Good Shepherd Braddock Avenue at Frazier St. Braddock, PA 15104-1612 Sacred Heart 1600 Brinton Road Braddock Hills, PA 15221-4902 Parish Office Phone: 412-271-1515 FAX: 412-271-1222 Website: www.goodshepherdbraddock.org Parish Office Hours: Mon. - Fri.: 9 AM - 1 PM Parish Staff Mrs. Michele Catone Parish Secretary Email: gshepoffice@comcast.net Mr. Frank Koncerak Director of Maintenance

Madonna del Castello Parish 2021 S. Braddock Avenue Swissvale, PA 15218 Parish Office Phone: 412-271-5666 FAX: 412-271-2335 Website: www.madonnadelcastello.org Parish Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM Parish Staff Edward Kapsha Music Director EKAPD5965@gmail.com Kelly James Parish Secretary madonnadelcastello1920@gmail.com Marcia Murello Coordinator of Religious Ed.

St. Maurice Parish 2001 Ardmore Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA 15221 Parish Office Phone: 412-271-0809 FAX: 412-271-2415 Website: www.stmauriceparish.org Twi er: @StMauriceFH Parish Office Hours: Mon. - Fri.: 9 AM - 12 PM 1 PM - 4:30 PM Parish Staff Norman E. Chapman, CAGO Director of Music nchapman@saintmauriceparish.org Cheryl Kirkland Director of Religious Education ckirkland@saintmauriceparish.org Jo Ann McLaughlin-Klemencic Director of Evangelization jklemencic@saintmauriceparish.org Kelley Rodgers Business Manager krodgers@saintmauriceparish.org Judy Kosar, LaVerne Caprara Secretaries jkosar@saintmauriceparish.org lcaprara@saintmauriceparish.org Fr. Daniel A. Adjei Student Priest In Residence

Word of God Parish 7446 McClure Avenue Swissvale, PA 15218 Administrative Office: 2021 S. Braddock Ave Pittsburgh PA 15218 Parish Office Phone: 412-241-1372 FAX: 412-271-2335 Website: www.madonnadelcastello.org Parish Office Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM Parish Staff Deacon Ron Demblowski Pastoral Associate wordofgodpa@gmail.com Michael Burke Music Director Karen Flynn Parish Secretary wordofgod1994@gmail.com Marcia Murello Coordinator of Religious Ed.

April 28, 2019 Divine Mercy Sunday

CLERGY TEAM Fr. Larry Adams

Administrator LAdams@diopitt.org

Fr. Jeremy Mohler Parochial Vicar jmohler@diopitt.org

Fr. Vincent Kolo Parish Chaplain vkolo@diopitt.org 412-737-3350

Mr. Joseph M. Dougherty Deacon jdougherty@diopitt.org Mr. Keith Kondrich Deacon kkondrich@diopitt.org

In 2000, Pope St John Paul II instituted “Divine Mercy Sunday” as a feast to be held on the Sunday following Easter. I thought that, in this week’s column, I’d provide a bit of background about the feast, which we celebrate this Sunday. The web site for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops provides the information I’ve quoted below. May the Mercy of Jesus Christ shine on us all!

Blessings, Fr Larry

Mankind’s need for the message of Divine Mercy took on dire urgency in the 20th Century, when civilization began to experience an “eclipse of the sense of God” and, therefore to lose the understanding of the sanctity and inherent dignity of human life. In the 1930s, Jesus chose a humble Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, to receive private revelations concerning Divine Mercy that were recorded in her Diary. St. Faustina’s Diary records 14 occasions when Jesus requested that a Feast of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) be observed. On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of St. Faustina, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would henceforth be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in a vision, with his right hand raised in a blessing and his left touching his garment above his heart. Red and white rays emanate from his heart, symbolizing the blood and water that was poured out for our salvation and our sanctification. The Lord requested that “Jesus, I trust in You” be inscribed under his image. Jesus asked that his image be painted and venerated throughout the world. The Chaplet was also given to St. Faustina with this promise: “Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you” (Diary, no. 1541). “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. … Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy.”

