St. George Church Preservation Society News & Archives

We were recently asked about the parishioners of the St. George Church Preservation Society who are working to preserve the church. "Are they supportive?" Yes. They are active as well. Some distribute Holy Communion. Others pass the basket and serve as usher at mass. Some have served hundreds of fish dinners from a hot kitchen during Lent and served funeral luncheons to grieving families. They have also installed strings of lighting to illuminate Street Fairs and served on the former elected Parish Councils. Others have served as lectors at mass and volunteered at Vacation Bible School. Some have a legacy that dates back before the construction of the church.

Grass roots group forms to preserve  St. George Church By Mia Rupani Point Park News Service  September 22, 2015 | Vol. 76 No. 11 Fearing the worst for the future of the Allentown Catholic church long known as St. George (now St. John Vianney), a group of local parishioners have formed a preservation group in an effort to prevent its closing. The new nonprofit group, named St. George Church Preservation Society (SGCPS) has only one mission – to keep the 100-year-old church operational through fundraising and raising awareness for its significance in the community. At a parish assembly earlier this year, Diocese of Pittsburghofficials explained why closing St. John Vianney Parish and church may be unavoidable. Many factors are being considered in this decision, including declining revenue, mass attendance and parish registration. The parish is also suffering from significant financial woes with a debt of more than $3 million. SGCPS, led by Robert Kress, presented their plan to save St.

We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their appreciation and support of our efforts to save the former St. George Church from closing and  demolition . As we continue to work through this complex process, we would like to keep everyone informed of our progress. Please subscribe to our news feed so that each time we place an update on our web site, you will also be notified. Just click  HERE to join our new and improved mailing list.  Be sure to CONFIRM your subscription by responding to the email you will receive. You can unsubscribe at any time. Here is an additional note from our September 10th Meeting Update: At a  closed  Pastoral Council meeting on August 31,2015, Bishop Zubik's advisers updated their plan to include the  demolition of the former St. George Church. A majority of the 10 parishioners attending still agreed to sign off on the petition.

Bishop Zubik's plan to demolish St. John Vianney Church has been revealed.   While St. John Vianney Parish may be closed, the St. George Church Preservation Society intends to save the former St. George Church. At a meeting, open to the public, on Thursday, September 10 at the Caliguiri Plaza, the SGCPS was able to update those in attendance on the following issues: At a Pastoral Council meeting on August 31,2015, Bishop Zubik's advisers updated their plan to include the demolition of the former St. George Church.  Representatives of the Society updated the community on the appeal process that will prevent the church from being demolished.  There was an update of their organizational progress and the fundraising strategy to cover the church maintenance and repair plan.  After the community meeting, parishioners signed a letter to Bishop Zubik outlining their plan to prevent the closing of the church and also to stop the demolition of the church by appealing the decision to the

posted   Sep 14, 2015, 12:27 PM   by Saint George Church Preservation Society Fr. Stephen Kresak from St. Basil's was our guest at the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, September 13, 2015. He provided us with an interesting homily that compared the faith of Christians to the faith of Muslims. He suggested that Muslims are more faithful because they are more disciplined in following the opinions and decisions of their leaders while Christians who may question the opinions and decisions of their clergy are less faithful to God. While many would agree that most leaders of the Muslim faith are very tolerant, we have recently seen how some leaders of the Muslim faith have used their unquestioned authority to order terrorism and the desecration and demolition of churches, monuments and landmarks as their followers did not question their authority. Fr. Kresak suggested that Catholics who question or disagree with the decisions of clergy are less faithful to God and should be more like Muslims. We

We would like to thank everyone who came to the meeting tonight to show their support, learn more about the situation, and share their ideas with us.

Quite often there is confusion over the difference between a parish and church because the words are often used interchangeably. A CHURCH is a sacred temple where the faithful gather to pray, worship God, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and receive sacraments. In the Catholic church, a PARISH is a geographical area that has one or more priests and one or more churches. Parishes have geographic boundaries, designed to serve people living within the boundaries.

Please join us  TOMORROW (Thursday, September 10, 2015) at 6:30 PM in the Community Room at Caligiuri Plaza 803 Warrington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15210. SGCPS will present their plan to save St. George Church and preserve it as a Catholic worship space in the Allentown community. For more information, please Contact Us .

Do you want to know more about this plan? Please join us at  6:30 PM   on Thursday,  September 10, 2015 in the  Community Room at Caligiuri Plaza, 803 Warrington Avenue ,  Pittsburgh, PA 15210. SGCPS will present their plan to save St. George Church and preserve it as a Catholic worship space in the Allentown community. For more information, please  Contact Us .

Please take note of our new mailing address: St. George Church Preservation Society PO BOX 4228 Pittsburgh, PA 15203