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Sunday, October 4, 2026
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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 hymns and 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
[This service will be Livestreamed]
4 p.m. - Choral Evensong
[This service will be Livestreamed]
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Calvary will hold its Blessing of the Animals service on Saturday, October 3 at 10 a.m. in the Circle Drive (on the Shady Ave. side of the church). Note the different location! We are moving the place for the service this year, because of the partial closing of the Swan Garden with the ongoing work on the boilers.
The Blessing of the Animals service includes prayers, a short reading, and each animal is blessed individually. We’ll also have a prayer for our pets who are no longer with us. Bring your pet, or a photo of your pet, to be blessed that afternoon. Human and animal treats will be served.
For their happiness and safety, please keep your pets leashed or otherwise in your loving care.
All are welcome to join us at this beloved annual tradition.
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Deaths and Funerals
for members of our Parish Family
All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Amidst the ever present hope of Christ’s resurrection, we share news about the deaths and funerals of three faithful parishioners of Calvary Episcopal Church.
Ann Knoop died peacefully on Monday, September 28. A service to celebrate Ann’s life will be held at Calvary on Tuesday, October 6 at 1 p.m. Please hold Ann, her children, Laura, Greg, and Leslie, and her other family and friends in your prayers.
A service to celebrate the life of Louise F. “Weezie” Wells will be held at Calvary on Monday, October 12 at 11 a.m. Weezie died on August 17. Please hold Weezie, her children Bennett and Wells, her grandchildren, and her other family and friends in your prayers.
A service to celebrate the life of Jóna Hammer will be held at Calvary on Tuesday, October 21 at 1 p.m.Please hold Jóna, her husband Carl, their daughter Johanna, and her other family and friends in your prayers.
All are welcome to attend these services.
Rest eternal grant to your servants, Ann, Weezie, and Jóna, O Lord: And let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
| | Choral Evensong is offered Sunday, October 4 at 4 p.m., an opportunity to pray through music and scripture in a somewhat different and more contemplative way than the Eucharist often affords. Sunday’s service includes music by Lucy Walker, Käthe Wright Kaufman, and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. A brief recital by soprano Sarah Nadler, accompanied by Jon Tyillian, follows the service. All are welcome. | | Our Journey Toward a New Rector | |
Our parish stands at a unique and meaningful crossroads. The departure of a beloved rector brings natural feelings of grief, reflection, and gratitude for the years of shared ministry we have enjoyed together. However, transition is also a profound invitation to look forward with hope, prayer, and deep trust in the Holy Spirit.
The process of calling a new rector is a spiritual journey of discernment. It is a time for us to listen attentively to where God is calling our parish next, identifying the unique gifts, leadership qualities, and pastoral vision we need for the time ahead.
To guide us faithfully through this interim period and ensure our parish life remains vibrant, centered, and active, the Vestry has been hard at work making necessary leadership arrangements.
Before an interim rector is onboard, as Senior Warden, I will be working closely with the clergy and staff. Cameron and Bonnie-Marie will continue to do what they have been doing and will be there for us whenever we need them. As Senior Warden, the staff will now report to me.
The search for an interim rector will be the responsibility of the Executive Committee of the Vestry (the wardens, the treasurer, and the secretary). The Discernment Committee, the body that will recommend our next Rector, will be chaired by Mary Lou Southwood. Once approved by the Vestry, the Committee will prepare a Parish Profile, a comprehensive document that tells our story. There will be ample opportunities for members of the congregation to have input into the search process through participating in upcoming parish town halls, surveys, and forums.
A transition belongs to every member of the parish, not just the Vestry or the committee. You can participate in this journey in three vital ways:
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Pray Continuously: Keep our parish, our future interim rector, and our discernment committee in your daily prayers. Ask God to grant us wisdom, patience, and open hearts.
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Engage Deeply: Participate in upcoming parish town halls, surveys, and forums. Your voice, your stories, and your dreams for this church matter immensely.
