June 30, 2019

June 29, 2019

Religious Freedom Week 2019 – Strength in Hope
In the pilgrimage of this life, hidden with Christ in God and free from enslavement to wealth, they aspire to those riches which remain forever and generously dedicate themselves wholly to the advancement of the kingdom of God and to the reform and improvement of the temporal order in a Christian Spirit. Among the trials of this life they find strength in hope, convinced that “the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us (Romans 8.18).”
Apostolicam actuositatem, 4

Continue to pray, reflect, and take action on religious liberty, both here in our nation and abroad.
June 22 Saints Thomas More and John Fisher
June 23 Corpus Christi for Middle East Christians
June 24 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist for Faithful Public Servants
June 25 Myanmar to End the Persecution of the Rohingya
June 26 Freedom to Serve in Foster Care and Adoption
June 27 To End the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria
June 28 The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus for Religion: a Public Good
June 29 Saints Peter and Paul for Religious Freedom for Incarcerated Persons
In the face of our country’s challenges, and challenges within the Church herself, Catholics find strength in the hope of Jesus Christ. We ought to share that hope with everyone! Learn more at usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek.

Prayer for Our Nation

O God our Creator,
Through the power and working
of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith
in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth
of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms
when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience
of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour
in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome -
for the sake of our children,
our grandchildren,
and all who come after us--
this great land will always be
"one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Priesthood Ordination
Celebrate with the entire Church of Pittsburgh as four men were ordained priests on Saturday, June 29, in Saint Paul Cathedral, Pittsburgh.
Please pray for Brendan Dawson, Timothy Deely, David Egan and Mingwei Li as they celebrate this joyful occasion in which they became priests in service of our Church. More information is available at www.diopitt.org/events.

In the Presence of the King
“I held the host with two fingers and thought, ‘how small Jesus made himself, in order to show us that he doesn’t expect great things of us, but rather little things with great love.’” -Saint Theresa of Kolkata

Join us on Wednesdays for Eucharistic Adoration from 12:30 p.m. (following the 12:00 p.m. Mass) until closing devotions at 8:00 p.m. at Saint Alphonsus Church.
Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday of the month at Saint Alexis Church from
8:30 a.m. (following the 8:00 a.m. Mass) until closing devotions usually at 6:00 p.m. (lest a wedding rehearsal take place.
If possible, sign-up online so that we know that someone will be in Eucharist Presence of Jesus at all times, as well as to be able to contact you if times are adjusted. Visit us at http://tinyurl.com/StAlAdore or tinyurl.com/StAlexisAdore.
What a gift to be able to spend time in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus.