1. Do we have areas of sin that keep us from forming an intimate relationship with God?  What better time than Advent to turn away from these sins and make our souls a comfortable place of rest for the Christ Child?
2. Are we holding on to anger and grudges? Have we been spreading false rumors or purposefully trying to harm others in our families, our Church, our jobsites?  What better time than Advent to make peace with others and heal broken relationships.
3.  Are we so busy that we don’t spend time in prayer? What better time than Advent to evaluate what is truly important in our lives? We can use this time wisely if we prioritize our spiritual lives and change the old habits that destroy us and those around us.

Advent is less than four weeks long, so our preparation time is especially short. There is no time to delay! Pray for God’s help to Change!

Prayer: God, Almighty Father, please give us the grace, courage and will to prepare our souls for the birth of your son. Let us be ready to celebrate the gift of the Incarnation of Jesus and the fulfillment of your divine plan with clean hearts. We pray for the guidance of your Holy Spirit and ask these things in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Article from the ACTS Diocesan Newsletter, 2009 by Fr. Phillip M. Lavery, Pastor Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Canonsburg, PA.

As we approach Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season, we often reflect on the blessings of the crops grown over the summer and the bounty we are fortunate to partake of on Thanksgiving Day. We gather to reap what we have sown and enjoy the company of friends and family in giving thanks. With gratitude for the labors of Bishop Thaddeus Peplowski, a solid voice and advocate for Church growth, our Diocese is adding to the number of congregations joining our communion. He has been such an inspiration to his priests because of his dedication and evangelization work as he promotes the PNCC and empowers other church groups to start new congregations.

When all of us priests gathered October 20-22 with the Bishops at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Lancaster for the Clergy Conference, you would often hear priests talking about the future of our Church. Comments were made about the need to staff our churches with good priests to carry on our traditions and faith. The need for priests in every Catholic community is urgent, yet, I believe that God does not fail in calling new shepherds to the fold. It is sometimes that those called hear other voices attracting them to different lifestyles or more lucrative careers. I remember being a young boy and having the support and encouragement of my family and my pastor when I wanted to be an altar server. Secretively, I wanted to be a priest. I would often role play being a priest at home and would invite my family to join in my “Mass” and receive Holy Communion, which consisted of some crackers and grape juice. As I got older my Pastor, Fr. Joseph Swierczynski, a Polish Roman Catholic Priest invited me to remain an assistant at the altar by serving as a Master of Ceremonies. He, along with my family encouraged me to go on to a high school seminary, something not heard of these days. I learned the Priest’s Liturgical Book (Sacramentary) and turned pages for my pastor when I was just in high school. His invitation to serve as a chief acolyte enabled me to be comfortable around sacred and sacramental objects and places. I learned more prayers, gestures, and chants by his example and leadership. While other altar boys were graduating from serving at the altar and moving back to the pew, I graduated to the desire to serve the Lord more as a priest. My pastor didn’t just listen to my desire to be a priest. He actively nurtured my calling. He could have said “make an appointment and we can discuss it sometime.” He didn’t. He told me what he expected me to do. He wanted me at weddings, funerals, devotions, benediction, etc. and he simply taught by actively involving me in these services to help me know what a priest does and how to come to appreciate the call to ministry. Fr. Joe inspired me early in my vocational discernment. I have him to thank for that now.

Today many older men are turning towards the priesthood after developing a trade or career in another field. They realize that something is lacking in their lives. The need to make money, to climb the ladder of success, is not “making them happy.” Their faith means so much to them that they now want to serve the Church as a priest or deacon to bring fulfillment to their lives by serving God’s people. Perhaps you feel the same desire. You wish that you could do more for your Church and you want to lead others in a spiritual way. Talk with your Pastor. Ask if there is a way for you to become more involved at the altar, even as an acolyte or altar assistant. Consider the possibility of entering our diaconate program or priestly formation program. One of the things that hold us back most is the feeling of inadequacy. We think, “I could never preach or teach like my pastor.” We forget that grace builds on nature and that the Sacrament of Holy Orders supplies us with grace and gifts that we never dreamed were possible. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that all priests are “beset by weakness.” Still, God elevates his priests and deacons and gives them the grace to bring to fulfillment the good he has begun in them.

The future of our Church depends upon the willingness of others to sacrifice for the good of God’s people. Bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders have served our Church well over the past 103 years. I know that there are people in our congregations who secretively want to be priests or deacons and they need to feel comfortable when the time is right for them to approach their Pastor. If this describes you, won’t you consider whether God may be calling you to serve in His vineyard and come forward? Come and See!

The challenges of clergy transfers between churches stood as a key topic at the annual Polish National Catholic-Roman Catholic dialogue, this year at the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, September 28-29. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo and Bishop Anthony Mikovsky of the Central diocese of the PNCC co-chaired the meeting.

Members held a lengthy discussion on proposed recommendations about difficulties that arise when a clergyman transfers from one church to the other. A proposed text was refined and a process of consultation with appropriate bodies in the two churches will now be undertaken. Further revisions resulting from these consultations will be considered at the next meeting.

Msgr. John Strynkowski, Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn, New York, spoke on the development of doctrine using principles from Cardinal Newman’s Essay on the Development of Doctrine. He applied these to the Christological controversies of the early Church and the Eucharistic controversies at the time of the Reformation.

WASHINGTON DC (MetroCatholic) –Members also considered two Roman Catholic Marian dogmas, the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. The PNCC members distributed a text on the Mother of God taken from “The Road to Unity,” a collection of agreed statements of the joint Old Catholic-Orthodox Theological Commission that was adopted by a PNCC General Synod in 1990. Both churches have devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and seek her intercession, but differ over the Pope’s authority to raise these Marian teachings to the level of dogma.
Members of the dialogue also prayed together in the chapel of the Polish National Catholic Church Center, where Bishop Mikovsky presided over an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

The next meeting of the dialogue is slated to take place in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 11 and 12, 2010

Below are photos taken by a professional photographer referred by one of our church members! Thank you!

1 Timothy 4:14 
Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands.

Red Brick Ranch Style Home, 2-3 bedrooms 1 1/2 baths, Finished Basement with Bar, Front Covered Porch, Rear Deck, Utility Room with Workbench, Large Fenced Yard, Pet and Kid Friendly Home, Newer Appliances, Double Hung Windows and New Doors, Ceiling Fans with remote control, warm oil heat with economical New Heat Pump & Air Conditioning, Newly Remodeled Bath, and Hardwood Floors, 1 Woodburning FP, New Large Shed with Workbench, Newer roof and Attic Fan, Updated Electric, New Furnace, and Ducts, most rooms have custom curtains and cordless blinds, professionally landscaped with new pond and gravel, internet and cable ready, Jefferson Hills school bus stop at door! LOW UTILITY BILLS, TONS OF STORAGE. MOVE IN CONDITION!

Our Parish is busy making plans for Dinners, Socials, and other outreach projects. Liturgically, we are offering devotionals and have published the schedule in this release.

Church Bulletin Page

Finally, we are excited about the growing number of people joining the parish and engaging in activities such as the Choir and S.A.M.B.S. More is to come in future releases, so stay tuned and if you would like to visit us, we would love to have you and your family join us for Mass on Sunday at 9:00AM! Coffee Hour and Fellowship always follows each Mass!

In His name,

Fr. Phil Lavery

Bella through the years – a Maltese unleashed…