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Keep Showing Up: Continue to worship, contribute financially, serve in our ministries, feed the hungry, and welcome newcomers with the radiant grace that defines our community.
Jim Cassaro, Senior Warden
jpcassaro@gmail.com
| The deadline for submission of news and notices for the next issue is Friday, October 9, 2026. Please e-mail your text to calvary@calvarypgh.org or deliver it directly to the church office. | |
A Community House Meal for Residents of EECM
In the past Calvary has had a group that prepares and serves dinner one evening per month for the shelter residents at East End Cooperative Ministries (Broad Street in East Liberty), and we hope to be able to re-establish this ministry in the coming months. There will be a meeting to explore this idea on Saturday, October 10 at 10 a.m. in the Evans Room. Vicki Rispoli, our Christian Formation Director, has a good bit of experience with this project, and she will be there to talk with us. Others may have experience, too, and we hope that anyone who is interested in pursuing this ministry will come to the meeting on October 10. If you have questions, please contact Michael Salmon (oriolefish@gmail.com).
| | The 9, 11, and 4 p.m. services on All Saints’ Sunday, November 1, will include the reading of a list of the dead whom we prayerfully commend to God’s loving mercy. This list, sometimes called a Necrology, is compiled both from the parish records of those buried from Calvary in the past year, and by the submission of names by members of the congregation and wider community. If you wish to submit one or more names for inclusion on that list, please send it to Kim Pieratt in the Parish Office (kpieratt@calvarypgh.org) or leave a message at 412.661.0120, ext. 111, by Monday, October 26. (Please include pronunciation, if not self-evident, in emails, and spelling in voice-messages!) | | |
Long-time parishioners will know that the singing voices of children have been sorely missed in our services for some years. So it is exciting that interested children aged 5 and up will have an opportunity to work closely with Sarah Nadler and Guy Russo, focusing on everyone’s God-given instrument, their voices. Sarah and Guy are long-time section-leaders of the Calvary Choir, and also bring particular experience and expertise working with young children; they are familiar to many of Calvary’s children through their weekly assistance with music in the Children’s Liturgy of the Word each Sunday. Jon Tyillian and I will work alongside them, as well.
This new (and optional) offering is aimed at helping our children to cultivate their voices and skills in the hope of relaunching a program for young choristers here. They will gather at 9:15 on Sunday mornings in the Refectory. They will work together for 30-40 minutes, finishing in good time to transition to Christian Formation classes in the 10 o’clock hour. Singing as a group in church soon will be one of their first goals, and I eagerly look forward to hearing the group take shape and develop.
Interested parents are asked to be in touch with me by email with any questions (alewis@calvarypgh.org), or by using the QR Code below to register children on-line.
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The service of Evening Prayer (prayers at the end of the day’s work) will continue each Thursday in the All Saints Chapel at 6:30 p.m. through November 19. 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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Supporting Trinity Cathedral Walk-In Ministry
The Walk-In-Ministry needs women's and men's underwear in all sizes. The drop-off box is located in the reception area.
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Feeding Our Neighbors
Calvary Church continues to contribute non-perishable food to the food pantry at the East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM) throughout the year. These donations continue to be important, as the shelves aren’t always full. Particularly needed items this month are: peanut butter, jelly, canned corn, ramen, cold cereal, and any type of baking mix. Thank you for continuing to fill the grocery carts in the lobby and for helping our neighbors in East Liberty and the surrounding areas of the East End.
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Sundays at 10 a.m. beginning October 4
Gospel and Breakfast (20s, 30s, and 40s).
Gather for a breakfast snack and discussion about the day's gospel reading. Join us in the Evans Room on Level F.
What Does Wisdom Look Like:
Exploring the Book of Proverbs.