From Fr. Larry’s Desk...

This Week’s Mass Schedule and Intentions (Confessions: 7:30 PM, Monday at St. Maurice & Noon, Saturday at Word of God)

Please note: due to preparations for First Holy Communion, Adoration at St. Maurice Church will take place on Friday, May 10, instead of Friday, May 3.

Date Time Location Intention - Requested By Saturday, April 27 4:00 PM St. Maurice +Mary Kay Baum - Joe 5:30 PM Madonna del Castello +Maisto, Murello, Punturi & Voelker Families - Joseph

& Ruth Punturi Sunday, April 28 8:00 AM Good Shepherd +Joe & Paula Garrity - Daughter - Mary Ann 9:00 AM Word of God For the People of our Four Parishes 10:00 AM St. Maurice +Rev. Anthony G. Hardy - Edward & Nell Hardy 11:00 AM Sacred Heart +Gloria Jean & Edward Calabria - Zilko Family Monday, April 29 7:00 PM St. Maurice +Poprocky Family- Florence Poprocky Tuesday, April 30 9:30 AM Sacred Heart +Agnes Berta - Cindy Haski Wednesday, May 1 9:30 AM Sacred Heart +Mary Filko - Sister - Flo Poprocky Thursday, May 2 9:30 AM Word of God +Deceased of Boyd Family - Rita Hyland Friday, May 3 9:00 AM St. Maurice (ECS) First Communicants of our Grouping - Anonymous 9:30 AM Madonna del Castello +Lina Cartella - Jennie Lucarelli Saturday, May 4 4:00 PM St. Maurice +William Powderly - Family 5:30 PM Madonna del Castello +Cioppa Family - Ross & Maureen Cioppa Sunday, May 5 8:00 AM Good Shepherd +John “Chiz” Barclay - Family Acts5:27-32, 40b-41 9:00 AM Word of God +Nick Vergot - Ken & Colleen Redinger Rev. 5:11-14 10:00 AM St. Maurice +Helen Wroblewski - Ministry of Prayer John 21:1-19 11:00 AM Sacred Heart For the People of our Four Parishes

At the Easter Vigil, we were honored to welcome four new members to our Catholic faith as full members of our Church: Julaine Waters (who received her Confirmation), Britney McElhaney, Nadia Szekley and Julianna Ley who received all three

Sacraments of Initiation. Their journey to the Easter Vigil started many months ago with many loving and caring hands to help them on their way. Please help us welcome and bless Julaine, Britney, Nadia and Julianna when you see them! God’s Blessings on them as they continue their faith journeys.

On Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 7 PM, Bishop David Zubik will be confirming 65 young people from the parish families of Good Shepherd, Madonna del Castello, St. Maurice, Word of God, St. Colman, St. John Fisher, and St. Jude. These young people have studied,

prayed and prepared for this special day for three years. We are blessed to have them all be integral parts of our parish families. Please keep our Confirmandi, their sponsors and families in your continued prayers. Come Holy Spirit, Come!

This Sunday, the First Communicants from Madonna and Word of God will receive their First Holy Communion at the 9 AM Mass at Word of God. Next Sunday, the First Communicants from St. Maurice will receive

Jesus for the very first time at the 12:30 PM Mass. And on Sunday, May 19, our First Communicant from Good Shepherd will receive at the 11 AM Mass at Sacred Heart. We are blessed to bring these young people to receive Jesus over the next few weeks. Please keep them all in your prayers.

This week we celebrate our last Religious Education classes of the year in our programs. Our children, with the help of their families and our dedicated catechists have learned about their faith,

grasped a greater concept of our traditions, studied and prepared to received sacraments and most importantly, have grown closer to God. We thank their families for bringing them to class each week and reinforcing our classroom lessons at home. Thanks to our priests and deacons for their guidance, prayers and help. We thank their catechists for sharing their time, talents and their treasures by sharing their faith with the kids in such a loving way. May God grant you all a wonderfully restful and relaxing summer! See you next Fall!

“The Premier Catholic School of the Eastern Suburbs” 2001 Ardmore Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15221 412-351-5403

David Barr, Principal principal@eastcatholicschool.org

Upcoming Dates:

May 5, 2019 First Holy Communion 12:30pm St. Maurice Church

May 9, 2019 Confirmation 7pm St. Maurice Church Celebrant: Bishop Zubik

Currently enrolling Preschool-8th grade for the 2019-20 school year! Contact the school for more information or to schedule a private tour.

The following 6th-8th students have been named to the Honor Roll for the third grading period:

Highest Honor: Leyu Belachew, Madison Brush, Theresa Courtright, William Courtright, III, Carrie Depner, Alannah Enfield, Livia Freiwald, Benjamin Gaunt, Nora Ilnicki, Jack Kaczmarski, Myka Lichius, Aidan Liddy, Jackson Manns, Lucy Mihalcin, Elena Peiffer, John Robinson, Jada Schifino, Francesca Veoni and Ava Walker. High Honor: Rylee Allebach, Matthew Best, Carmen Chiaverini, Caitlyn Cooley, Jenna Dougherty, Ryan Edwards, Jack Flaherty, Ben Freiwald, Ryan Lavery, Erik Matthews, William Palko, Madison Sloan, Kamira Steele, Cameron Walter and Kayla Walter. Honor: Cayla Connolly, Christian Gleba, Tia Kaschauer, Riley Kostandinu, Jacob Murray, Stephen Murray, Jackson Muntz, Liam Pekarsky, Francesco Porco, Makenna Santoro, Rayna Schalles, Tyler Shaffer, Baylie Shropshire, Robert Steiner and Gretchen Van Deusen.

Prayer Line 412-277-0693 or 412-871-3245

THE ST. MAURICE PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY has prayer shawls available for First Communion, Confirmation, Graduation and other events. There is no charge for these shawls and

they may be ordered through the St. Maurice Parish Center Office or by calling Bernadette at 412-823-6191.

THIS WEEK

Saturday 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Library & Gift Shop open Divine Mercy Sunday - Collection of Food for Swissvale Food Pantry 9:00 AM First Communion - Word of God 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Library & Gift Shop open Wednesday 10:30 AM Legion of Mary - Swissvale Towers 7:00 PM Bible Study - Dattilo Hall Thursday 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Library & Gift Shop open 7:00 PM Ladies of Charity - Dattilo Hall Friday 7:00 PM Holy Hour & Prayers-Madonna Saturday 6:30 PM Parish Family Social - Dattilo Hall Next Sunday 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Library & Gift Shop open 10:00 AM Parish Family Social Word of God Parish Center

Parish Family Socials Saturday, May 4th, and Sunday, May 5th: Hosted both at Madonna and Word of God by Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

Madonna del Castello Development Fund Donation: In Memory of NICOLINA & GENNARO DONOFRIO From Stan & Lauren Cheyne & Family.

Ladies of Charity will have their next meeting on Thursday, May 2, 7:00 p.m. at Dattilo Hall, Madonna. All women are welcome to attend.

LEGION OF MARY is looking for new members who want to grow in holiness by prayer and spiritual works of mercy. We are doing our Blessed Mother’s work to extend our Lord’s Kingdom on earth. “Lend a Hand” literature is in the church racks. Please join us at the Swissvale Towers on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room (back entrance of building).

THE ROSARY is prayed at Swissvale Towers Library, 1826 Monongahela Ave., 1st floor, every Mon., 3:30 p.m.

Friday evening Holy Hours at Madonna began April 26th. They will continue (except for festival) until Advent.

