• Some people had questions about the VPA and the answers are below.

  There were questions asked regarding the Virtual Parish Assembly. The questions and answers are as follows:
  I would welcome the Advisory Council's response to the final question posed by Fr. Tim. The question was regarding our future viability with the current 21% Mass attendance rate, and a 2.5:1, death to baptism ratio. Our challenge has many contributing factors and is shared by many religious institutions throughout our area and nationally.  We need to stem the decline and grow the parish.  We have institutions that we can learn a great deal from such as the non-denominational evangelical churches in our area who are growing.  The message spoken and demonstrated in those churches reinforce the message that “You are welcome here”.  The first part of our vision is “We Welcome All”.  Integral to our vision are ways we can make our parish more welcoming, inviting, and make everyone feel they truly belong.  This requires participation not just by the ushers, the greeters, or the priests, but by all parishioners. Helping people feel like they belong is a key focus in the first year of our new parish. Be it through a wave, a smile, a “would you like to join me?”  when you come to mass, or hopefully begin to congregate at fellowship events such as the young family social, the fish fry, or the festival. It will not happen overnight, and the pandemic has exacerbated the issue, but we must all work to make our parish a place that people come to be refreshed, feel comfortable, and want to
  become part of our community.  This is just the beginning; we must also foster an environment where people encounter Jesus and serve others.
  Should we consider more regionalization of Catholic elementary education to offset the parishes' school subsidy? Regionalization continues to be expanded throughout the Diocese. The North Regional Catholic Elementary Schools were the first and have realized savings through the regionalization and will continue to work to reduce costs and grow enrollment. Additionally, Bishop Zubik has established a special task force to establish a more equitable plan  to share the subsidy across all parishes. Today, across the North Region, more than 80% of the subsidy comes from our “host” parishes, (parishes who had schools that were merged) and that needs to change. For Blessed Trinity Academy, the host parishes are St. Mary, St. Ursula, and St. Bonaventure. In addition, the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2021/2022 shows a reduction in the subsidy for the North Regional Catholic Elementary Schools, including our parish grouping.
  Why can't we keep St. Mary of the Assumption? The St. Mary of the Assumption name will be retained for the Church Building.  The Bishop will make the final decision regarding the name of our new parish.
  With the reduced number of priests and active parishioners, why do will we still have the same number of buildings? Both Churches will remain active places of worship after the merger.  We are pursuing a sale of the St. Ursula school building.  Consideration of other buildings on each campus will start at the appropriate time following the merger.
  One staff change was mentioned - Director of Evangelization. Is there a strategy for this position? Embracing the parish vision, the Director of Evangelization will oversee the parish’s efforts to bring people to an encounter with Christ. The Director is responsible for developing a strategic plan to grow the parish community of the Glenshaw and Allison Park areas. This position advances the catechetical and evangelical programs that draw all to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and a more intimate understanding of the Catholic faith, wherever they are on their faith journey. The first 6 months will focus on children and families in the Faith Formation program. The Director of Evangelization will work with existing programs, such as Alpha, youth ministry, outreach, and RCIA, but also develop new evangelization efforts, such as small groups.
  I understand the church buildings will remain. What about the other buildings? Will the parish maintain an admin office at both churches? Both Churches will remain as active places of worship.  We are pursuing a sale of the St. Ursula school building. An administrative office will be maintained at both campuses for the foreseeable future. Consideration of other buildings on each campus will start at the appropriate time following the merger.
  How will this impact Blessed Trinity Academy? Since St. Bonnie's is a part of the campus along with St. Ursula's, do they play a role in the name assigned? The merger of St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Ursula Parishes will have no foreseen impact on Blessed Trinity Academy.   St. Bonaventure has no role in the naming of our new parish grouping.
  Could the members of the pastoral council be listed on the website or in the bulletin to facilitate contact from parishioners? This is a good suggestion, and we will list the members of both the finance and pastoral council members on the website.  Also, we will publish an email address for each council for parishioners to use to make suggestions and/or ask questions.