The class will discuss selected verses of this ancient collection, grouped by theme—talk, money, anger, marriage, friendship, etc. These Proverbs, known to Jesus and the Apostles, were originally written to help a person live a life of integrity in the world God has created. We will compare them to various Christian ideals in the New Testament. This class will be taught by Bob Owens (Emeritus Professor of Hebrew Bible, GTS) and will meet in McClintic Hall on Level G.
| | Join Us! Children’s Faith Formation classes are offered Sundays, 10:00 -10:50 AM. Visit www.calvaryfaithformation.org to learn more and register. | |
The Nursery is now OPEN and offered on Sundays, 8:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and special events as published. Registration required. Learn more at calvaryfaithformation.org/nursery.
| Children's Liturgy of the Word returns to the 11:00 AM service on Sunday, October 4. CLW is a special time for children to pray, ask questions, and hear the good news of God's love. CLW is designed for children ages 4–8. Older children are welcome to join as helpers. No registration is needed. After the Opening Prayer, children are invited to gather with our adult leaders and process to the Refectory. They return to their families at the Peace. Children should be able to rejoin their families with minimal assistance. Parents and caregivers are warmly encouraged to participate in CLW with any child who needs a little extra support or isn't yet comfortable attending on their own. | | |
All teens are invited to the Calvary breakfast potluck every 1st Sunday of the month!
Join us on October 4 (10:00–10:50 a.m.)
Who: All teens—new faces and old friends
Where: The Shoemaker Room (Level E)
What: A casual, social breakfast potluck to connect and relax together.
Bring: Any breakfast item to share
If your teen is new to Calvary or hasn’t been in a while, this is a perfect, no-pressure way to stop by and say “hi"
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Faith Formation Highlights
It was great to welcome back familiar faces and meet new friends this past Sunday! Our first session was about building community, getting to know the spaces where we'll pray and learn together, and settling into the rhythms that will shape the year.
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The youngest group started with an introduction to practical life activities. These are simple, everyday tasks like pouring water, polishing silver, grating soap, and arranging flowers.Through this work, children build coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order, and they learn to care for the room as their own. While Practical Life is an early focus, it remains foundational all year long, helping to settle a child or a group, nurturing independence, and developing the capacity for concentration and meditation.
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Level IIA welcomed new and returning children into the classroom community. As they arrived, children had the option to arrange flowers, then talked about the prayer table, the candle, and the Bible, and worked as a class to create guidelines for a respectful, joyful space.
| The older Level IIB class focused on establishing the rhythm of prayer that will open each session this year: gathering around the altar, settling into silence, and praying together, with students taking turns leading. The class then made "Welcome Back Waffles" with students measuring, pouring, and cleaning up. Besides filling the Refectory with the delicious aroma of fresh waffles, the students reconnected with each other and built a sense of community that will support them all year. To close, the group made a special goodbye card for Jonathon with their own drawings and messages. | The focus of the Level III lesson was helping students see Calvary as their church. They began the year by exploring the building and learning to appreciate it. The better students know these spaces, the more worship there will mean to them. They were introduced to Ralph Adams Cram, who designed Calvary on the belief that beautiful spaces change the people who worship in them. On the Feast of Saint Michael, Calvary's patron, students went on an angel hunt through the church, looking for the signs artists have always used to show Michael: armor, a sword or spear, and scales. The morning ended in the All Saints Chapel, where each student lit a candle and offered a silent prayer. | Thank you to the volunteers, catechists, clergy, and staff who worked hard over the summer to prepare--we look forward to another year of joyful learning together! | | |
We don’t want to rush 2026 along … but we’re excited to let you know that 2027 calendars are now in stock. Among them are the popular Episcopal Church Year Guide calendar and the Churchman’s Ordo Church Year Guide calendar, designed for tracking liturgical seasons, traditional feasts, fasts and daily scripture readings across the Anglican Communion.
If you’re looking online for your next great read, we would be delighted if you did it on bookshop.org, where a portion of your sale will benefit The Bookstore at Calvary. Just visit bookshop.org, type zip code 15206 in the Bookstore Near Me box, click on Calvary Bookstore, then the red Support this Shop! link. You can use the Search Bar to order any book at all and part of the proceeds from your order will go to the Calvary 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 visit, call the Bookstore at 412.661.0120, ext. 133 (please leave a message) or email bookstore@calvarypgh.org and we will contact you. | | |
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.