PRO LIFE CORNER: God is not so much inter-ested in our ability as much as in our availability to Him.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Sunday, April 28, 2019

11:00 AM -Bishop Barron’s “The Mass” - Parish Center Tuesday, April 30, 2019

7:00 PM - RCIA - Parish Center Parlor Wednesday, May 1, 2019

7:00 PM - Grief Support Group - Parish Center Parlor Thursday, May 2, 2019

7:00 PM - Bible Study - Parish Center Friday, May 3, 2019

8:30 AM - Jesus Day - Parish Center & Campus Sunday, May 5, 2019

12:30 PM - First Communion - Church

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Date has been changed and will be held Friday, May 10, following the 9:00 AM Mass until Benediction at 4:00 PM. There will be a sign-up sheet in the back of the Church. Why a sign-up sheet? Church guidelines require that a suitable number of worshipers be present during the entire time of

exposition. All members of the Parish (adults, youth and children) and community are invited to join in on this special time to express our gratitude and love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Please plan on spending some private time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the St. Maurice Parish Center. This group, facilitated by Jill (Henkel) Kazour,

Professional Counselor, is open to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one.

Parish Prayer Line: 412-804-8858

PRAYER GROUP: Good Shepherd Prayer Group meets every Thursday at Sacred Heart Church in the Chapel from 7pm to 9pm.

SCOUTING FOR FOOD: THANK YOU! Troop 61 would like to thank you for your support in this year’s Scouting for Food drive! With your help, our boys were able to collect 155 bags for a total of 42 boxes of food. All of the food was given to the Free Store in Braddock; without your donations, we would not be able to help the less fortunate in our area. Thanks again for making our food drive a success!

International Eucharistic Rosary March Sunday, May 19 - Epiphany Church 164 Washington Place Pittsburgh, PA 15219 1:15 p.m. Festival of Praise 1:30 p.m. Holy Mass After Mass there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and Statue of Our Lady of Fatima through Pittsburgh. Presider is Bishop David A. Zubik. The Rosary will be prayed en route from Epiphany Church through the City of Pittsburgh, returning to Epiphany Church where there will be Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and Crowning of Our Lady of Fatima. For those not marching the Rosary will be prayed at the church. The march is sponsored by the Legion of Mary. For more information please call 412-884-3213.

Child Protective Services Law: Report any acts of child abuse to Commonwealth of PA Hotline1-800-932-0313.

Diocesan Victim Assistance Hotline: 1-888-808-1235.

THANK YOU to Kenneth W. Riling, who donated additional Easter flowers at Sacred Heart Church in memory of Kenneth E. Riling.

Divine Mercy Novena: Closing Holy Hour & Reception on Sun, April 28, 3:00pm at Sacred Heart Church.

Peace Be With You: When Jesus appears to his Apostles after his resurrection from the dead he bestowed upon them the gift they needed most: his peace. The Apostles were afraid. Their master and teacher, Jesus, had been betrayed by one of them,

arrested and brutally killed by crucifixion and they were terrified that they would meet the same fate, and soon. Yet, this peace was not an invitation to sit back and relax. Instead, this peace is followed by the request of Jesus, “as the Father has sent me, so I send you,” and the sharing of the gift of the Holy Spirit so that the Apostles can begin to go out and continue the mission of Christ in the world. As we continue to celebrate Easter and the gift of new life in the resurrection, we are at peace knowing that we need no longer fear sin or death. At the same time, we are called, like the Apostles, to fulfill the mission of Jesus through the Church. This is the call of On Mission for The Church Alive! that continues in earnest. May the Lord bestow his grace and peace upon us so that we may be willing to work hard to enliven our parishes and grow the Church. Visit onmissionchurchalive.org to learn more and to stay informed.

Parish Stewardship - April 21 Good Shepherd……. ......$ 6,607.00 Madonna del Castello .....$ 5,244.00 St. Maurice .....................$ 18,165.00 Word of God ...................$ 11,053.00

Holy Land .......................$ 3,788.00

MEMORIAL OFFERING: Altar Bread, Altar Candles, Altar Wine, and Sanctuary Lamp: Celebrating the 45th Wedding Anniversary of Joe & Ruth Punturi. Sanctuary Candle: In memory of Agnes Berta by Family.

Adalynne Jean DiNinno, daughter of Philip & Amanda DiNinno. Congratulations.

