Christ the Divine Shepherd - Penn Hills/Pitcairn/Monroeville

Deacon's Beacons

June 26, 2024

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:23–24

God knows how we fall. God sees everything and knows when we fail. But God still loves us. There is nothing that would ever stop God from loving us. That is so very hard for some people to believe. Others are disappointed in them when they are not perfect. But God understands our weaknesses and loves us anyway. Be thankful for that None of us deserves God’s love. But we get it anyway.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

Four men to be ordained priests on Saturday, June 29, 2024 Bishop David A. Zubik, Diocese of Pittsburgh, will ordain four men to the priesthood during a Mass of Ordination on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at 10 a.m. at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Deacon's Beacons

June 25, 2024

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39

The only thing that is capable of separating us from God is ourselves. Nothing in this word can do it. Anything external can be overcome. But we must choose to follow God and to embrace His love. He will not force His love on us. That would be entirely out of character for God. That is why we have Free Will. We have to choose the obey His commandments and enter into a deep and personal relationship with God. We have the freedom to do so or the freedom to walk away, It is up to each on us individually.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

Our phones and wifi are still down, we appreciate your patience during this time. If you need to contact someone from our parish staff, please email them.

Our parish staff information can be found in our bulletin and also on our website (please click below). We so appreciate your prayers, please keep them coming. 🙏🏻

Parish Staff

Deacon's Beacons

June 24, 2024

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:22–25

I am not sure it could be any more clear than what James presents. Faith is important. It grows from hearing. But if that is all that you do, it is empty. You must do something about that faith. Otherwise it is useless. You must take action if you wish to make your faith alive. Just coming to Church does not do it either. If you are not living your faith in the streets and in the world, you are missing the point. Jesus did not stop at teaching in the Temple. Jesus embraced His Passion and Death for our sake. We must be willing to make that same commitment for our faith and for others.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

Celebrated Deacon Mike's 25 Years of Ordination ✝️

Our Parish Bulletin

Our Parish Bulletin

Deacon's Beacons

June 20, 2024

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Dwell on the good things. Try your best to ignore the bad and the negative. Yes, that is hard to do. But we must try. Otherwise, we can be overwhelmed with earthly things. God created the world and the world, in and of itself, is not bad. But creation is fallen because of sin. So we must avoid being drawn too deeply into worldly things. Focus on God. Focus on the promised world to come.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

VBS Day 4:

God is our friend FOREVER!

Deacon's Beacons

June 19, 2024

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15–16

This is probably a hymn that Paul incorporated into his letter. It tells us that, from the earliest days of the Church, Christians believed that Jesus was God and the first born of all creation, in other words, God’s Only Begotten Son. This is not something that was put together over the centuries of development. This is the core, the kerygma, of our faith. This is why Jesus is critical to our belief and why He is the sacrifice for our sns. Only God Himself would be a worthy atonement. Therefore, God became man so that we may be ransomed.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

VBS SCUBA DAY 3

Today we are learning that God is a friend we can trust!!

Deacon's Beacons

June 18, 2024

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31

That is the first step in salvation. But if that is the only step you take, do you really have faith? Faith requires conversion and commitment. It is easy to say that you believe but the true test is when you are required to do something about it – to put your money where your mouth is, so to say. If you are not willing and ready to do that, spend time in prayer seeking the grace and the strength to step up to the task.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

Our WiFi is still down, thank you for being patient with us. We will continue to update you.

The Monroeville Fire Department will be conducting training exercises at the former convent at the St Bernadette campus tonight. Don’t be alarmed if you see a lot of fire trucks there this afternoon and evening.

Vacation Bible School

Day 1 of SCUBA VBS : Diving into friendship with God

Today we are learning that God is a friend who's REAL!

***UPDATE***

Our current plan is to relocate the parish office, in a limited way, to Biedenbach Hall starting on Tuesday. We need Monday to finish up removing documents from the main office and some other logistical issues.

There will NOT be confession at St Bernadette today. Confession will be available at St. Susanna beginning at 4:00.

The lectionary Bible study on Monday night is cancelled for this week; it will resume on the 24th in the Spirit Room at St. Susanna.

The bereavement group is also cancelled for the time being; we will reschedule as soon as possible.

Vacation Bible School is still on for next week.

Bishop Zubik will be joining us for the 4:00 Mass this evening.

See you at church!

Fr Mike

No livestream today - our internet is out (for obvious reasons)

***UPDATE***

Allegheny County Police have confirmed that the fire at St Bernadette rectory was the result of arson. While this is obviously distressing news to hear, it is also important to note that there is no connection between the parish and the alleged arsonist. It appears that the rectory was simply a target of opportunity.

We are grateful for the quick and diligent work of our law enforcement officials in both apprehending the suspect and conducting their investigation. As this is now a matter for the judicial system, we won’t be commenting on it further.

Our focus is now solely on cleaning up, repairing, and getting back to work. We will continue to update you in the coming days. Keep praying.

—Fr Mike

***UPDATE***

At about 12:30 this morning, Fr. Jeremy woke up to the smell of smoke in the rectory at St. Bernadette. The fire was already well-established at this point, so he immediately called 911 and was able to evacuate the building with Fr. Faustine.

Fr. Jeremy was eventually transported to Forbes Hospital to receive treatment for smoke inhalation. He has already been released from medical care.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time, but the fire marshal hopes to be able to make a determination in the near future.

Damage to the rectory and the parish offices is extensive, not just from the fire itself, but also from smoke and water. Please be patient with us as we figure some things out.

There will still be Mass Friday morning at St Bernadette, as well as Masses this weekend. Vacation Bible School will still proceed as planned next week. It’ll take a lot more than a fire to stop this parish from living its mission.

Please continue to pray for the first responders who worked so very hard last night to keep everyone safe. Further updates will follow as the situation develops.

God Bless,
Fr. Mike

Our Parish Office is closed for the remainder of the week. Updates will be forthcoming soon.

Deacon's Beacons

June 12, 2024

“Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6–7

God will forgive. That is a given. But to sin expecting God to forgive you is even more serious than the sin itself. It is presuming on the mercy of God. God is all merciful but we do not have license to sin because God will forgive us. We need to turn from our sins and make every effort to change our lives. That does not mean that we will not sin. We are not perfect this side of eternity. But we at least have to try to do better.

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike

Deacon's Beacons

June 10, 2024

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2–3

Accepting salvation is one thing. Nurturing that faith is another. You cannot have the former without the latter. That does not mean that you merit salvation by the nurturing of your faith. Do not make that mistake. Salvation is a gift, freely given but it must be accepted and then conversion must take place. If that does not happen, is your faith really worth anything?

Go raibh síocháin Chríost a bheith in éineacht leat.

Deacon Mike