this week.
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