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District bishops to honor pontiff

By Frances Borsodi Zajac 4 min read

Local Catholic bishops will honor Pope John Paul II as they celebrate special services in his memory this week. In addition, Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg has asked that all Catholic schools of the diocese be closed on Friday in respect for the funeral of the pope.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg announced a memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday at 12:10 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, the day of the pope’s funeral in Vatican City.

An interfaith service is planned for 4 p.m. Sunday at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral with Brandt as celebrant.

A press release from the diocese said, “The service is meant as a tribute to Pope John Paul II, who aggressively worked to build bridges between the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, as well as the Jewish and Muslim communities.’

A 7 p.m. Mass is planned for Sunday at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral during which all of the clergy of the diocese are invited to concelebrate the Mass with Brandt.

The release noted, “The Mass is a memorial Mass, closing the period of mourning for His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.’

Regarding the schools, the diocese said, “In calling for this closure as a sign of our mourning for the loss of our beloved Holy Father, the bishop has asked that all school principals and teachers encourage students to participate in the memorial Mass planned for that day and to keep the Holy Father in their prayers.’

The Greensburg diocese includes 102 parishes and about 200,000 Catholics in Fayette, Westmoreland, Armstrong and Indiana counties. Catholic elementary schools in Fayette County include All Saints in Masontown, Conn-Area Catholic in Connellsville, Holy Rosary in Republic, St. John and St. Mary in Uniontown. Geibel in Connellsville is the county’s only Catholic high school.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is announcing that Bishop Donald W. Wuerl will be principal celebrant and homilist at a Mass to be offered on behalf of Pope John Paul II this Friday at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland.

Officials said the Mass is open to the public and representatives from each parish of the diocese – which includes 812,078 Catholics in Greene, Washington, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties – are being encouraged to attend. Civic leaders and representatives from Pittsburgh’s religious community have also been invited.

Wuerl will also celebrate a memorial Mass for the Holy Father on Friday at noon at St. Mary of Mercy in downtown Pittsburgh.

The Office for the Dead from the Liturgy of Hours will be celebrated at St. Paul Cathedral today, according to the following schedule: Office of Readings, 7:30 a.m., morning prayer, 7:45 a.m., televised Mass at 8:15 a.m., daytime prayer, 11:30 a.m., Mass at noon, and evening prayer at 6 p.m.

Metropolitan Basil M. Schott of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh will celebrate a Divine Liturgy for the repose of the soul of Pope John Paul II at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Munhall at a date and time to be announced.

Schott issued the following statement on the death of the pope: “It is with great sadness that we learn of the ‘falling asleep in the Lord’ of our beloved Holy Father Pope John Paul II. His death is a great loss to the Catholic Church and indeed to the whole world.

“We remember fondly his great concern and love for the Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, and in particular his solicitous concern for the Byzantine Catholic Church in the United States. He encouraged all Christians to breath with both lungs – East and West.

“He is mourned by all peoples throughout the world – Christian, non-Christian, and by all other faiths. The Lord sent him as a gift to the Church, and this gift was shred with the entire world.

“On a personal level, I cherish my many private audiences with the Holy Father, both as bishop of Parma and as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Pittsburgh.

“Grant, O Lord, eternal rest to your servant, Pope John Paul II. Eternal Memory! Christ is Risen!’

Meanwhile, the metropolitan also issued the following directives: white or light-colored bunting is to be draped over the main entrance of all churches and institutions. He said a Panachida service was to be offered in every parish of the archeparchy following each Divine Liturgy this past weekend. And all commemorations for the Holy Father customary to the Divine Services are to be eliminated until a successor has been elected.

The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh includes 85 active parishes and missions in Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

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