St. George Church Preservation Society News & Archives

  What happens to your Church Alive! donations? posted  Jan 28, 2016, 9:11 AM  by Saint George Church Preservation Society    Please be aware that you have the choice to request a refund! Most parishioners who have contributed to the Church Alive! campaign are aware that about one half of their donations have been reserved to be spent in St. John Vianney Parish. There is a total of over $75,000 in that fund. Since Bishop Zubik has decreed that the parish will be divided, you have the option to request a refund. In his letter to parishioners on July16, 2015, Bishop Zubik included information about the Church Alive funds. It states that parishioners  “may request a refund of their contributions to date”.  (see the attachment below for a copy of this information.) We have also attached a form you can print and mail to the Campaign for the Church Alive! for your refund. St. George Church Preservation Society is raising money to to fund the restoration of t...

posted  Jan 27, 2016, 8:47 AM  by Saint George Church Preservation Society    [ updated  Jan 27, 2016, 8:50 AM  ] On January 23, 2016, Bishop Zubik issued two separate decrees regarding St. John Vianney.  One decree addresses the St. John Vianney Church building:  This decree closes the church and calls for removal of the stained glass windows and other sacred and non-sacred artifacts. The decree also makes reference to a Pastoral and Finance Council petition of August 31, 2015. At that meeting, a proposal was presented by the bishop's advisers that indicated: “That if so relegated, the church building would be demolished and its contents be salvaged”. Our group of parishioners is preparing to appeal only the decree that addresses the church building.  St. George Church Preservation Society (SGCPS) was organized to support the operation and restoration of the church over a number of years. As seen during the recent Church Alive! campaign, a m...

This weekend Bishop Zubik announced that St. John Vianney church will remain open  until April 3, 2016. This is the Sunday after Easter. Although our group of parishioners has presented an alternate plan to Bishop Zubik and his staff,  he made the decision to close our church. After hearing his decision, the group of parishioners will respond to his decree as the first step to start the official appeal process. More than 20 churches have been reopened as a result of this  appeal process that can lead to the Vatican. The response to the bishop will include a modified plan that will keep the church open  at no cost to the diocese  by allowing the St. George Church Preservation Society to support the operation and restoration of the church. This type of arrangement has been successfully implemented for over 60 catholic churches  in other dioceses around the country. A  GoFundMe.com  fundraising campaign called  Save St. George Church  has b...

Diocese of Buffalo took a path to success Thanks to a story shared by the group,  Buffalo Mass Mob , we found out about  St. Luke's Mission of Mercy  located on the  East Side of Buffalo, NY.  It seems the Diocese of Buffalo has embraced this once struggling parish and followed a path to success. There are similarities between St. Luke's and St. John Vianney. "When St. Luke’s, a proud and beautiful inner city parish closed in 1993, it was a sad day for its parishioners, both past and present. It was also yet another blow to a neighborhood which needed desperately the light of Christ to shine in it." Bishop Edward M. Grosz, and a dedicated group of volunteers journeyed together along a path to success to keep St. Luke's Church alive after it was closed. On August 1, 1994 St. Luke’s was resurrected to new life as  St. Luke's Mission of Mercy. The fund raising group associated with St. Luke’s is called the FOSLs (Friends Of St. Luke’s). The group holds several...

We hope you all had a blessed Christmas season and we wish you a Happy 2016. Our group of dedicated parishioners have been working hard on our path to success. Below is an update of our progress so far. -Sincerely,  SGCPS Meetings at the Pittsburgh Diocese St. John Vianney parishioners have had two meetings with Bishop Zubik and his advisers regarding our concerns for the future of the church building. December 21, 2015 We met with Bishop Zubik and discussed our efforts to protect and preserve the church. We outlined our proposal to use the St. George Church Preservation Society, with their large audience of supporters, to conduct fund-raising. These efforts would: Provide for the continued operation of the church as a worship site. Fund and oversee a prioritized and phased restoration of the church. We cited the information from our on-site consultations with reputable and experienced contractors who expressed optimism and encouragement for the possibility of restoring the church....

At masses this weekend, Fr. Thomas Wilson announced that he will be taking a leave of absence on January 11, 2016 due to some ongoing health issues. He will be residing at St. John Vianney Manor while he recovers from a medical procedure. Everyone is encouraged to attend mass next weekend to wish Fr. Wilson a speedy recovery and to keep him in our prayers. Fr. Wilson also announced that Fr. Michael J. Stumpf from St. Mary of the Mount parish will be assigned as Administrator and Fr. Walter Rydzon as Parochial Vicar at St. John Vianney Parish.  A warm welcome is in order for Fr. Stumpf and Fr. Rydzon. Mass Schedule Saturday  4:00 PM Sunday     9:00 AM                  12:00 NOON