Please note that Contemplative Prayer will meet by Zoom only (no in person meeting) on November 9 and 16.
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Make sure you’re ready for the November 3 midterm election
• Have you moved or changed your name?
• Will you, or someone you know, turn 18 by election day?
• Has it been a while since you voted?
• Maybe you know somebody who needs to register.
• Maybe you just never got registered.
The deadline for registration is on October 19, but don’t wait.
To register, or check your registration status, go to: vote.pa.gov
Questions? Check the Vote Faithfully table in the Calvary Parish Hall, or Call Bob King at (412) 759-3776.
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Wednesday, October 7 –
“Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist"
Pittsburgh author Sherrie Flick will read from and discuss her recent memoir, which explores her Beaver Falls childhood, her coming of age as a writer in the 1990s, and how place and geography shaped her experience of sexism and formed her feminism. Flick lived on the East Coast, West Coast and Great Plains before circling back to Pittsburgh. Road trips, eight-ball pool, Andy Warhol Gen-X, food, faith, longing and loss are strung together across the 13 essays in “Homing,” published in 2024 by the University of Nebraska Press.
Wednesday, November 11 –
“The Mellons and Their Mansions"
Wednesday, December 2 –
“Pittsburgh Parlor Song”
All talks are at 7 p.m. and free to the public. Join us in the Parish Hall. Use Marchand Street entrance.
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Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
AA: Alcoholics Anonymous; CLASP: Calvary Lincoln After school Program;
ELL: English Language Learners; FLMH: Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti
Friday October 2, 2026
Remigius of Rheims, Bishop, c. 530
Saturday October 3, 2026
John Raleigh Mott, Ecumenist and Missionary, 1955
10:00 a.m Blessing of the Animals
Sunday October 4, 2026
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Holy Eucharist at 8, 9, and 11 a.m.
9:15 a.m. Children’s Music
10:00 a.m. Children/Youth Formation
10:00 a.m. Gospel and Breakfast (GAB)
10:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study
10:00 a.m. Teen Breakfast
10:00 a.m. Choir Warm-up
11:00 a.m. Children’s Liturgy
12:15 p.m. Coffee Hour
12:30 p.m. 20s, 30s, 40s Ministry Brunch
2:45 p.m. Choir Call
4:00 p.m. Evensong
Monday October 5, 2026
11:00 a.m. Marsha McElwain Funeral
6:00 p.m. Shadyside Community Partnership Meeting
7:00 p.m. Contemplative Prayer
Tuesday October 6, 2026
William Tyndale, Priest, 1536
11:00 a.m. Staff Meeting
1:00 p.m. Ann Knoop Funeral
7:00 p.m. AA Meeting
7:00 p.m. Spiritual Reflection
Wednesday October 7, 2026
Birgitta of Sweden, Mystic and Prophetic Witness, 1373
10:00 a.m. ELL Conversation Class
12:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
3:00 p.m. Toddler Playgroup
6:00 p.m. Interlude Group
7:00 p.m. East Liberty Valley Historical Society Lecture
Thursday October 8, 2026
6:30 p.m. Mahjong
6:30 p.m. Evening Prayer
7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
7:00 p.m. Prayer and Scripture
Friday October 9, 2026
Robert Grosseteste, Bishop, 1253
Agape Deadline
Saturday October 10, 2026
Vida Dutton Scudder, Educator, 1954
9:00 a.m. FLMH
10:00 a.m. Shelter Dinner Meeting
Sunday October 11, 2026
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
The Holy Eucharist at 8, 9, and 11 a.m.
9:15 a.m. Children’s Music
10:00 a.m. Children/Youth Formation
10:00 a.m. Gospel and Breakfast (GAB)
10:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study
10:00 a.m. Parish Council
10:00 a.m. Choir Warm-up
11:00 a.m. Children’s Liturgy
12:15 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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