THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHEPARCHY OF PITTSBURGH
how are you?, part two
Inside
More thoughts from faithful on living through a pandemic Page 4
VOL. 65
honoring the fallen Priests of the Archeparchy bless graves on Memorial Day Page 6 to 7
Welcome home faithful return to parishes as coronavirus restrictions eased
NO. 7
JULY 2020
“you’re a grand old flag” Old Glory waves proudly on Flag Day Page 9
Longing and caution not everyone in italy is ready to return by Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
past his house in Mount Lebanon, Pa. "I was so very surprised. You could have bowled me over. They kept it a secret from me...of all the people who ever knew about it, nobody 'spilled it out'. I knew nothing about it," George said. "They wouldn't let me go outside where they had all the preparations and everything. Then I heard someone say,
VATICAN CITY — When Italy began allowing Masses with the faithful again, Pope Francis stopped livestreaming his early morning liturgy, encouraging people to return to Mass in person. Three weeks later, at his Angelus address, he reminded Catholics that "it remains necessary to follow the rules in force carefully because they are rules that help us to prevent the virus from gaining ground" again. The opportunity to return to Mass -- with restrictions -- since May 18, and the need for ongoing vigilance to control the COVID-19 pandemic have combined in Italy to create a situation in which some people rushed back to Mass and others were convinced it was too soon to be safe. The fear factor naturally has a geographical component, looming larger in cities and towns that lost more of their people to the virus. Msgr. Fabio Zucchelli, pastor of the cathedral in Bergamo -- the epicenter of Italy's contagion and death -- said the first Mass with a congregation "was a moment of joy," but there also was a nagging sense of "exhaustion, of feeling a bit lost because of the destruction, remembering all those who died and those who are still sick." The province of Bergamo has a population of about 1.1 million people; as of June 9, the number of people who had contracted COVID-19 was 13,661 and 3,098 had died. The government-imposed regulations for social distancing
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Parishes of the Archeparchy welcomed back faithful starting the weekend of May 30 to 31, as restrictions due to the coronavirus were eased. Clockwise from left: St. Elias in Munhall, Pa.; Very Rev. Andrew Deskevich delivers homily at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, Pa.; and masks, hand sanitizer and an electronic thermometer greet parishioners at St. Gregory in Upper St. Clair, Pa.
Singing God’s praises through life st. gregory cantor george tichi celebrates 90 years by David Mayernik Jr. Editor
After George Tichi left the operating room following bypass surgery to alleviate blocked arteries in 2000, the first words out of his mouth was a Troparion. "When I was coming out of the anesthetic, I vaguely remember I was singing the Troparion from Theophany," said the cantor at St. Gregory in Upper St. Clair, Pa. of 45 years. "The nurses and doctor were
startled; (they) wanted to know what I was saying. The nurse there recognized the melody as being a religious melody. “I still know the Slavonic rendition of it today. I can sing it off the top of my head." After turning 90 years old May 24, George is still using his voice to praise God. The coronavirus situation didn't put a damper on his birthday party, as 34 honking cars filled with family and friends from St. Gregory drove