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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

While confirmation season isn’t an official liturgical season, it is a very real phenomenon and a deeply spiritual time of year for bishops. Over many weeks I meet with groups of young people who are about to be confirmed, asking them about their faith and then sealing them with the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation.

My prayer is always for each one of these young people to follow Christ. The reality is that too many young Catholics treat confirmation as a rite of passage out of the Church. Distracted by many things, they often drift away from church when are no longer required to go to faith formation classes.

But “sealed by the Holy Spirit” means that God’s Spirit is alive in each of them regardless of whether they are listening for that voice. The Spirit calls them to follow Christ, to take up the mission of Jesus Christ to bring His love and mercy to everyone on earth. I pray that each of these young people will open their hearts to hearing and following the Lord’s call.

We had quite a crowd at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Beaver. They taught me about their confirmation saints.

The young people of St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish were very well prepared for their confirmation. Beforehand I met with some of the teachers and clergy.

The confirmation students from St. Raphael the Archangel showed a lot of joy in their faith when I was with them at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Carnegie.

The young people from St. Philip in Crafton want to follow the saints.

I truly enjoyed my time getting to know these young Catholics at Saints Joachim and Anne Parish.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh and its parishes offer many opportunities for young people to stay engaged in their faith, and to be supported and encouraged by others.
One of these opportunities, which has returned after a long, COVID-induced hiatus, is Faith Afloat, an inspirational dinner cruise on the Gateway Clipper for students in grades 8-12 and their chaperones. So many signed up that we had to rent a bigger boat! In all, 300 people sailed the Three Rivers while they explored God’s call and enjoyed Christian fellowship.

Thanks to Jonah Soucy, our diocesan director of youth and young adult ministry, and Father Kevin Dominik, our vocations director, for doing the hard work necessary to bring back this tradition. And a special thanks to an anonymous donor whose generous gift kept the cost affordable for everyone.

On Sunday I invested more than 100 women as Ladies of Charity in our diocese. This ministry was founded in France by St. Vincent de Paul in 1617. Ladies of Charity perform works of mercy, bringing food to the hungry, visiting the sick and praying for all in need, and for those who have died without family or friends to pray for them.

Twice each year, all our priests, deacons and seminarians are invited to a gathering for evening prayer, dinner, fellowship and to hear a presentation on some aspect of ministry. This year’s speaker, Jim O’Day of Integrity Restored, focused on the problem of pornography addiction, which harms many families. Our clergy left better prepared to help people who suffer from this problem, and their loved ones.

On Tuesday I offered the invocation at the “Workers Memorial Day 2026” in Steelworkers Plaza, Downtown. Sponsored by the Allegheny County Labor Council, the day is dedicated to remembering men and women injured or killed in the workplace. Each year more than 56,000 men and women die from injuries at work and another 6 million are injured. Part of our prayer is a commitment to making every workplace safer.

Please know that you are in my prayers, and I ask you to keep me in yours.

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