GOOD SHEPHERD CALENDAR PARTY: Be sure to join us for this event and bring your friends! Our annual Calendar Party sponsored by the Social Committee will take place Sunday, May 19, at 12:00 Noon at Good Shepherd School Hall. Tickets are $15.00. Call Peggy at 412-824-2588 for tickets and also if you are interested in hosting a table. You can obtain tickets from Peggy before and after the Masses starting the weekend of April 28.

NEW OFFICE HOURS: The office at Good Shepherd will begin new hours of operation, effective Mon., April 29. The office will be open from 9am until 1pm, Monday through Friday.

SWISSVALE COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY: Collection of food is taken the last Sunday of each month at Word of God Parish (leave donations inside the entrances of the church); and at Madonna (leave donations in Dattilo Hall). Make out checks to “Swissvale Cares” and memo “Food Pantry.” The Food Pantry is

located at 2028 Noble Street. Food distributions are 1st & 3rd Thurs. each month, 9:00am-12:00pm. Volunteers welcome. Questions: call Dario, 412-452-2792.

Weekend Retreat for Post Abortion Healing: Rachel's Vineyard, a weekend designed to heal the emotional and spiritual wounds of abortion, will be held May 17-19, at The Ark and The Dove in Gibsonia. In a confidential and supportive atmosphere Rachel's Vineyard demonstrates God's love, compassion, and forgiveness to women and men struggling in abortion's aftermath. To register or for more information, email Toni Jester at toniafj1@comcast.net or call 412-352-5348.

Ireland Pilgrimage with Fr. Terry O’Connor: In partnership with the Pittsburgh Catholic, Fr. Terry

O’Connor, Administrator of St. Angela Merici, Corpus Christi, St. Patrick, and St. Robert Bellarmine Parishes, is leading a pilgrimage to Ireland in 2019. Ireland is steeped in our

Catholic faith. Visits include: Dublin, Armagh, Belfast, Knock Shrine, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Blarney, Rock of Cashel, and more. We will walk in the footsteps of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Brendan, St. Kevin, St.Malachy, and others. We will have daily Mass in amazing churches. The dates are June 11-20. The price is $4,299 per person based on double occupancy in specially selected hotels. Includes round trip airfare from Pittsburgh. Breakfasts and dinners are also included. You can request a roommate and Unitours will try to accommodate you. For itinerary and to book online, visitwww.bit.ly/CatholicIreland2019 or email cmpisano@unitours.com, or call Marianna at Unitours at 800-777-7432.

Need Free Health Care? Keeping low income adults well in our community for over 11 years! Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center. Call today for eligibility details at 412-456-6911, option 1.

FRESH FRUIT & VEGETABLES: SWISSVALE CARES, along with the Greater Swissvale Community Food Pantry will begin another year of special distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables to those who want some. All food will be distributed

from the 2028 Noble Street location. If you feel you are in need please plan to come and get your distribution. They will be the last Tuesday of each month from 10:00am to 11:30am and continue until Oct. We will also be in need of volunteers to help sort, package and distribute the food. Volunteers are needed from 9:00am to 11:30am on this day. Please contact Dario Donatelli if you have any ques-tions. Email dariodonatelli59@gmail.com or phone 412-956-9942.

Parish Library/Gift Shop News: Extended Hours! April 27-28—Saturday:

4:00-7:00pm, Sunday: 9:00am-Noon. Gift Shop features: “He is Risen” car magnets from the Knights of Columbus; Remembrance gifts, greeting

cards, Bibles for children and teens, rosaries, and more to celebrate First Holy Communion and Confirmation; Cards and gifts for Mother’s Day. Parish Library: On Palm Sunday, Fr. Mike Ackerman spoke of Scott Hahn’s The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross—Book and DVD—available for borrowing! READ the book that inspired the movie, UNPLANNED. The true story of Abby Johnson, a clinic director at Planned Parenthood—available for borrowing! Convenient location: 1st Floor—Word of God Parish Center at 7436 McClure Ave., Swissvale.