  Since we have been operating as two parishes for over 2.5 years with one administrator, why do we need to merge into a single parish? The collaboration of our two parishes over the past 2.5 years has been a significant benefit and is facilitating the legal and administrative process for the merger of the two parishes as deemed necessary by Bishop Zubik under the Diocesan wide Campaign for the Church Alive.
  If the churches have maintained ample attendance and are able to support themselves financially, shouldn't they have the opportunity to continue to operate independently with one administrator? As mentioned above, the merger of our two parishes is part of the Diocesan wide Campaign for the Church Alive.
  How many times was the Virtual Parish Assembly watched on the website/Facebook? The Virtual Parish Assembly was viewed a combined 700 times on the parish website and Facebook page.
  How many people asked for copies of a DVD of the Virtual Parish Assembly? DVDs were requested by one St. Ursula parishioner and three St. Mary of the Assumption parishioners.
  The parish grouping does not have a single Finance Council; Parish Finance Councils must remain separate until a merger happens.  As such, why weren't the numbers shown by parish?  They are published separately in the bulletin. The parish share slide and the discussion on the subsidy in the Q&A section were by parish.  For consistency, it might have been good to stick with numbers by parish. The financial statements were combined on a “pro-forma” basis to show what the combined entity would have looked like for the periods shown.  Until the time of the merger, separate finance councils and financial statements have been, and will be, maintained for each parish. Communication of ongoing financial information such as offertory and quarterly financial summaries will be shown by parish in the bulletin. Relative to the parishioner’s parish share and subsidy comments, point taken.
  Fr. Tim said in the Q&A section that St. Ursula was paying $7,500 in subsidy. That number is not correct. The St. Ursula subsidy to Blessed Trinity Academy is $75,000.  Fr. Tim inadvertently misspoke by saying the subsidy was $7,500.
  Fr. Tim mentions that every parish in the Diocese has merged. This is not true. In July 2020, St. Benedict the Moor was established as a personal parish for the Black Catholic community in the diocese of Pittsburgh. The Shrine parishes are in a single grouping with common leadership.  Additional mergers are expected to take place after July 2021.
  Will funds for Church Alive be restricted for use by the church in whose name gift was given?  Remaining Funds in the Church Alive accounts will continue to be utilized by the Church in whose name contributions were made in accordance with the Case Statements.
  Will bequest be restricted to the church for whom bequest was made? Bequests will continue to be utilized in accordance with the purpose stipulated in the bequest document, if any.
  My question is how can we not choose Blessed Family for our new parish name? Our parish grouping submitted the Top 5 names for the new parish based on the parishioners’ feedback.  The Bishop will make the final decision regarding the name of the new parish.
  Is July 1, 2021, the date St. Mary of the Assumption & St. Ursula will go under a new name? Yes.
  What is the date of the 200^th Anniversary of the celebration of the first mass in our community? From 1834 until mid-1840, St. Mary of the Assumption was a “mission parish” of St. Patrick and St Philomena (of the Strip District).  St Mary of the Assumption was established as a separate parish on August 15, 1840.  We are unable to identify the date of the first Mass being celebrated.  We will officially celebrate the 200^th Anniversary of the parish on August 15, 2040.
  What areas of expertise do the members of the Senior Leadership Team bring to the team? The SLT exists to ensure that the Vision of the parish is integrated and executed in all aspects of parish life. Therefore the primary qualification of an SLT member is a passion for the Vision of the parish and our Catholic faith. In addition, an SLT member has to be someone with good common sense, strong organizational skills, and someone who understands and believes in the power of the Holy Spirit.
  What does Fr. Tim mean when he references, we should not be a social club? The number one reason why our parish exists is so that Jesus Christ is better known, loved, and served. Consequently, if our neighbors think of us only as a place to play bingo or go for a Fish Fry, then we have ceased to be a “light” in the community and are not much different than the local Fire Hall. 
  Where do we go from here? What is the "vision" for our parish for the future of our union with St. Ursula and St. Mary? Based on the positive feedback that we have received from many parishioners following our VPA, we would hope that many understand that our goal is to become united in our efforts to be a parish where all feel welcome and where their faith is nurtured and shared. The VPA addressed this core message, but we realize that this is a message that needs to be not only repeated but lived and demonstrated in many ways.