Ministries

Our group visits Allegheny Valley School monthly from September to May, usually on the second Tuesday of the month. We celebrate an adapted Eucharistic service with music, liturgy and friendship. The parish Director of Music, Ms. Beth Barsh and guitarists, Tom Podnar and Meg Smith lead the songs. Members of our group serve as lectors. So if you like to pray, sing and laugh, please consider joining us in September. For further information, please contact the Parish Office.

Would you like to assist our engaged couples as they prepare for their wedding day? Would you like to be an ambassador for our parish and for the Catholic Church? Have you ever considered becoming a parish Bridal Coordinator? We are seeking candidates for this very special volunteer ministry at Saint Philip Parish.  Training will be provided and coordinators always work together at the Wedding Rehearsal and Wedding Mass/Ceremony. For more information, please contact Father Jim at 412-922-6300.

Please consider donating your unneeded clean clothing and place it in one of the two St. Vincent de Paul blue boxes up the street to the left of Saint Philip church and in front of Hope House or in the two St. Vincent de Paul boxes in the area behind Ascension church. The St. Philip Conference of SVdeP received word that the level of clothing donations at the warehouse is low and that more clothing is urgently needed. Your generous donations “no longer needed” clothing will be greatly appreciated.

Our group meets on Tuesday mornings from 9:00am to noon in the upstairs of the Parish Administrative Building. What is our ministry? We make lap robes for shut-ins, blankets for a day care, afghans and quilts, etc. We pray a little, work a little and hopefully, bring a little joy to someone with our projects. We hope you will consider this Ministry and join us. Beginners and experts are all welcome.

We invite you to join us for Eucharistic Adoration on the First Saturday of the month from 8:30am to 9:30am at the Ascension Worship Site. Consider spending one hour in prayer with our Lord. Remember, Ascension church is air conditioned, has level parking and no steps! Come and pray with the Lord!

The St. Philip Grief Support Group meets from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm on the 3^rd Thursday of the month in Connor Hall of Ascension church. The Grief Support Group sign will be on the door.

Do you feel called to become a liturgical minister at our parish? We are currently seeking additional lay ministers in the following liturgical roles at specific Mass times:

• Lectors – 5:30pm, 7:00am and 9:30am
• Altar Servers (student or adult) – 4:00pm, 5:30pm and 9:30am
• Eucharistic Ministers – all Masses
• Ushers – all Masses

If you would like to assist with one of these important ministries, please contact Frank Bey in the Parish Office at 412-922-6300.

Have you ever considered becoming a Lector at Sunday Mass? We are in need of additional Lectors at both Saint Philip and Ascension churches for our Sunday liturgies. Training will be provided. Please call the Parish Office for more information.

There is a need for Extraordinary Ministers to distribute the Holy Eucharist to Catholic patients at Ohio Valley Hospital. You may want to volunteer one day a month or weekly. Bringing Jesus to the sick and suffering is a grace-filled time for you as well as the patient. We ask you to prayerfully consider this important ministry.  If you are interested or would like further information, please contact St. Malachy Parish at 412-771-5483.

We are always in need of drivers for Mass (approx. once a month). We have parishioners who are unable to attend Mass with us unless they are able to find a ride. Our Outreach Group also takes parishioners to doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping. Please consider volunteering for this important Ministry. If you are able to help, we ask you to contact the Administrative Office at 412-922-6300.

Parishioners are most welcome to bring the gifts to the Altar at the Offertory on Sunday Masses. Please see an usher before Mass begins. If a Mass Intention is for a loved one, honor them by participating in this special rite. (At Saint Philip church you are asked to sit near the gifts in the middle aisle.)

In today’s day and age, more than ever, we need men willing to lead authentic Catholic lives. The St. Philip Men’s Fellowship is a group of ordinary men trying to better understand our faith so that we know how to lead authentic Catholic lives. All men are welcome. We meet every Wednesday at the parish office meeting room (114 Berry Street, 2^nd floor) from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. For more information contact Bob Bertocchi at 412-335-2356 or r.bertocchi@aespj.com.

There are three Poor Boxes located in both churches of Saint Philip Parish.  Donations placed in the Poor Boxes are used by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to help local people in need. Thank you for your continued generosity and support.

The St. Philip Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is vibrant and active in our local community. Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and its patron, St. Vincent de Paul. Organized locally, the Vincentians witness to God’s love by embracing all the works of charity and justice. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction among those served, because Vincentians see in them the face of Christ. St. Vincent de Paul members perform their service confidentially to poor and needy families in our area without regard to their religious affiliation. The Society operates a substantial food bank and also regularly delivers household items and winter wear to Preston County, WV. Members also volunteer at the Greater Pittsburgh Area Food Bank, visit shut-ins and provide temporary help to the down-and-out. The group meets every Tuesday night at 6:30pm in the Hope House. If you or anyone you know needs assistance or if you want to join the Society, please call 412-444-8140 or email at SVdP.Saint.Philip@Gmail.com.

Every year the Society of St. Vincent de Paul assists over 100,000 local families and individuals with food, clothes, furniture, utility, and rent assistance. One way to support our neighbors in need is to shop and donate at your local St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store! Your purchases and donations provide funding for these vital programs; and with new items in the store every day, you never know what you’ll find! St. Vincent de Paul stores are located in Butler, Castle Shannon, Coraopolis, Monroeville, and Swissvale. Learn more at www.svdppitt.org.

We are currently seeking additional student Altar Servers for Sunday Mass. If your child is interested in becoming an Altar Server, please call the Parish Office today for more information and training dates. Student servers must be in fourth grade to start this important ministry.

Make Sundays complete for someone you love who can’t get to church because of age, illness or weather conditions.  Sunday TV Mass: 6:30am WINP(ION) channel 16; Cable TV:  Comcast Cable channel 4; Verizon FIOS channel 16; Satellite TV: Dish Network channel 16 or 216; DirecTV channel 305. Prayer intentions from viewers, uplifting homilies, a prayer for Spirit Communion during the distribution of the Holy Eucharist, and closed captioning make My Sunday Mass on TV a time of spiritual comfort and hope.

We continue to seek additional members for the following parish ministries: Adult Funeral Servers, Bereavement Ministers to visit the Funeral Home with the Priest and Sunday Mass Ushers (Saint Philip church).

If you feel that you are called to serve our parish in any of the above ministries, please contact the Parish Office at 412-922-6300. Proper training will be provided.