Our Lady of Grace parish is
best defined by its people and its mission. From the time the parish was
first formed by Father Nicola Albanese to the present under the capable
leadership of Father Ray, the Mission of the parish has been "To
hear the Word of God and live it." What is true today of the parish
family of Our Lady of Grace was always true and was apparent in the
founding community who identified itself with the little Church in
Hilltop.
Any parish community is composed of many different parts, of
different personalities, of different spiritualities. A familiar hymn
reminds us, "We are many parts, we are all one Body." What
makes Our Lady of Grace special is the one Body it forms is the Body of
Christ.
This parish is much like a stained glass window which is comprised of
many different facets, many different hues. It is not the individual
pieces which give the window beauty, but is rather God’s light flowing
through the colored glass which reveals a beautiful image. The
individual pieces reveal a rich history, a present reality, as well as
space to insert what is to come in the future.
The history section of this mythical window revolves around the
little Church at the corner of Tremont and Highland and the people who
first formed the parish under the leadership of Father Albanese. It
reveals a tight-knit Italian community in the early 1900’s trying to
maintain a culture conditioned by their Catholic religion., all the
while trying to merge into the American reality around them. Their
pastor was more than a spiritual leader; he was a father who led them,
cajoled them, and even scolded them as they developed into an
Italian-American community.
A connecting section of the window shows a piece of farmland, the
Byers Estate. The figures in the window are recognizable as Bishop
Connare and Father Ginocchi. A new Our Lady of Grace Church is outlined
there, dated 1964. The parish had grown and so had Greensburg. It became
important for the entire Diocese of Greensburg to have a parish located
on the eastern side of the city to accommodate that rapidly developing
area. As a result, in 1966 the parish took on a new identity as a
"territorial" parish, one which welcomed and served people of
all nationalities. In 1968 Father Meighen was appointed pastor. After
Father Meighen’s untimely death in 1974, Father Chupela became the
spiritual leader. He was followed by Father Donahue in 1983 and by
Father Larry Kiniry in 1988. In the window there are bright pieces of
celebration and dark hues of sacrifice and pain. There are many, many
pieces revealing a growing parish.
The part of the window we identify as PRESENT shows a community of
faith gathered around Bishop Bosco at the doors of the new Worship Site,
the new Our Lady of Grace Church. It is the day of dedication. It is the
day of re-dedication of the entire parish to the continuing reality of
its mission, "To hear the Word of God and keep it."
But there are other sections still waiting to be completed... the
future. Already, we see evidence of young families and youth joining the
elders among us. We see opportunities which provide a continuing social
justice outreach. We see small Christian Communities sharing faith
regularly. We see Sunday worship as the center ol our parish life, and
much more that only the future will reveal in its entirety.
When we step back to view our window, we recognize that it is the
light shining through it which reveals its beauty, a light which is not
of our doing.. it is the Lord’s light. What is the image we see? None
other than Our Lady of Grace with hands reaching to heaven in
supplication for us, praying that we may continue to "Hear the Word
of God and live it" always for the glory of God.
