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Sunday, November 8, 2026
The Twenty-fourth
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]
| | The deadline for submission of news and notices for the next issue is Friday, November 6, 2026. Please e-mail your text to calvary@calvarypgh.org or deliver it directly to the church office. | |
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Discernment Committee Approved
At its meeting on October 26, 2026, the Vestry approved the membership of the Discernment Committee, the group that will conduct the search for our new Rector. The members of the Committee are Mary Lou Southwood, chair, Charlie Atwood, Adam Bailey, Julie Dixon-Ernst, Jack Gocke, Nick Manning, and Laura Marchl. The Senior Warden serves on the Committee ex officio. On November 8, 2026, at the 11 o'clock service, the Committee will be commissioned as we have done with acolytes and catechists. Once commissioned, the Committee will begin its work.
–Jim Cassaro, Senior Warden, jpcassaro@gmail.com
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As our stewardship campaign continues, we want to express our gratitude to the many parishioners who have already submitted their pledges. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and generous commitment to the life and ministry of our parish. As of November 3, we have received 132 pledges totaling $527,386.
Over the past Sundays, members of our community have shared why they choose to pledge to Calvary. A common thread connects their stories: Calvary is home. Home is where we gather around God's table, celebrate baptisms and weddings, mourn losses, grow in faith, and serve our neighbors. It is a place of belonging and welcome.
Your financial support enables our parish to continue being a home where worship, formation, fellowship, beauty, and outreach can thrive. Every pledge, regardless of the amount, strengthens our shared ministry and supports the mission to which God calls us.
If you have not yet made your pledge, there is still time to contribute! We invite you to prayerfully consider how God is calling you to support the ministries that make our parish a true home for so many.
Thank you for your generosity and for all the ways you contribute to making this parish your home.
For more information or to pledge online,
please visit https://www.calvarypgh.org/pledge-form
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EECM Shelter Dinner
Come cook with us! On the second Saturday of each month, we gather in the Calvary kitchen to prepare a warm dinner for our neighbors staying at the East End Cooperative Ministry’s Shelter. Then we deliver the meal to EECM and serve it.
We need more hands to make this happen, both in the kitchen and at EECM serving the meal. No cooking experience is needed, just a willingness to pitch in. Come on your own or bring a friend or your family.
Next meal: Saturday, November 14, 3:00–6:00 p.m.
To join our volunteer list or learn more, contact Michael Salmon (oriolefish@gmail.com) or Vicki Rispoli (vrispoli@calvarypgh.org).
We hope you’ll join us!
Sign Up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094AACA828A7FD0-66626726-eecm
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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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It's Time to Collect Coats for the Cold!
Support our ministry partner Trinity Cathedral Walk-In Ministry by donating new or gently used coats and winter wear, including hats, scarves, and gloves. Every coat donated goes to someone who is in need. We will be collecting coats and winter wear through the end of January. The drop-off location is across from the reception desk. Please make sure any donation for the Trinity Walk-In Ministry is placed in the box labeled for the Walk-In Ministry. If you have any questions, please contact The Rev. Bonnie-Marie.
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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: ramen, cold cereal, peanut butter, corn, and garbanzo beans. 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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There will be no Formation classes
on Sunday, November 8
as we conclude the Annual Bazaar sales.
Classes will resume on Sunday, November 15
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, General Theological Seminary) and will meet in McClintic Hall on Level G.
| | Please note: Faith Formation, Children’s Choir and Children's Liturgy of the Word will NOT be offered this Sunday due to the Bazaar. Regular programming resumes next Sunday. | |
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.
| Christmas Pageant Sign-Up | |
Calvary’s Annual Christmas Pageant will be held during the 11:00 AM service on Sunday, December 20. If you are interested in participating, please sign up here:
https://forms.gle/9F4F2NNqWAZ6K3W3A
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Faith Formation Highlights
| | Last week, Miss Elsa’s class continued their practical life work. These activities build the concentration and independence young children need, and the calm that prepares them for prayer. The class then gathered at the prayer table to celebrate All Saints’ Day. They noticed that the prayer cloth had changed from green to white, the color of our biggest feast days, and discovered that a saint is someone who belongs to God and lets God’s love shine through them: not perfect, but trying. The class closed with a prayer of thanks, and enjoyed All Saints’ Day cupcakes for a special treat. | | |
The students in Level IIA also celebrated All Saints’ Day, going deeper into what it means to belong to the communion of saints: God’s whole family, both here on earth and now with God, joined together in Christ. They learned that most saints are ordinary people who love God and others, and that baptism welcomes new saints into this family. They then walked to All Saints Chapel, where they looked for the names of people who loved Jesus and lit candles as prayers. Back in the classroom, each student named one way to live like a saint this week, remembering that being a saint doesn’t mean being perfect, but continuing to try. After a choice of Saint Bingo or other quiet activities, the class ended with cupcakes and the blessing: “You are loved by God. You are part of the communion of saints. Let God’s light shine through you.”