Healing Mass-May 8, St. Maurice Parish, 7:00pm. The Pittsburgh-Greensburg Fraternity

of Priests invite you to this special opportunity to offer all of our physical, emotional, and spiritual sufferings to the Lord. During Mass, the priests will reveal healings God has disclosed during

their recent prayer time together. After Mass, there is an opportunity to be prayed over individu-ally for yourself or your loved ones. Many people have received a wide variety of healings after these evenings. All are welcome to attend and realize the healing that God provides for us all.

IN YOUR CHARITY, we pray for the souls of those who have been buried recently: GOOD SHEPHERD-Frank A. Kolano, beloved husband of Elizabeth “Betty” Kolano. MADONNA-Emerentiana “Babe” Matvya, wife of Andrew & Dominic J. Nuzzo, husband of the late Karen. ST. MAURICE-John Kearns, beloved parishioner. May their souls rest in peace with Christ.

Bishop Barron’s Series “The Mass,” concludes Sun., April 28, St. Maurice Parish Center following 10am Mass; info. call Cheryl Kirkland, 412-351-6710.

ST. ANTHONY NOVENA began Tuesday, April 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. at Madonna del Castello Church. It will continue on Tuesday evenings. Each week, there will be a short talk on the “Fruits of the Spirit”. If you have any questions call the parish office at 412-271-5666.

THANK YOU to the choirs, readers, servers, sacristans, the RCIA Team, those who decorated the churches, and all who made the Holy Week ceremonies so edifying. May God bless you.

THANK YOU to Carey Limousine for donating the use of a bus for the Seven Church Walk.

Suicide Loss Support Group: For people who lost a loved one due to suicide, the journey of healing can be lonely, painful and confusing. Lifeline of Listening Friends is a support group of people who understand and have experienced the loss of a loved one through suicide. This support group will meet at Madonna del Castello Parish in Swissvale Tues., May 7 at 7pm. If you need a place where you can share your grief with others who will listen and understand, call Jack Shaw at 412-508-5383.

SAM – Substance Addiction Ministry The next Substance Addiction Ministry Rosary for Recovery will be Wed., May 15 at St. John the Baptist, 444 St. John St. Pittsburgh, PA 15239. We will meet at 7pm in the church for the Rosary followed by an informal gathering for all who are afflicted or affected by addiction. It will be a safe, confidential place for people to seek support. For info. call Noreen at 412-296-1709.

SOLES 4 SOULS: Thank you to all who participated in the Soles 4 Souls shoe drive this year. This effort benefits the extremely poor in the Honduras. Our parish grouping (Braddock/Forest Hills/Swissvale) combined with our neighboring grouping (Churchill/Turtle Creek/Wilmerding) collected 1,060 pairs of shoes. Once the shoes are sold, the benefit to the poor will be in excess of $7,400.

Tickets can be ordered through Tues., April 30.

Socks Drive: You might recognize seminarian Merv Knieriem when you see him at liturgies and events at our parish churches. Merv is our seminarian in Grouping 215. He’s in formation to become a priest for the Diocese of

Pittsburgh. If you’ve met him, you may have noticed that he has a penchant for wearing unusual socks! Caring for the homeless has been a passion of his for more than 10 years. He has volunteered with a group that feeds the homeless every month. While ministering to provide food to the homeless, he is always asked for socks by them. To meet this need, Merv is leading a sock drive for the homeless. Bins for collecting socks will be placed at the entrances to all the churches in our grouping. New or gently used socks are welcome! Your generosity in donating to his Socks Drive to provide a valuable service to our less fortunate sisters and brothers is greatly appreciated.

PRE-CANA: Our parishes will offer a joint class for all those who are preparing for marriage in our region. Our session will be Sat., May 18, 9:30am at Sacred Heart Church Hall in

Braddock Hills. This will fulfill one of the diocesan requirements for couples wishing to be married in the Catholic Church. To register contact the Parish Center Office at 412-271-0809; cost is $50/couple.