A New Beginning

     Thank you to everyone who helped with and attended last weekend’s liturgies and celebrations that marked the beginning of our five parishes merging into one to form All Saints Parish. We began with Evening Prayer last Friday, and continued with our weekend Masses, including receptions after a number of those Masses. It was a nice way to remember our pasts, live in the present moment, and look forward to our future!

     Thank you also to everyone who sent me Happy Birthday and Happy Ordination Anniversary cards, notes, and gifts over the past few weeks. Your thoughts, prayers, and love are so much appreciated and never taken for granted.

Update

     As I announced at last weekend’s Masses, Bishop Zubik has informed us that we are no longer required to wear masks when we come together for any parish-related gathering, including Mass. You are certainly welcome to continue to wear a mask if you choose.

     We will continue to offer a friendly wave at the “sign of peace” during Mass to those people with whom we do not live or are not around regularly. This is probably one of the “new norms” that many people and communities will practice going forward.

     We will resume hearing confessions in the confessionals at St. Paul Church, and continue to hear confessions at St. Conrad Church in the confessional room. 

Summer Vacations

     I will be away with family on vacation once Father Dan returns from his pilgrimage, and my bulletin column will be filled with updates from other staff members, or with general information about the parish.  

     Safe travels to all of you enjoying time away this summer. Enjoy the necessary time to relax and rejuvenate!

      I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio

Welcome to All Saints Parish

     There is newness in Butler, PA in 2021 as our five parishes of St. Andrew, St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Paul, and St. Peter are now merged to form All Saints Parish!

     As we move into this new chapter in our histories, may we become caught up in the movement and life of the Holy Spirit, our guide and advocate throughout our lives, to lead us to experiences of the human and divine that bring us closer to the heart of Jesus Christ, who makes all things new.

Altar Serving

     All adult, teen, and pre-teen altar servers are welcome to begin serving again at weekday and weekend Masses. There is no need to sign up to serve on weekdays. There are slots available to sign up on our website for weekend Masses. We welcome having you back to serve at the Lord’s table!

Collection Baskets

     Beginning this weekend, we will no longer have collection baskets placed at the entrances and exits in our churches as we have during the pandemic. Instead, hospitality ushers will return to solely taking up the collection at the “normal,” or “pre-COVID” time, as the altar is prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Holiday Weekend

     Happy 4th of July!

     I hope you have some time to celebrate our nation’s history of freedom, which did not come easily or freely.

     If you happen to be traveling during this holiday weekend, please do so safely, enjoy the time off/away, and keep us in your prayers.

     I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio

Uplifted

     This past Sunday I was again buoyed in spirit as I turned the television on to channel 10 at 10am, and watched the first few minutes of Mass before going to the Mass that I was celebrating that morning.

     I saw a newly minted deacon (on his way to priesthood), Butler native David Schmidt, and heard a very healthy round of applause – two rounds, actually – when Father John introduced him.

     I saw two “grizzled” clergy veterans in Father John and Deacon Mitch, to use Father John's wording.

     I saw and heard a high school-age cantor, a well-prepared and devoted reader, and two young brothers as altar servers.

     My soul was uplifted at this combination of young and “not as young” , of inexperience and well-experienced, and at what appeared to be a robust and enthusiastic congregation participating in the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist, which is what we call The Mass, beautifully prepared and entered into by those in person, and broadcast to those of us in our homes, or wherever we might watch.

     This is a good sign indeed, with even better things to come!

Collection Baskets

     Beginning the weekend of July 3-4, we will no longer have collection baskets placed at the entrances/exits in our churches as we have during the pandemic. Instead, hospitality ushers will return to solely taking up the collection at the “normal,” or “pre-COVID” time, as the altar is prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Merger Weekend Plans

     Please join us for Evening Prayer at St. Conrad Church either in person, or via livestream on Facebook, at 7pm on Friday, July 2, as we enter into the first weekend as All Saints Parish. We hope to see as many of you as possible during the weekend’s Masses, a new beginning for us all.

     If you happen to be traveling during this holiday weekend, please do so safely, enjoy the time off/away, and keep us in your prayers.

      I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio

 Assignment Butler

     When Bishop Zubik handed me the letter stating that my assignment as pastor of the newly formed All Saints Parish in Butler would be for six years commencing July 1, a sense of gratitude filled my heart and soul.

     In nine years as a priest, the longest assignment I have had was about three and a half years at St. Alphonsus in Wexford. I knew that I would be returning to Butler in October 2018 when I was just three years into my term as pastor of St. Alphonsus.

     I really do hope that this new assignment as your pastor will last at least the full six years. I enjoy the town, the area, and the people of Butler, and always have. Ever since I was a kid growing up in the North Hills (Hampton Township), I visited the town of Butler with my family for dinner at Natili’s, or during Farm Show week, or for a basketball game as a fan and as a player. As a young adult, I learned to fly airplanes out of Butler County Airport, and participated in the Butler Road Race and YMCA Triathlon at Moraine State Park.

     My first assignment as a priest in July 2012 was a great one -- I was assigned to the Butler city parishes with Father Harry as the pastor. While I was surprised when Bishop Zubik sent me back to Butler in October 2018 to lead the merger process of our five local parishes, there is no other assignment that I appreciate more than being right here with all of you.

     Many people have worked very hard during the past two-plus years to prepare for this merger, both staff and volunteers alike. While we are far from perfect, and will still encounter some post-merger turbulence (as there always is with such a large undertaking), I am very proud of how prepared we are to take this next step in our spiritual and communal lives.

