Sunday After the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross
September 21, 2025
Sat 9/20/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross +Jeannie Hass by Tina Soley
Sun 9/21/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Mike Fizer by Carol Fizer
Wed 9/24/25 7:00pm Liturgy for Healing John Olen by Cindy Hills
Fri 9/26/25 7:00pm Moleben to Mary- adoration starts at 6:00 pm
Sat 9/27/25 4:00pm Vigil Divine Liturgy +Andy and +Christina Soley by Drew Moniot
Sun 9/28/25 9:30am Divine Liturgy +Lyman Ringbloom by Shari and Kevin Allen
Variable Parts Tone 6 - Pgs 152 — 153 Sunday After Exaltation Pgs - 258 - 260
Epistle Galatians 2:16-20
Gospel Matthew 8:34-9:1
Memorial Candle Request: +Andrew and +Pearl Baysura by Linda Mueller Epistle Readers
20-Sep Mary Troyan 2I-Sep Mike Dancisin 27-Sep John Baycura/Mary Motko 28-Sep Kathy Moyta
Please Pray for: Brian Buchkovich, Lejen Warner, Sharon King, Ole J. Bergh, Liz Moyta, Fr. Michael Huszti, Fr. Laska, Susie Curcio, Teresa Milkovich, Robert Saper, Anna Habil, Mike Dancisin, Diane Sotak, Anna Pocchiari, Larry Hamil, Beverly Jones, Maryann Russin Schyvers, Nick Russin and Ken Konchan
Attendance: 9/13 - 17 9/14 - 77; Collection: 9/13 & 9/14 - $2,268.00
Religious Education Classes: Youth Religious Education classes will begin on Sunday, September 21! The elementary class is open to children in Kindergarten to 5th grade and will meet weekly after Sunday Divine Liturgy until 12 pm. New this year is our Youth group program! This program is geared for youth ages 12-17 and will meet twice a month. Please talk to Amanda Stavish (724-272-2963) or Katie Koch by September 14 to register and/or for more information.
Student Food Pantry: Thank you for the great response from the August food collection. Our parish contributed over 175 items. For September, we will collect canned ready to eat meals, like beefaroni, spaghetti, chili, ravioli, etc., as well as canned vegetables. Any questions, please contact Pam Gagen.
Boscov Coupons: The Boscov Friends helping Friends coupons are back. For $5.00 you can get a 25% off coupon that can be used all day on Wednesday, October 22"d. Please see Elizabeth Pocchiari or Fr. Radko to buy one.
Rummage Sale: Beginning next week, we will be taking rummage sale donations until October 5th. Please make sure your donations are not broken and in working order. No electronics. Large items must be taken back if they do not sell. The rummage sale will take place on October 10th and 11th. We will NEED HELP organizing the rummage sale items on the following dates and times. October 6th 6 - 8pm, October 7th 9am - 1pm, October 8th 9am - 1pm and October 9th 6pm - 8pm. Signup sheets are on the bulletin board.
Thank You! Thank you to everyone who helped with the polka or donated food. We had 150 ticket sales. The 50/50 was $804.00 and was won by Barb Winslow who generously donated $100.00 back to the church. Next year's polka will be held on September 12th.
Holy Land vendor - visiting our church on October 11-12, they will sell the products from Bethlehem and surroundings for the support of the Catholic community in Holy Land
Operation Christmas Child - we pack shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for the kids all over the world. Now is a good time to pick up school supplies, small toys, underwear, hair ribbons, socks, wash clothes. Bars of Soap are due to the restrictions in certain states forbidden this year.
A Saint of The Week: St Padre Pio was an Italian priest known for his miracles, charity as well as the gift of the stigmata (open wounds of Jesus on hands, feet and chest). He was born on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. His parents were peasant farmers. From his tender age, Padre Pio had a peculiar ability. He could see guardian angels, spoke with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. This was not something taught to him, but occurred so naturally that he assumed other people could see them too. Padre Pio was only 5 years old when he expressed a strong desire to serve God. Although Padre Pio and his family was very religious, they were also very poor, which required that he worked. He spent many years as a child tending to a small flock of sheep owned by his family. Unfortunately, the work meant he was unable to attend school regularly, so he quickly fell behind other kids his age. Padre Pio was sickly as a child. He suffered an attack of gastroenteritis at age six and when he was ten, he had typhoid fever. In 1897, he had only three years of schooling, he expressed to his parents that he wanted to become a friar. His parents decided to hire a private tutor. To pay the cost of the tutor, Padre Pio 's father traveled to America to find work, and sent the money home. At the age of 15 Padre Pio entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars. He took the name of "Pio" in honor of Pope Pius I, whose relic he often saw at his local chapel. At the age of 17 He became extremely ill and could only digest milk and cheese And thus was sent home to die near to his family but through the intersession of Virgin Mary he survived. Brother Pio became a priest in 1910, but was permitted to remain at home because of his poor health. In 1915, with World War I Padre Pio was summoned for military service. However, he was so sickly that he was often sent home, only to then be recalled for service. In March 1916, he was finally dismissed because of his poor health. He thus returned to the monastery where he dedicated his life to Virgin Mary and suffering people. His desire was to bring Jesus into the suffering souls. Padre Pio heard confessions 12 to 15 hours a day. While listening to confessions, the saint would smell flowers as sins were confessed. Some penitents waited two weeks just to visit him in the confessionial. Padre Pio could also read the hearts of penitents, reminding them of sins that were forgotten or omitted. The saint once said: "Confession is the soul's bath. You must go at least once a week I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week, and you will see that it needs dusting again!"
On September 20, Padre Pio was hearing confessions when he felt pain in his hands and feet. He noticed the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, appearing on his hands and feet. The experience was painful. Bleeding occurred. The wounds smelled of roses, and although they continued to weep, they never became infected. Doctors who later examined the stigmata were amazed at their perfectly round shape. The miracles soon start to appear that attracted many people. His popularity became a source of concern for the Church and the Vatican began to restrict his activities to minimize public interaction. Padre Pio himself was uncomfortable with his newfound popularity and the attention he received because of his stigmata. A Church investigation into his stigmata concluded that his condition was not faked but was a result of divine intervention. Before dying at the age of 81, all his wounds healed without scars, just as he had foretold they would 50 years prior.
From a young age, Padre Pio was blessed with heavenly visions, but he also experienced spiritual warfare, including attacks of the devil. In a book written by Father Gabriele Amorth on Padre Pio, the famous exorcist of Rome said: "The great and constant struggle in the life of the saint was against the enemies of God and souls, those demons who sought to capture his soul.... The devil appeared to him under many different forms in the clear intention to frighten him or to test the chastity of the young priest. However, the worst was when the devil took on the appearance of his spiritual director, or posed as Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or St. Francis."
Through God's power Padre Pio was able to read people's souls, bilocate (be at 2 places at the same time), and levitate off the ground; to his intercession many miracles are attributed. He famously advised, "Pray, hope and don't worry."He died on September 23, 1968 and was proclaimed a saint by John Paul II in 2002. He is the patron of civil defense volunteers, adolescents, and those with depression.
