The Lenten campaign for 40 Days for Life will hold their kick-off event on Tuesday, February 16th. There will be Mass at Epiphany Church at 6pm followed by a Eucharistic procession to the Planned Parenthood on Liberty Ave. All are welcome to join!

On Saturday, Divine Mercy Parish celebrated the Rorate Mass at Epiphany Church with a 6am candlelit Mass. It is a Mass celebrated in Mary's honor where we prepare for the coming of the Light of the World and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. Mass takes place in a dimly lit setting so that as sunrise approaches, the church becomes brighter, illuminated by the sun just as our faith is illuminated by Christ.

This past week, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary with a 4 PM Mass at Saint Mary of Mercy Church. Those who attended were able to enjoy hot chocolate afterwards and continued the celebration in Market Square with a concert where Pierced Heart, consisting of our very own Cassandra Acree, seminiarian, Noah Pepmeyer, Santonio Hill and one other band member, played Christmas and Christian music. The Market was shut down soon after, due to COVID. What an amazing blessing it was to be able to sing our praise in the middle of Pittsburgh, as the last group to perform on the 2020 Holiday Market stage!

Thanks to the generosity of our many volunteers and donors, the Red Door was able to celebrate Thanksgiving and provide all those who came by with a hot meal. Nature of Fire Food Truck shared a homemade meal on Wednesday and for Thanksgiving Day, the Red Door received 150 pies from friends of the Red Door as well as 130lbs of mashed potatoes provided by the Huffmyer family. The Huffmyer’s also donated 100 Blessing Backpacks the previous weekend. Donations like these truly make a difference in serving those in most need in the Downtown Pittsburgh area. We are so grateful for everyone who made this Thanksgiving a memorable one!

The adult catechism course on our Blessed Virgin Mary complemented the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, because both forums enabled us as the Body of Christ to meditate on Our Blessed Mother and her intercessory role during the month of October. I was very grateful to the parishioners for all their assistance, support, and interest. The discussions inevitably lead to opportunities for future consideration of our Blessed Mother’s role in the Gospel and our lives today. Indeed, focusing on Our Blessed Mother during these difficult times in our society and the Church was enlightening and refreshing.  Due to time constraints, we only touched upon some of the devotions to Our Lady with the hope that this initial invitation to discuss Our Blessed Mother will lead to further discovery through reading and discussion at home. I hope the adult catechism classes will spark an interest for us as members of the Church  to learn and evangelize during these times. I plan to do more adult catechism courses when the COVID-19 crisis is further abated, so stay tuned! During the interim, I will seek to obtain a consensus from the members of the parish as to most convenient times for seminars as well as subject matter and types of forums as we grow together in faith. Thank you and have a Blessed Advent. -John Paul Corcoran

The Red Door now has its very own Facebook page and Instagram account! Be sure to check them out to stay up to date with the latest news as well as opportunities and ways that you can participate in helping the ministry serve those in most need in the Downtown Pittsburgh area.

Return to the Lord, a night of Adoration, confession, and Lectio Divina, is a night of readings, meditative music, as well as movement of the faithful into confession and quiet prayer. All are welcome to attend! The following is a reflection by Marie: “This passage came to mind during our first Return to the Lord event.  Matthew 15:32-34 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” I know we’ve all heard the story of the feeding of the multitude many times, but I never noticed or lingered on the part that says the people were with Jesus for 3 days and were so hungry they were on the verge of collapse.  They were nearing a state of starvation, yet their spiritual hunger for Jesus was so much greater, they didn’t want to leave. I can only speak for myself, but that spiritual hunger was present at Return to the Lord as well - would love to do another!”

A Eucharistic Procession from Planned Parenthood to Epiphany Church closed the 40 Days for Life vigil last Sunday, on November 1. Despite challenging weather conditions with relentless winds, Bishop Waltersheid led the procession carrying the monstrance and ended the event with a closing Mass.

Nature of Food Truck came back to serve our friends at the Red Door, this time bringing meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn!

Thank you our helpers for taking on the role as water haulers last week, bringing in bottled water donated by Joe Bonifate. We would also like to thank Joe Bonifate and family for providing water for all of our friends at the Red Door. Each individual receives a bagged lunch along with water and juice to enjoy. If you would like to volunteer at the Red Door, please email thereddoor@divinemercypgh.org

Preparing our hearts to serve the Lord through a night of Adoration, confession, and Lectio Divina. Return to the Lord has begun! Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Saint Mary of Mercy.

Last week was the kick-off for 40 Days For Life! The 6am sunrise Mass took place at Epiphany Church and was celebrated by Fr. Chris Donley along with Fr. Joe Freedy, Fr. Thomas More Sikora, Fr. John Sweeney, Fr. Jay Donahue, Fr. Jason Charron and Fr. Rudy, with nearly 200 in attendance. The Mass was followed by a Eucharistic procession to the Planned Parenthood located on Liberty Ave. Participants prayed the Glorious Mystery of the Rosary and with the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Chris blessed everyone who has been or will be in the Planned Parenthood as well as all those who were present. This was the start of the prayer vigil that will take place over the next 40 days.

Dear Divine Mercy Parish Family in Christ, This past weekend I was honored to be able to offer my little niece Lizzy her first holy communion! Another niece, Gabriella, received her first holy communion earlier this summer from me. I wanted to share the good graces with you today. God is good and continues to work His miracles in our midst in these most challenging of days. Count on my prayers for you, that each time you receive communion, it will be like your first, your last, your only time. May God bless you. Fr. Chris

Today, Nature of Fire food truck, a Pittsburgh based non-profit that evangelizes through great food and community, stopped by the Red Door to provide our friends with chicken tacos, beef tacos, or burritos. Also there, were the Sisters of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ from The Ark and The Dove. Sister Angela, Sister Marie Fidelus, and Sister Anna Sophia helped serve the lunches and shared Christ's and Our Blessed Mother's love for each and every one who came by.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her feast prepares the way for the birth of Christ. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. She was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin this week and will be offered on Tuesday's, Wednesday's, and Thursday's following the noon mass at Saint Mary of Mercy Church during confessions.

This past Sunday, our very own Mark Rybicki came into the Church! He was confirmed and received first Holy Communion. It was a special day for Mark and his mother and the entire Divine Mercy Parish community.