COVID-19 Parish Updates

For Announcements and information from the Diocese of Pittsburgh about the coronavirus COVID-19 - CLICK HERE

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Update 5-14-2020

As of Friday 14th May 2020, Bishop Zubik and the Diocese of Pittsburgh announce phases for gradually re-opening our churches for the celebration of Mass and other Sacraments, starting with daily Masses on Monday, June 1, 2020, and a goal of recommencing weekend Masses the weekend of June 6 and 7, 2020.  We the leadership, staffs and ministers of our parishes are working hard toward these goals and to meet the safety requirments. Should there be any indication that we in our parishes may NOT be ready by these dates, our opening will be delayed! We owe that to one another as parishioners, ministers, staff, and clergy.

A document, “Moving Forward Together,” developed by a diocesan COVID-19 Task Force team, was released May 15, 2020.  It is a comprehensive reference guide which details health and safety guidelines that will need to be met as churches reopen.  Once we have reviewed the document, secured all the necessary sanitation and safety supplies, prepare our church spaces for necesarry social distancing, have educated liturgical ministers and the the faithful, and feel confident that we can meet the requirements, we will announce the opening of churches. Please see the "Guidelines for the Faithful" link listed below to get a sense of what is required and what will be different!

Guidelines For the Faithful - Click Here 

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Update 5-8-2020

As of Friday 8th May 2020, Bishop Zubik announce other slight reductions of restrictions to coincide with the State of Pennsylvania Allegheny County being move to the "Yellow" phase of reopening.  This is for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well as Wedding and Funeral Celebrations. We still must uphold strict limitations and safety measure as we slowly move forward.  

The first phase, starting May 15, includes the following:

• All previous directives remain in effect.
• Limited funeral Masses and weddings continue, with cleaning/sanitizing guidelines in place, expanding
  to groups of no more than 25 people.
• Churches will be permitted to open for private prayer with safety guidelines in place including seating
  in designated areas only, the use of masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing.
• Churches open for Confessions – Confessionals do not meet public health safety requirements, and as
  such, Confessions will be heard at posted times and in a manner that preserves the sanctity of the.
  Sacrament. Penitents must practice social distancing and all other safety guidelines.
• Livestream Masses and prayer services will continue.

The Details for our Parishes:

• The number of people for funerals and weddings will be increase to 25 people or less  
• Confessions will be held in the churchs at the normally scheduled times, but they will be in body of the church, not in the confessionals  

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Update 5-1-2020 

As of Friday 24^th April 2020, Bishop Zubik slightly reduced the restrictions for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well as Wedding and Funeral Celebrations. We still must uphold strict limitations and safety measure as we slowly move forward.  

Details for our Parishes:

Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession

• Starting Weds May 6^th 2020 the Sacrament of Reconciling will be offered in the parking lots of our 2 church buildings
• It will be offered at the normal Confession Times – 
  • Wednesdays 6:00 PM at Saint Mary of the Mount 403 Grandview Ave.
  • Saturdays 3:00 PM at St. Adalbert Church (parking lot at the end of 14^th Street) 
• The options will be to drive up and stay in your car, or get out and walk up to the priest
• Masks must be worn and social distancing of 6 feet must be maintained

Funerals and Weddings – with 10 people or less

• This will be the exception, not the norm and taken on a case by case basis. The family must talk to pastor/administrator for approval
• No more than 10 People – no exceptions!
• Most likely all liturgical parts would be done by priest, musician, and or server (e.g. readings would be done by priest or musician) 
• Masks must be worn by all present
• Communion – will be offered under one species (host only) 
• Extensive cleaning will happen after each of these ceremonies – pews, bathrooms, altar and ambo etc. 

• Most weddings March 2020 through the end of June 2020 have been reschedule to a later time
• We are offering more times for future weddings
• Our full wedding schedule offering is as follows, upon the subsiding of the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Mondays-Thursdays: available for all weddings
  • Ceremony time is flexible and can be discussed with couple & scheduled priest/deacon presiding

• Fridays
  • 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm, Saint Mary of the Mount
  • 4:00 pm, Prince of Peace- St. Adalbert
• Saturdays
  • 11:00 am, 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm, Saint Mary of the Mount
  • 2:00 pm, Prince of Peace- St. Adalbert
• Sundays (on a case-by-case basis, requires special approval from Diocese)  
  • 3:00 pm, Saint Mary of the Mount

• For those who have lost a loved one during this time, we will be eventually scheduling Memorial Masses.  We would prefer communal celebrations with multiple families, (like the All Souls Mass) but we may need to do individual memorials for some larger families and for pastoral reasons  

• These will be schedule upon the subsiding of the COVID-19 pandemic
• We will schedule a few collective memorial times, then give the families options and schedule on a case by case basis

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Fashion Show Postponed 

• The 35th SMOM SPRING LUNCHEON AND FASHION SHOW has been postponed until the last Sunday in September, 9/27/2020. With the current safety procedures we are all currently abiding by, we are hoping for the date to be on target, stayed tuned to the website throughout the Spring/ Summer months for further information! Stay safe, Stay home, Social distancing and God Bless!

There will be no public celebration of Holy Week in all the parishes of the diocese this year

• This means there will be no Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday liturgies
• They will be celebrated by the clergy in every parish grouping, but there will be no congregants 
• The liturgies will be live streamed by the diocese of Pittsburgh and other locations 
• We in our parish community are offering live streaming, podcasts, and other prayer resources to pray together during these challenging yet holy days. For live streamed and podcast of our parish events - CLICK HERE
• Palm will be blessed on Palm Sunday but not distributed at this time.  Possibly at a later date - TBA

All Weddings, Funerals and other Sacraments (First Communion, Confirmation, etc) have been cancelled in the Diocese of Pittsburgh until further notice.  

All Masses in the Diocese of Pittsburgh have been Cancelled
In light of increasing updates on and concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19), Bishop David Zubik has made the decision to cancel all weekday and Sunday Masses in the Diocese of Pittsburgh until further notice. When, for any reason, we cannot participate in Mass, the Church invites us to unite with Christ through this prayer of Spiritual Communion. Praying this prayer is a beautiful way to unite our hearts to Christ's when we cannot receive him physically in the Eucharist. 

The Parish Office is currently closed to the public
However, there will be someone in the office Monday thru Friday answering the phone and checking messages. We ask that during this time, all parish business be conducted by phone or email. Please call 412-381-0212 or 412-481-8380, or email princeofpeaceparish@verizon.net or smom@smomp.org

Until further notice, all parish gatherings and meetings have been cancelled. This includes:

• The Friday Fish Fry
• The Slovak Mass and Easter Customs Breakfast
• The Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show
• The Parish Communal Reconciliation Service
• All Parish Organization Meetings

The Parish Communal Reconciliation Service has been cancelled 
However, Confession will be offered on Wednesday's from 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. at Saint Mary of the Mount Church.
All health precautions will be taken. Confessions normally scheduled on Saturday at Saint Adalbert Church 
have been cancelled. Those unable to go to confession are encouraged to make acts of personal repentance and spirititual communions. The faithful can rest assured that God will not abandon them in their time of need, but will respond to their sincere desire and grant them the grace they need.

Stay Close to God and stay close to each other relationally in this time of Social Distancing
During this time of social distancing, we encourage all parishioners to support one another, especially those who are in need or may be lonely. The easiest way is to offer a phone call to a neighbor, family member, and especially the elderly. 

Staying close spiritually and throught prayer resource
Though Masses and events are cancelled in our parish and throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh due to the coronavirus, 
many resources are available to help you live out your faith including from our parish communities as well as many other sources - for a few of those resources - CLICK HERE