O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurection. Amen

In prayerful and sacrificial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bishop David Zubik has called for a diocesan Day of Fasting to take place on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 and a diocesan Day of Prayer on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

The Annunciation of Our Lord ~ March 25

THE OTHER SIDE OF CORONA: A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE CHURCH OF PITTSBURGH by BISHOP DAVID A. ZUBIK on MARCH 20, 2020

The Guatemala Mission of St. Matthias will be offering Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Roasts for sale in support of the Children of Patzun Guatemala. Roasts average in weight between 3 and 4 pounds and cost $7.99 per pound. Distribution will be on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020 at St. Ann and St. Hugh between 9:00 and 10:00 am. Email your order to: missionlambsales@gmail.com. Please specify: Your name, phone number, number of roasts requested, the church you will be picking up your order (St. Ann or St. Hugh). Once your order has been received, it will be verified with an acknowledged email. Orders must be received no later than March 29, 2020. Thank you for your continuing support and prayers for the Children of Patzun.

Jeff Cavins will be leading a LIVE rosary today at 4 p.m. EST on Ascension’s Facebook page. Pope Francis has invited all Catholics to pray the Luminous Mysteries together at the same time for a swift end to the Coronavirus pandemic. The time he has invited Catholics to pray is 9 p.m. Rome time, which is 4 p.m. for the Eastern United States (3 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Mountain, 1 p.m. Pacific). Please go to Ascension’s Facebook page at 4 p.m. EST and join us live. You will not need a Facebook account to watch the video, but you will need an account to comment on the video or "like" it. We plan to have a rosary every day for the next two weeks at the same time. Our words hold power to bless and uplift the hearts of others. We invite you to type an encouraging or prayerful message in the chat, or simply “like” the video so it reaches even more Catholics. We hope to see you all there as Catholics all around the world join together to pray the Most Holy Rosary for an end to this global scourge. In Christ, –The Ascension Team

St. Joseph ~ March 19 ~ Feast Day & Prayer: Joseph, strengthen in our family every bond of love which unites us -- the marriage bond, the love of parent and child, the bonds of mutual love between all. Joseph, protect our family from every danger from without and from every threat to peace, unity and harmony within. Joseph, teach us to be kind and loving towards one another, careful for one another, tolerant of one another, forgiving towards one another. Joseph, may contentment with our lot and joy in each other abound in our house, as we seek faithfully to serve and greatly to love God. Joseph, be you yourself a father towards the family of ours, and pray Mary be a mother to us. Amen.

WATCH MOVIES on Formed.org for FREE! Registering for FORMED is easier than ever: Go to formed.org/signup Select your parish (type "Greene County" to find our parish) Register with your name and email address Check that email account for a link to begin using FORMED ~ You're all set to enjoy the inspiring content on FORMED for all ages!

Most Merciful and Triune God, We come to You in our weakness. We come to You in our fear. We come to You with trust. For You alone are our hope. We place before You the disease present in our world. We turn to You in our time of need. Bring wisdom to doctors. Give understanding to scientists. Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity. Bring healing to those who are ill. Protect those who are most at risk. Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one. Welcome those who have died into Your Eternal Home. Stabilize our communities. Unite us in our compassion. Remove all fear from our hearts. Fill us with confidence in Your care. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.

St. Patrick's Day ~ March 17

This year during our first Lent as the new parish of St. Matthias, we hope to provide opportunities to pray together and grow as a community of faith. One special event that is scheduled is a three day Parish Mission with Megan McKenna as the main speaker. She is a story-teller/theologian, and author who has given retreats all over the world. Her emphasis on being saved as a community is most important. This three-day event will begin: Friday, March 27, 7:00pm ~ St. Ann, Waynesburg Saturday, March 28, 7:00pm ~ St. Hugh, Carmichaels (after 6pm Mass) Sunday, March 29, after 11:30am Mass ~ St. Ignatius, Bobtown Sunday, March 29, 7:00pm ~ St. Marcellus, Jefferson **Refreshments will be served in the Social Hall following each talk. Please pray for the unity of the Parish as we move forward.

Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 2:00 pm on St. Marcellus Social Hall, Jefferson. Admission: $20 ~ Proceeds will benefit the Religious Education Classes of St. Matthias Parish. Last year the bingo brought in over $3,000. Basket donations are needed. We need twenty baskets with a value of $50 or more and five baskets with a value of $100 or more. Additionally, donations for the kitchen are appreciated: hot dogs, buns, sloppy joes, ham bbq, etc., desserts, pop, water, paper products. If you are able to donate a basket or kitchen supplies, please call Deacon Bert at 412-691-0890 as soon as possible.

PLEASE JOIN US!! St. Matthias Respect Life Group on Tuesday, March 31st, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at Planned Parenthood in Pittsburgh. A caravan will be leaving Big Lots parking lot in Waynesburg at 11:00 am. For more information, please contact: Kim Cardella at 724-998-6071 or St. Ann Office at 724-627-7568.

Thank you to all St. Ignatius CCD students who participated in collecting for the Catholic Charities Greene County Pregnancy & Parenting Program and for the Humane Society of Greene County.

Fr. "Larry" Holpp (May 1, 1934 ~ February 12, 2020: Ordained to the Priesthood on June 30, 1962) served as Pastor of the parishes of Saint Joseph, Saint Martha Mission and Saint Ignatius of Antioch. The Administer of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Parish for six years, he became a member of its Team Ministry in July 2015, at which time he was also named to the Team Ministry for the parishes of Saint Thomas, Saint Ann, Our Lady of Consolation and Saint Hugh. During his career, he served as Chaplain of the State Correctional Institution in Greene County for three years. Reverend Holpp’s personal faith, leadership and spiritual guidance have enabled the churches he served to become vital and inspiring presences in the community, and he deserves deep appreciation for his devotion and commitment. ~ Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. ~ “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 7:17

Thanks to your efforts this year, more dollars have been raised, more lives have been changed and the nation has seen the impact of people working together to help those in need. Thank you for working to transform the time around the Super Bowl into the nation’s largest celebration of giving and serving. The CCD Middle School and Confirmation Students of St. Hugh Worship Site collected a Grand Total of $996.85 to be distributed to local food banks and our own St. Anthony’s Bread Fund. Thank you very much for your generosity!!

Congratulations to the Third Grade St. Ann CCD Class for collecting the most items for the Food Drive in the fall 2019. An Ice Cream Sunday Party was held last Sunday for ALL CCD Students in celebration of ALL their efforts to make this drive so successful! Thank you!!

Join us in celebrating National Marriage Week (February 7-14, 2020) by taking a few moments each day, together with your spouse, to reflect and pray. This year’s theme is Stories from the Domestic Church. This retreat will help you further reflect on how you and your spouse share in the particular calling to build up the Body of Christ and form a domestic church (cf. LG, 11). For more instruction or inspiration, visit foryourmarriage.org or marriageuniqueforareason.org.

The Catholic Truth about Angels, Demons, Ghosts and Hauntings: Wednesday, February 19, 7:00PM at St. Hilary Church, 320 Henderson Ave., Washington, PA 15301. Please join us for a fascinating talk on what the Church really teaches about angels, demons, ghosts, exorcisms, and hauntings. In this presentation, Dave VanVickle will draw from his extensive experience assisting priests in their ministries of exorcism and deliverance and from his study of Church teaching. Dave clears up the many misunderstandings surrounding this topic during this thorough and dynamic presentation on the world of evil and the unfathomable power of the mercy of God flowing through his priests. After the talk there will be a time for questions. You will not want to miss this!

The Infant Needs Drive, sponsored by St. Matthias CCD students, collected a whopping $1,680 (estimated) worth of items to deliver to Catholic Charities & The Crisis Pregnancy Center! Thank you to everyone who donated to this beautiful cause. Thank you to Mike & Kim Cardella (pictured) and Judy Milinovich who delivered the products. Thank you to all the CCD students, Linette Kerr and CCD parents for making this such a success. God Bless every one of you! Please continue to pray for the souls of the unborn and for expectant mothers, who are contemplating their pregnancies, that they choose life.