I S Bishop Recovering After Surgery Churches Operate Food Bank

C h a p l a i n S t a t e m e n t L o t t i e 1 I n s i d e | Father Thomas Mannion recalls Bishop Wuerl (left) calls for ef Charlotte Smith, affectionately his 22 years as chaplain at forts to establish maximum con I E d ito rial ........................ Page 4 1 known as Lottie, is age 100 and the M ay view State Hospital in stitutional protection for unborn L e tte rs ............................ ......... Page 5 I oldest parishioner of Presentation Bridgeville and looks forward to the children in a statement originally Entertainment . ......... Page Parish in Midland. She is well- 6 1 challenge of returning to parish released July 3 and reprinted in its I C atholic L ife ................ Page work. known for her work with the 7 1 entirety for the first time. C la s s ifie d ...................... ......... Page 8 1 Catholic Daughters of America. Around Diocese.......... ... Pages 9- 12 1 Page 3 Page 4 Page 7 145 Y ea r, S e i s t u d y Dioct i task force préparés to send questionnaires C l i By PATRICIA BARTOS 17-member task force has met geographic areas, they will be Pli TSBURGH — The diocese's several times and has divided into urged to consider future trends Parish Self-Study Task Force, four work groups to carry out the and demographic projections, established in May by Bishop massive self-study effort. and "seek ways to bring people Donald W. Wuerl, hopes to mail Those groups will specialize in into more active participation," out questionnaires to represen the self-study questionnaire, the Fr. Duch added. tatives in the diocese’s 330 self-study process, communica They will study the question of parishes by late October, accor tions and public relations and how many ministers, clerical and ding to Fr. Robert Duch, director. tra in in g . lay staff will be needed to effec The questionnaires, which will Fr. Duch designed the question tively carry out the parish's focus on such areas of parish life naire and presented it to the work needs, keeping in mind for in as Mass, sacraments, feeling of group for suggestions and stance that projections show the community, finances, education changes. Following final approval diocese will have 100 less priests and maintenance, will be sent to by Bishop Wuerl on the survey in in the year 2005 than today, he three groups of persons: the strument, he hopes to fit the com said. pastors and staffs of each parish, pleted questionnaire on a com "We will invite people to look at parish council members, and a puter sheet, where respondents the resources available" in terms random sampling of parishioners can use a pencil to mark the of human, financial and material (three percent of each parish). Fr. anonymous forms. A computer areas, Fr. Duch said. Bishop D uch said. will then read and score the Wuerl wants to invite as many Preceding the mailing, five responses. people as possible to submit infor meetings will be held in August at Fr. Duch said he hopes to have mation. Fr. Duch said, adding the varying locations within the the completed forms returned bishop will discuss this question diocese for priests to hear of the within several weeks. Once they with the pastoral council and his self-study group's progress. Fr. are compiled, parish information other consultative groups. Duch added that another session will be directed back to the "He wants lots of input," Fr. may be added to explain the pro pastors. D uch said. Food for the needy cess for diocesan officials. The process group is working to The purpose of the parish self- Volunteers at the Washington Heights Also, each pastor will be asked design the processes for study, Father added, is to "help food bank is operated by two Catholic and nine to select a parish director for the parishioners to discuss this in Ecumenical Food Bank (WHEFB) sort and Protestant Churches in Mount Washington and people deal with the important distribute packages of fond for the needy. The self-study project, someone to coming information, Fr. Duch question 'How can parishes be ef Duc/uesne Heights. work with the pastor a n d exp lain ed . fective and creatively organized parishioners to oversee the T h e communications a n d to be relevant to the changing parish's participation, keep public relations group will needs of people?' parishioners informed of the pro prepare a video explaining the “The first purpose of the instru Churches operate food bank gress and distribute and collect parish self-study effort. This will ment (questionnaire) is to provide the survey forms. be shown to all clergy at two the parish with a process to ap PITTSBURGH — Two Catholic churches known as the Mount cessing their first clients, expec Fr. Duch explained that several meetings they will have with the preciate the ways it already pro and nine Protestant Churches in Washington Ministerium. ting to provide food to 100 workshops will be organized to bishop in October before the claims Christ in the world,” Fr. Mount Washington and Du- The following four months were households three limes a week. help prepare the parish directors survey forms go out. It also will be Duch said. It also will provide a quesne Heights operate an for their duties. busy with the actual organization Clients must make application available to parishes. practical way for parishes to col ecumenical food bank. of the food bank, which included He explained that the self-study and are required to meet the The task force’s training group lect information on themselves Known as Washington Heights meetings, investigations of other effort has two purposes: parish Government Income Eligibility will work with the process group and challenge parishes to con Ecumenical Food Bank (WHEFB), food banks, planning and solicita reorganization and spiritual Requirements for Free Meals. to design the con tent of sider future directions for possible the group recently was awarded a tion of volunteers. A board of revitalization. The work continued until May workshops for the parish direc reorganization and spirit ual $10,000 Hunger Trust Fund directors was formed with elected The priest, who is pastor of St. 1987. when they lost the use of tors, Fr. Duch said. revitalization, he added. Grant from Pittsburgh Communi officers, composed of members of Barnabas in Swissvale and former the freezer and refrigerators. With When parishioners discuss this Fr. Duch quoted Protestant ty Services, Inc. (he Ministerium. that, the nutritional quality and assistant superintendent of new data on their parishes and It all began in December 1984 St. Justin's unoccupied school quantity of food dropped and s c h o o ls , explained his also look at the situation in their (Continued on page 2) when the number of Mount was chosen as the location for the shifted to canned and boxed Washington residents seeking food bank because the necessary goods. emergency food was at a record office, storage and distribution The problem was compounded high and growing. space were available there. A when the number of clients Many of the 1 1 community- large freezer and two refrigerators steadily rose. Bishop recovering after surgery based churches were no longer also were there which enabled They decided to apply for food able to service all the needy in PITTSBURGH - Bishop them to purchase frozen foods grant money. "We and the board Bishop Wuerl, 48, was told The bishop was hospitalized their own membership. Wuerl was discharged from wholesale and use the frozen were astonished when we receiv the recovery period was four to July 8 after suffering back pain “It was Father (John) Staab. the hospital on Tuesday, July foods available to food banks from ed the grant,” Rat way said, six weeks, Fr. Lengwin said. for more than a week. Doctors pastor, St. Justin Church, who 1 8 . after he underwent the Greater Pittsburgh Communi “because it was our first time During that time, the bishop is diagnosed the problem as a got the ball rolling,” said Sister ty Food Bank (GPCFB). microsurgery July 13 at Pitt preparing a proposal." supposed to avoid activities slipped disk and ordered bed Susanne Sutton, OSF, a parish sburgh’s Mercy Hospital to A staff of 20 people from all The I lunger Trust Fund grant which would strain his back. rest, saying it was likely the social minister with Catholic remove fragments of a rup member churches was organized runs out at the end of the year. disk would slip back where it Charities and co-coordinator of tured disk in his back. to help with the operations. Ber "We hope we can continue to get However, it was the bishop's belonged. the program. “He simply said, ‘I n ic e Ratway, parish social The bishop came out of the grants," Ratway said. “We will be intention to ordain two Fran However, when the bishop think we need to start a food surgery in excellent condition minister, St. Justin, assists Sr. forever grateful for their help.” ciscans to the priesthood at St. had experienced no relief by b a n k .’” Susanne as co-coordinator. They and "the prognosis is for full "We do the work," added Sr. Augustine Church, July 12, doctors made the deci The urgent problem was ad are all volunteers. recovery,” said Father Ronald Susanne, "the Lord provides the Lawrencevllle, at 10 a.m. on sion to operate, Fr. Lengwin dressed at a joint meeting of the By May 1985.

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