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December 12, 2024

Dear Friends,

I must confess how, during this season of Advent, I am already thinking about Epiphany. I am thinking about Epiphany because, as my heart is nudging me to go a bit deeper in prayer, it is also encouraging me to share this journey with you. To that end, I write to invite you to join me in discovering more about the practice of prayer during the Epiphany season.  

The course will begin on Sunday January 12, 2025 and it is an 8-week prayer course that will be offered online. All who want to participate will meet on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. for one hour to study various aspects of prayer. More information will be shared during the next few weeks. I hope that you will consider participating and that you will mark your calendars.

I look forward to embarking on this prayer discovery journey with you.

Faithfully,

Ordinations to the Priesthood

God Willing and the People Consenting

The Right Reverend Ketlen A. Solak

will ordain the following to the Sacred Order of Priests

in Christ’s one holy catholic and apostolic Church

Guy William Brown

Saturday, January 4, 2025, at ten o’clock in the morning

at St. Thomas Memorial Church

378 Delaware Avenue, Oakmont, Pennsylvania 15139

Deanna Jean Briody

Saturday, January 11, 2025, at ten o’clock in the morning

at Calvary Episcopal Church

315 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206

Theodore Arthur Somes, III

Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at seven o’clock in the evening

at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

1066 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania 15228

 Jack Roso Brownfield

Saturday, February 1, 2025, at ten o’clock in the morning

at St. Michael’s of the Valley Episcopal Church

2535 State Route 381, Rector, Pennsylvania 15677

Your prayers and presence are requested

Clergy: Red Stoles

Reception to follow each service

Blue Christmas/Longest Night

The holiday season, especially the Christmas season, is a time when many among us bear the heavy weight of grief and loneliness. As a response to this need many of our churches are offering Blue Christmas or Longest Night services for all whose joy is subdued by complicated feelings. These services are contemplative in nature, often held by candlelight. May the light of Christ help dispel the grief in many of our hearts.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon

Wednesday, December 18, 7 p.m.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Canonsburg

Wednesday, December 18, 7 p.m.

Trinity Cathedral, Downtown Pittsburgh

Wednesday, December 18, 7 p.m.

Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill

Thursday, December 19, 2:30 p.m.

Christ Episcopal Church, North Hills

Thursday, December 19, 6:30 p.m.

Calvary Episcopal Church, East Liberty

Friday, December 20, 6:30 p.m.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Johnstown

Saturday, December 21, 6 p.m.

Diocesan Youth Winter Retreat

Calling all high school students across

the Diocese of Pittsburgh!

Join us for a Winter Youth Retreat January 3-5, 2025 at Laurelville Camp and Retreat Center in Mount Pleasant, PA. This retreat is an opportunity to take some time out of your busy school (and life) schedules and recharge at Laurelville's beautiful campus. Bring yourself, bring some friends, and get ready to make new friends from all across the region as we play, learn, eat, worship, and grow in community together!  

Registration is $125 and covers all meals, lodging, transportation, and activities, and scholarship assistance is available. In addition, due to a generous grant from the Bishop, adult volunteers may attend for free, subject to obtaining proper clearances. The registration deadline is Friday, December 20. Contact Bob Melvin, the Youth Minister at St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon, at bmelvin@stpaulspgh.org for more information or with any questions at all.

Sign up now and we'll see you there! Click here for a printable flyer.

Trinity Cathedral seeks Building Steward/Sexton

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Downtown Pittsburgh is seeking a Building Steward/Sexton.

An Episcopal Sexton is primarily responsible for the overall maintenance and cleanliness of the church building and grounds, including daily cleaning, minor repairs, grounds keeping, setting up for events, and ensuring the church is prepared for worship services, all while working closely with the church's Building and Grounds Committee to identify and address maintenance needs.

Find the complete job description with applications details here.

Bring the Cantate Usquam Pilgrim Singers 

to Sing With You on a Sunday

Cantate Usquam literally means “sing anywhere,” and we are a volunteer choir based in Pittsburgh that charges nothing!

The mission of the Cantate Usquam Pilgrim Singers is to bring music to churches that don’t have choirs or the resources to sing at their regular services.

The Cantate Usquam Pilgrim Singers:

• want to sing WITH you and share the joy that music brings to worship
• are led by musicians who have experience leading congregations and choirs in singing
• are non-denominational
• work with you to sing hymns and music from your tradition
• will sing choir pieces for a prelude, offertory, and/or communion
• love to sing a capella but can also use available instruments
• are available for dates beginning in January 2025 (except Holy Week or Easter services)
• wear no robes and sing from within your congregation, not up front

Does your congregation have an interest in this?

Contact Michael Salmon at oriolefish@gmail.com or 904-718-7622

or Penny Anderson at penny_anderson@fastmail.fm or 412-310-9167

Supported by Lutheran Campus Ministries and Calvary Episcopal Church

2024/2025 Concert Series featuring performances at

Calvary in East Liberty, St. Andrew's in Highland Park,

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and more.

Click here for the full season schedule and subscription information.

Of particular note is the world premiere of J.S. Bach’s lost Markus Passion brought to life in a gripping theatrical format with The Sebastians, Chatham Baroque and acclaimed actor, Joseph Marcell on Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. at Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland. Details here. Tickets would make great Christmas gifts and group sales are available.

Join us for this discussion of the book "Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From" at St. Paul's, Mt. Lebanon. Childcare will be provided and there will be an optional dinner after. This will be a great discussion and also a time to connect with other parents in our diocese.

In this book author Meredith Miller suggests that many people approach building faith as if they are building a brick wall. The wall seems strong, but if a few bricks are removed the entire thing tumbles. Instead of this model, Miller invites us to think about how we might create a spider’s web of faith. Webs are elastic, and still strong if a few strands are broken. With Woven, families can nurture the kind of faith that can flex and grow, be broken and repaired. This is the sort of faith that can stand up to the life a child will live, the doubts they will encounter, and the questions that will come up along the way.

A sign up and more info can be found here. Contact the Rev. Laura Di Panfilo with questions: laura@stpaulspgh.org.

Diocesan Office Christmas Holiday Schedule

The diocesan offices will be closed from Tuesday, December 24 through Wednesday, January 1 in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Bishop Ketlen's Schedule:

December 15: St. James, Penn Hills

December 22: Atonement, Carnegie

December 24: Trinity Cathedral (Christmas Eve)

January 12: St. Stephen's, McKeesport

Parish leadership is reminded to complete a form, available in PDF or Word, at least two weeks in advance of their visitation.

To schedule time with Bishop Ketlen, contact Andrea Rath at 412-721-0853, ext. 251, or arath@episcopalpgh.org.

Parting Shots

Bishop Ketlen Visits Advent in Jeannette

On Sunday, December 8, Bishop Ketlen visited the Rev. Marty Wright and the wonderful folks at Church of the Advent in Jeannette.

Episcopal Clergy Enjoys Fellowship at the Pittsburgh Symphony

On Friday, December 6, Bishop and Scott Solak hosted diocesan clergy at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's performance of "Sparks Fly, Voices Soar: Brahms and Fauré."