Dear Friends of All Saints Parish,

     As we come to the end of this Easter Season, culminating with the great feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the ‘completion’ of God’s plan for all of salvation history:  The sending, and never-ending presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

      Serving people via the pastoral care aspect of parish life in Butler is an integral facet of parish life, and is a growing need in our community.  We are called by Jesus to visit the sick and the homebound, to counsel those who grieve, and to offer hope to those who despair and are lonely.  I cannot emphasize enough how critical the role of the local parish plays in people’s lives as they journey through these seasons of life.

      We are grateful for the willingness of Sister Teresa Baldi to begin helping our parish in this area. Sister Teresa, who has been the faith formation coordinator for All Saints Parish since its inception in July 2021 - and prior to that the parishes of St. Paul, St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Peter – will be transitioning her responsibilities from the faith formation program to pastoral care.  She will work alongside Sister Nancy Schnur and faithful volunteers, and in support of Ms. Sue Cadwallader, our pastoral care director, beginning July 1, 2023.

      I thank Sister Teresa for her willingness to contribute to the community in such a fashion.  She is a woman of compassion, patience, and excellent listening skills.  She will be able to give of herself to people who need a caring soul to lean on during such moments in life.

      Trusting the Spirit as our guide, and given the needs of our parish, we will move forward with an opportunity for our faith community in the faith formation aspect of parish life.  Faith formation will encompass all faith formation for adults and children.  This will include our faith formation program on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings (inclusive of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), the homeschool program, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), all continuing adult education/evangelization (Theology on Tap events, Formed, ChristLife, Life in the Spirit, etc.), and youth and young adult ministry.

      Moving all these responsibilities under the faith formation umbrella will better streamline parish operations, and help us to more effectively evangelize the Body of Christ.

     We have not yet finalized the personnel who will coordinate the faith formation program.  We will keep you posted on further developments pertaining to these changes in the coming weeks.

Gratefully,

Father Kevin

Dear friends,

      Thank you for praying for Fr. Rick during this time.  He is very appreciative of the outpouring of love and support that many of you have displayed through well wishes, cards, and prayers. 

      Fr. Rick has returned to the rectory at St. Conrad after his colon cancer surgery over two weeks ago.  He will rest and recuperate there as he awaits the next phase of treatment.  At least through the month of June, Fr. Rick will remain off our schedule.  We have visiting priests helping us on a few weekdays, and weekends, into the month of July.  Thanks to Fr. John for arranging our Mass schedule, and seeking help from priests who are retired, available to assist us, or who do not have parish assignments, and make themselves available for local parishes.

     Ms. Cindy Cusic Micco, our director of communications for the past four years, retired on May 19.  Cindy’s work ethic and efforts were never more apparent as when she spearheaded the streamlining of all parish communications during the pre-parish merger process that led up to the inception of All Saints Parish on July 1, 2021.  This included the coordination and creation of one parish bulletin, one parish website, various social media platforms, and a host of day-to-day responsibilities that are critical to parish life.  Her willingness and ability to pass on her experience and knowledge to our new director of communications will prove priceless for years to come.  We wish Cindy all the best, many years of good health, and look forward to seeing her at parish liturgies and events, as she plans on remaining a resident of Butler.

      Please visit our website to register for our second annual All Saints Twilight 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk scheduled for July 28.  Last year’s event was filled with a community spirit, led by The Spirit, that lifted the hearts and souls of everyone who participated and was open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  

      Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend, a holiday when we remember, give thanks for, and pray for the courageous men and women who offered their lives - the greatest sacrifice of all - for the freedoms of people who cannot defend themselves.

I pray for you daily.

Gratefully,

Father Kevin

Dear Friends,

As many of you already know, Father Rick was scheduled for surgery to remove a malignant growth in his colon on Tuesday, May 9. 

We have been praying for Father Rick since his cancer diagnosis and we will continue to do so as he goes through this phase of his journey.  Please keep Father. Rick in your thoughts and prayers as well.  If you would like to send Father Rick your well wishes, please send cards or letters to:

Father Rick Thompson
125 Buttercup Road
Butler, PA 16001

We hope and pray that he makes a full recovery, and is able to again serve all of you in the not-so-distant future.

While Father Rick is recovering from his surgery, Father John and I will cover the day-to-day activity of the ministerial/sacramental life in a parish - along with the help of staff and our deacons.  A few visiting priests will also be available to “pinch hit” for Father Rick is officiating at a few weekday, and weekend Masses.

Thank you for your patience during this time, and for your prayers for Father Rick.

Also, at the time of this publication, we have just heard of the sudden death of Father Jim Dolan, a Butler native, and former pastor of both St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Peter Parishes.  His funeral Mass was held this week at St. Conrad Church.

Father Dolan had been retired for the past few years, and resided locally in Butler.  He was always happy to help us out by celebrating Mass when called upon, and was very supportive of the Butler community.  He enjoyed attending local sporting and cultural events in town, along with traveling to visit family and friends when possible.

While we pray for his soul, we believe that he is now at home in heaven after serving the people of God to the best of his ability here on earth, and we pray for his family members and friends who survive him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

The saying is true that “health is wealth,” physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.  May we do all that we can to remain healthy in body, soul, mind, and relationships, starting with our relationship with our Triune and loving God.

 I pray for you daily.

Gratefully,

Father Kevin

First Communion

     This weekend and next weekend we celebrate First Holy Communion at All Saints Parish. This is always a special and exciting time for our boys and girls and their families as they receive Jesus in the Eucharist, which is our deepest connection with him this side of life.
     Every sacrament is a sign that points us toward greater realities that we believe exist because of God’s goodness, mercy, and love.  One of the reasons that receiving Communion is such a powerful sign is because we receive Communion to be in communion – with God, and with other people.  This “food for the soul” is also a powerful reminder of our utter dependence upon God for so many things in our lives, including eternal life!
     May the excitement of our boys and girls receiving Jesus for the first time in this unique and special way help us adults to recapture our own excitement in our faith and inject a jolt of holiness into our lives.
     I pray for you daily.

Gratefully,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio