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Sunday, March 9, 2025
The First Sunday in Lent
8 a.m. - The Holy Eucharist, Rite II
A said service of Holy Communion
in the Chapel
9 a.m. - The Holy Eucharist, Rite II
A service at the Crossing in the Church,
with congregational hymns and organ music
11 a.m. - The Holy Eucharist, Rite II
A service at the High Altar in the Church,
with music for choir, organ, and congregation
The Great Litany in Procession
[This service will be Livestreamed]
5 p.m. - Choral Evening Prayer, Rite I
The Calvary Choir sings Evensong
[This service will be Livestreamed]
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The deadline for submission of news and notices for the next issue of our newsletter is Friday, March 7, 2025. Please e-mail your text to calvary@calvarypgh.org or deliver it directly to the
church office.
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A Death in Our Parish Family | |
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Amidst the ever present hope of Christ’s resurrection, it is with sadness that we share the news that parishioner H. Richard (Dick) Howland died on Tuesday, March 4. Dick was a longtime and faithful parishioner of Calvary. Among the many ways he shared his gifts with the parish was by playing the piano at the Calvary Annual Bazaar and at the Summer Garden Service for a number of years. A service honoring Dick will be held at Calvary on Friday, March 14 at 11 a.m. Please join us in holding Veronica and their other family and friends in your prayers.
Rest eternal grant to your servant, Richard, O Lord: And let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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The Rev. David Casto, who served as a priest at Calvary from 1962 to 1967 has died. After Calvary, he worked as fundraiser for Ketchum and later the United Way eventually settling in New Jersey. He remained active serving as a supply (Sunday fill-in) priest. His full obituary may be found here: https://moriartyfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/940/David-Casto/obituary.html#tribute-start
May David and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in Glory.
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Are you looking for a way to fully enter Lent this year? Join this year’s Lenten Book Group. We will read Praying the Stations of the Cross: Finding Hope in a Weary World by Margaret Adams Parker and Katherine Sonderegger. The book includes original artwork by Margaret Adams Parker. The book’s first half explores the Stations of Cross, and the second half includes a meditation on each Station.
The book group will meet twice during Lent via Zoom on Thursday, March 20, and Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. To sign up, please get in touch with Rev. Bonnie-Marie at byagerwiggan@calvarypgh.org. Even if you can only make one session, you are welcome. Copies of the book are available in the Calvary Bookstore with a 10% discount.
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The Lenten Series is a weekly program sponsored by the parishes in our district of the Diocese (which encompasses the East End and the immediate eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh). Each Tuesday in Lent one parish in our district will host a simple supper at 6 pm followed by a Eucharist at 7 pm. A different preacher is featured each week. Calvary will be hosting the series on Tuesday, March 11. You are warmly invited to attend the other services as you are able. We need volunteers on that day to help with the dinner – setting up and/or serving, and/or cleaning up. If you can help, please call or email Kim Pieratt (412.661.0120,
ext. 111; kpieratt@calvarypgh.org).
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If you are interested in the service of Evening Prayer (prayers at the end of the day’s work) at Calvary, consider joining a group of parishioners each Monday and Wednesday during the weeks of Lent (continuing through Lent with the last service on Wednesday, April 9) at 6 p.m. in The Lady Chapel. The service is about 20 minutes long and includes Psalms, Scripture, and Prayers for the day (but no sermon or music).
Praying at certain points of the day has its origins in Judaism and was practiced in the early church and monastic traditions, and it is one of the Daily Offices found in our Book of Common Prayer.
If you have questions
or are interested in helping to lead this service,
please contact Steve Shandor (steve.shandor@gmail.com)
or Michael Salmon (oriolefish@gmail.com).
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Join us for Evensong at 5 p.m.on
Sunday, March 9 and Sunday, April 6
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Join us on Thursday, March 13 in Levy Hall at
Rodef Shalom, 4905 Fifth Ave., 15213.
Star Trek costumes encouraged.
The Rector will be portraying Mr. Spock!
The Service starts around 6:30 p.m.
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Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW) at the 11 o'clock service is a special time for children to pray, ask questions, and hear the good news of God’s love. The Sunday scripture readings are proclaimed and explained on a level appropriate to children 4 years and older. Any child in this age group may participate - no registration is necessary.
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Children are invited to gather with adult leaders after the Opening Prayer and process to the Refectory. They return to their families at the time of the Peace. If you are running a little late and miss the beginning of the service, no worries! Drop in and join us in the Refectory. | |
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Calvary’s Calming Corner is a dedicated space designed to support families every Sunday from 8:45 AM – 12:30 PM and during special events. Whether your child needs a sensory break, a quiet moment, or a comfortable spot for nursing or feeding, this peaceful space is available for you.
Location: Level A (Downstairs, next to the Nursery and Faith Formation classrooms)
No registration or payment required.
Parents and guardians must remain with their children at all times.
We invite you to make use of this space whenever you need a moment of peace and comfort.
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Faith Formation Highlights
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Last week, the younger students continued exploring Jesus' parables about the Kingdom of God, building on the previous week's lesson on the Precious Pearl. We reflected on the Parable of the Mustard Seed, listening to Mark 4:30-32. After examining the type of mustard seeds found in Israel, which are impressively small, we pondered the deeper reality that God’s great strength and power are at work in even the smallest things, bringing forth life and transformation.
As an activity, the class explored different types of seeds, examined photos of the plants they grow into, and planted seeds to observe in the coming weeks. We also had fun creating seed-inspired art.
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The older students discussed the significance of Lent, its traditions, and practices, focusing on Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and the three pillars of Lent: prayer, giving, and fasting.
The class reflected on how they could personally engage with these Lenten practices and created themed buttons as a tangible reminder of their Lenten commitments. To wrap up, they shared insights on what they had learned and how they planned to observe Lent this year.
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Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Join us every second Saturday of the month as we prepare and serve a meal for the guests at the East End Cooperative Ministry Shelter.
Next Service Date: Saturday, March 8
● Cooking: 3–5:30 pm in the Calvary Kitchen
● Serving: 6–7:30 pm at East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM), 6140 Station St, 15206
Click HERE to sign up.
Contact zach.rispoli@gmail.com for more information.
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The Rector will continue a discussion on the book of Ecclesiastes. Join the class live at 10 a.m. in McClintic Hall. The class is recorded and posted on the Calvary YouTube page. | |
Altar Flower Delivery Ministry | |
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Judie Compher and I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for all that our seasoned team brings to this ministry. Due to retirement and relocating we are spreading the word that we are ready to train new willing members. Preparation of the flowers begins promptly after the 11 o’clock service or after 5 o’clock Evensong. This is a rewarding ministry letting our Calvary community know that we care. Please contact Bonnie Weiss, Co-chair, at Janekeenanweiss@gmail.com or 412.780.5649
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We are continuing to schedule hosts for coffee hours after the 11 a.m. service. Your group can sponsor a coffee hour by bringing, plating and arranging small sweet and savory snacks. If you are interested, please sign up with Kathy Farrington at farringtonk@me.com or use the sign in the Parish Hall.
Early Service Coffee Connections
We hope you enjoyed the trail to offer simple treats during February for those that attend early services/adult formation. Your feedback is welcome.
- Would you like to see this practice continue?
- Would you like to contribute a sweet or savory plate in the future?
Contact: Wendy Lomicka at wenlom@gmail.com
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The Bookstore is offering a 20 percent discount all month on all devotional aids, including Anglican rosaries, comfort crosses and devotional books.
If you’re not familiar with Anglican rosaries, stop by the Bookstore to take a look, or browse one of the many online resources. The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio’s wide-ranging discussion at https://www.dohio.org/files/resources/anglican-rosary.pdf notes that the use of beads as an aid to prayer has a long history encompassing every major religious tradition.
Search on You Tube for “Iona Hope Anglican Rosary” and you’ll find an excellent visual demonstration from Iona Hope Episcopal Church, Fort Myers FL. A Lenten prayer to be used with the beads is included.
Looking online for Lenten or Easter reading? Any book you order on bookshop.org, spiritual or secular, benefits the Bookstore at Calvary. Just type zip code 15206 in the Bookstore Near Me box, click on Calvary Bookstore, then the red Support the Shop! Order any book and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Bookstore.
The Bookstore is open Sundays from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you can’t stop by, call the Bookstore at 412-661-0120, ext. 133 (please leave a message) or email bookstore@calvarypgh.org and we will contact you.
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Spiritual Reflection –
Lost in Wonder
Adult spiritual formation may be described as the step-by-step discovery of God’s presence in our lives and our personal transformation along the way. Calvary’s Spiritual Reflection meetings continue to be a regular and familiar forum for small group sharing and prayer.
For this term we use “Lost in Wonder: Rediscovering the Spiritual Art of Attentiveness,” by Esther de Waal. A foremost scholar in the Benedictine and Celtic traditions, de Waal has published extensively in both fields. In Lost in Wonder, she uses the everyday circumstances of our lives - the restrictions and frustrations as well as the gifts and opportunities - as our own way to God.
Meetings are held in the Conference Room from 7-8 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday evening of each month. The meetings are hybrid, allowing “in person” conversation while others join remotely using Zoom. Upcoming meeting date is March 18.
Email Matt Muldoon (mattmuldoon@msn.com) or Sondra Krimmel (sskrimmel@gmail.com) for information or to be added to the email list. Please feel welcome to join us at any time.
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The Contemplative Prayer group meets for silent prayer and reflection, both in person and on Zoom Mondays at 7 p.m. in the Evans Room. For more info and a Zoom invitation, contact Lucy Weingartner at lweingartner20@gmail.com | |
What’s coming up in 2025?
2025 is our year of cultivation at Incarnation. We will begin to gather as a group, small but ever-growing, to be formed in community by the presence of God in our midst. These events will also be a way for you to get to know the Episcopal tradition and Incarnation in particular.
Our hope for Incarnation is that it would be a place of welcome and a harbor of spiritual safety for all who are yearning for good news and the deep belonging and abundant life that comes with it. With that in mind, please share this email with anyone who may be interested in taking this journey with us. “Let anyone who is thirsty, come” (Rev 21:6).
Questions? Visit our website or contact the Rev. Deanna Briody at deanna.briody@incarnationbc.org
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Ashes, Fish Fries, and Fasting:
What is Lent All About?
Third Friday in Lent / March 21 / Details to be announced
The Church Year is not something that most people think about on the day to day, but against all odds Lent has become a cultural staple. As we share a Lenten meal together (a twist on the classic fish fry), we’ll explore the theological meaning of Lent and the invitation that Jesus holds out to us through traditional Lenten disciplines.
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How Did We Get Here?
The Origins of the Church, its Shattered Witness,
and its Role in God’s Plan of Salvation
April-May / Meeting weekly for 6 weeks / Details to be announced
One of the most convincing arguments against Christianity is the Church—its division, its abuses, its lack of coherence across denominations. In this course, we will dive into the Church’s origins, uncover its evolution through the centuries, and explore its current state of disrepair. Our goal? To understand the role of the Church in God’s plan of salvation, that we might answer Isaiah’s call to “seek the Lord where he wills to be found” (Isa 55:6).
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Architectural historian and ELVHS board member Justin Greenawalt shows how restoring the house next door using materials salvaged from historic buildings, including a window from the recently demolished Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church, increases pride of ownership in the entire neighborhood.
COMING UP:
Wednesday, April 2, 7 p.m. – “East Liberty: An American Parable"
Wednesday, May 7, 7 p.m. – “Mal Goode Reporting”
Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m. – “The ABCs of Pittsburgh Aviation”
All talks are free to the public and held in the Parish Hall of Calvary Episcopal Church at 7 p.m.
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Speech and Hearing Screenings
We’re excited to partner with our neighbors at DePaul School for Hearing and Speech to offer free screenings for families in the local community! To learn more about DePaul School for Hearing and Speech, visit DePaul School Website.
Link to register here: Screening Registration Form
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Dear Friends,
Our diocesan-wide Epiphany prayer course has concluded, and I now invite you to join me for an online book study during Lent. Since my heart continues to nudge me toward prayer, I invite you to read with me How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by English author and pastor, Pete Greig.
This book study will take place online via Zoom on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. The group will meet virtually for 1-hour sessions beginning Sunday, March 16 and ending Sunday, April 6.
One can register here or via the link below. If you signup, please purchase a copy of the book as soon as possible and read the first 47 pages in advance of the March 16 session.
I hope you will join me in this continued effort to delve further into the art of learning and practicing the spiritual discipline of prayer.
Faithfully,
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Bishop Ketlen's Schedule:
March 9: All Saints, Brighton Heights
March 16: St. Thomas, Canonsburg
March 23: House of Bishops
March 30: St. Thomas, Oakmont
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Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AA: Alcoholics Anonymous; CLASP: Calvary Lincoln After school Program;
CYAM: Calvary Young Adult Ministry; ESL: English as a Second Language;
FLMH: Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti
Friday March 7, 2025
Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs, 202
Agape Deadline
9:00 a.m. Soup Group Cooking
9:00 a.m. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Seminar
Saturday March 8, 2025
9:00 a.m. FLMH Meeting
3:00 p.m. Shelter Dinner Prep
Sunday March 9, 2025
The First Sunday in Lent; Daylight Savings Time Begins
The Holy Eucharist at 8, 9, and 11 a.m.
10:00 a.m. Children/Youth Formation
10:00 a.m. Gospel and Breakfast (GAB)
10:00 a.m. Priest/Rabbi Class
10:00 a.m. Choir Warm-up
11:00 a.m. Children’s Liturgy
12:00 p.m. Coffee Hour
3:30 p.m. Choir Warm-up
5:00 p.m. Evensong
Monday March 10, 2025
Harriet Ross Tubman, Social Reformer, 1913
6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer
7:00 p.m. Contemplative Prayer
Tuesday March 11, 2025
11:00 a.m. Staff Meeting
6:00 p.m. Lenten Preaching Series Dinner
7:00 p.m. Lenten Preaching Series Service
7:00 p.m. AA Meeting
Wednesday March 12, 2025
Gregory the Great, Bishop and Theologian, 604
10:00 AM ESL Conversation Class
12:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer
6:00 p.m. Interlude Group
6:30 p.m. Dinner in the Refectory
7:00 p.m. Inquirer’s Class
7:00 p.m. Bible Study Class on Ruth
7:00 p.m. East Liberty Valley Historical Society Lecture
Thursday March 13, 2025
James Theodore Holly, Bishop, 1911
6:30 p.m. Mahjong
6:30 p.m. Purim Shpiel at Rodef Shalom
7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
Friday March 14, 2025
11:00 a.m. Dick Howland Funeral
Saturday March 15, 2025
Vincent de Paul, Priest, and Louise de Marillac,
Vowed Religious, Workers of Charity, 1660
10:00 a.m. Peanut Butter & Jam
11:30 a.m. Peanut Butter & Jam
1:00 p.m. Nancy Lapp Funeral
Sunday March 16, 2025
The Second Sunday in Lent;
Pandemic Remembrance
The Holy Eucharist at 8, 9, and 11 a.m.
10:00 a.m. Children/Youth Formation
10:00 a.m. Gospel and Breakfast (GAB)
10:00 a.m. Priest/Rabbi Class
10:00 a.m. Choir Warm-up
11:00 a.m. Children’s Liturgy
12:00 p.m. Coffee Hour
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An archive of the past months weekly email blasts
may be viewed on the Calvary website at
www.calvarypgh.org
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