| Upstairs in the Refectory, Levels IIB and III celebrated the feast together with a morning of baking, as older and younger students worked side by side to make soul cakes (recipe here). While the cakes baked, they learned that a saint is someone God’s light shines through and that all of us are called to be saints. They also explored Allhallowtide, the three holy days that begin with Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before the feast. All Saints’ Day follows as a joyful celebration of all of God’s saints, and All Souls’ Day is a time to remember people we love who have died. Next, they heard the story of “souling” in medieval England, when children and the poor went door to door receiving these small spiced cakes, offering songs and prayers in return. The cross on each cake marks it as a gift for someone in need. Between jobs, students ground and grated spices, colored saint pages on light tables, and decorated dog bones for the Bazaar. Each student went home with a card to continue the conversation and a second cake to give away. | For more about what we do in class each week,
check out our blog here!
https://www.calvaryfaithformation.org/blog | | |
Kate Bowler’s latest book, Joyful, Anyway, has landed in the Bookstore, and is filled with her irreverent, humorous approach to life. Drawing on her personal experience and input from historians, philosophers and theologians, Bowler presents a new understanding of joy, something that is different from happiness and does not depend on resolving life’s difficulties.
Stop by for a look at our refreshed selection of cards, including Thanksgiving greeting cards. As always, they are beautiful, tasteful, reasonably priced and eco-friendly.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the mega-sellers for your online book shopping, visit 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 16.
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Wednesday, November 11 –
“The Mellons and Their Mansions"
For a century and a half, the Mellons were the most influential family in the Pittsburgh area; the Mellon name adorns landmarks across the region, and their wealth has funded countless public and private initiatives. But on a personal level, the family often has shunned the limelight. Nolan Grimes' illustrated talk will explore the Mellons' extensive family tree and the numerous mansions they once owned across Pittsburgh's East End, from Highland Park to Shadyside to Squirrel Hill, as well as the grand estates they still occupy in the Ligonier Valley. Mr. Grimes is Carnegie Mellon University's Facilities Archives and GIS Manager.
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 November 6, 2026
William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1944
Agape Deadline
Saturday November 7, 2026
Willibrord, Bishop and Missionary, 739
10:00 a.m. Calvary Community Bazaar
Sunday November 8, 2026
The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Bazaar After-Sale
The Holy Eucharist at 8, 9, and 11 a.m.
9:15 a.m. NO Children’s Music
10:00 a.m. Diocesan Deputies Meeting
10:00 a.m. NO Children/Youth Formation
10:00 a.m. NO Gospel & Breakfast (GAB)
10:00 a.m. NO Adult Bible Study
10:00 a.m. Choir Warm-up
11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Commissioning of the Discernment Committee
12:15 p.m. Coffee
Monday November 9, 2026
Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, and Margery Kempe,
Mystics, 1349, 1396, and c. 1440
The Church and offices will be closed.
Tuesday November 10, 2026
Leo of Rome, Bishop, 461
11:00 a.m. Staff Meeting
6:30 p.m. Finance Committee
7:00 p.m. AA Meeting
7:00 p.m. Coventry Circle
Wednesday November 11, 2026
Martin of Tours, Bishop, 397
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
6:00 p.m. Discernment Committee
7:00 p.m. East Liberty Valley Historical Society Lecture
Thursday November 12, 2026
Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836
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 November 13, 2026
9:00 a.m. Soup Group
6:00 p.m. 20s, 30s, 40s Friendsgiving
Saturday November 14, 2026
The Consecration of Samuel Seabury, 1784
8:30 a.m. Diocesan Convention
9:00 a.m. FLMH
2:30 p.m. Shelter Dinner Prep
Sunday November 15, 2026
The Twenty-fifth 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. 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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