     This really is an exciting time, amidst the many challenges, to grow in renewal of faith in God’s divine plan for all of us, always living in the great hope that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us.

Temporal Matters Matter

     In addition to my spiritual responsibilities are the temporal ones that accompany any leadership role.

     As published last week, the HVAC system at St. Conrad Church needs to be replaced, and we are still in the process of receiving bids for the project.

     Also, we just discovered that gas lines at St. Michael the Archangel Church, rectory, and convent need to be replaced. The gas to the property is currently shut off, and there is no hot water.

     Both of these repairs/replacements will be costly, and we totally depend upon your generosity to keep these campuses maintained.

     While our weekly offertory collections are down from last year, we continue to progress closer to reaching our Parish Share Program (PSP) goal, which is published each weekend in the bulletin. We are currently at 86% of our goal for all parishes combined, and the PSP year runs into February 2022.  If we can reach our goal sooner rather than later, then every dollar contributed to our PSP remains in the parish! Retaining PSP money in our parish proves to be huge when large expenditures like the aforementioned occur. 

     If you have any questions about our PSP, or any financial matter, please contact Lou Grenci, our director of business and property management.

     Thank you for your generosity, and for all of your support.

    I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio
 

Spiritual Renewal

     Throughout sacred scripture (The Bible), we continually see examples and experiences of community, including the experience of salvation.

     We seem to be more individualistic and myopic in our culture, and in the times that we live. It certainly can be a struggle and a challenge for us to look at life from a broader, more God-like point of view.

     Perhaps our five-parish merger into All Saints Parish on July 1 is an opportunity and a challenge (I know that it is for me) to “re-look” at our lives personally and communally, and to “re-order” or “re-form” however it is necessary in our pursuit of sanctification, and ultimately entrance into eternal life, which, from a biblical perspective, is communal.

     A “re-ordering” of our lives can mean different things for different people, i.e. spending more time in prayer/reading/meditating on spiritual matters than spending time on our phones, internet, or playing video games. Or maybe we need to “re-order” our priorities and make worshipping God at Mass the priority for what we do on Sundays. May we recognize that our dependence upon God is never-ending.

     Regardless of how our “re-form” looks, we trust in God’s mercy, love, and desire for all of us to be with him now and forever.

Mass Schedule

     The weekday Mass schedule will remain the same when the merger commences on July 1.

     The weekend Mass schedule also will remain as is, with one addition:

• Beginning on Sunday, August 8, we will add a 6pm Sunday Mass at St. Paul Church to our schedule.

     While we still have three full-time priests to serve All Saints Parish, we are permitted by Canon Law (church law) to have a maximum of 9 Sunday Masses (beginning at 4pm Saturday, through Sunday evening). The addition of the 6pm Sunday Mass will give us 9 Masses within this time frame. This will enable people who cannot attend Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, and desire to worship God in this Holy and Living Sacrifice, an opportunity to celebrate this sacrament.

     Please know – as we have disclosed numerous times during the past few years – that we still anticipate this parish will be served by only 2 priests in the near future. My guess is that it will be within the next 3 years.

     When that time arrives, we will again have to alter both the weekday and weekend Mass schedules to reflect the reality of the priest shortage in our area of the world.

     Until then, we are pleased to be able to have 9 total Masses, including a 6pm Mass on Sunday evenings.

     I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio

New Parish Name

     As announced last week, the name of our newly established parish is All Saints, commencing on July 1, 2021!

     This name was selected by Bishop Zubik after a lengthy process of collecting recommended names from parishioners, and discussions amongst pastoral and finance council members of all five of our parishes that will soon merge.

     The name All Saints was the primary recommendation from the parishioners and the council members that was made to Bishop Zubik, and he prayerfully decided that indeed this name suited us in our own pursuits of sainthood as a community of believers in Jesus Christ. (Click here for Bishop Zubik’s letter.)

     This is an exciting time for renewal and rejuvenation, both individually and communally.  May we all take advantage of this opportunity to grow deeper in love with our merciful and loving God, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the good people of Butler.

     We will be celebrating the birth of this new parish the weekend of July 2, 3, and 4 with Eucharistic Adoration and Evening Prayer at St. Conrad Church at 7pm on Friday, July 2 (also livestreamed), followed by a light reception either outside (weather permitting), or in the social hall.

     We will also have receptions with light refreshments after select Masses on July 3 and 4. Details are on our website.

     I am also meeting with ministry leaders from all parish groups with the hope of discovering the opportunities that may arise for us to pool our resources together to strengthen our relationship bonds with each other and with Christ so that we can best serve those most in need in our community. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come.

St. Conrad Church Air Conditioning

     Evidently the air conditioning system in the St. Conrad church building could care less that we are entering into a celebratory time of relaxing pandemic restrictions, more people attending Mass, a new parish merger, and a diaconate ordination on June 12!

     For those of you in attendance at the 8:30am Mass on May 23, you are well aware of the water line break as a result of a failed coil in the A/C unit located above the “Family Room,” and the waterfall as a result.  Due to the generous efforts of a few of our dedicated parishioners, we were able to mitigate the water damage to the “Family Room.”  However, the A/C is currently inoperable, and we are in the process of receiving a few quotes from HVAC companies for a new system (the current system is 33 years old).

     Please be patient with us as we deal with the situation in the hopes of getting a new A/C system installed sooner rather than later.

     I pray for you daily.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Kevin C. Fazio