Message from the Pastor
  
Over the last two weeks, I have shared the financial and facilities challenges facing our parish. For the past three decades, the former parish communities of St. Charles Lwanga, St. James, and St. Bede — now united as St. Mary Magdalene Parish — have faced mounting maintenance needs. Due to significant costs, many of these projects were deferred and now total approximately $2.7 million. Our most urgent concern is the ceiling at Mother of Good Counsel Church; deteriorating ceiling tiles and support rods began falling into the seating areas of the church, rendering the building unsafe for use. Similar structural issues persist across our other sites as well. In the interest of transparency and stewardship, this week’s update focuses on our parish facilities, their current uses, and the role they play in our daily operations.  
 
St. James campus in Wilkinsburg includes:
 
A 900-seat church and a lower-level chapel with a 100-person capacity, which also serves as a small hall for parish events. Currently, our weekly 4pm Saturday Vigil Mass at St. James Church draws an average attendance of 90 people.   

A Ministry Center — housed in the former convent — which provides vital social services, including a community food pantry. 
 
The former St. James School building is now home to Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Academy, operated by the Extra Mile Foundation. 
 
St. James rectory provides residence for priests. 
 
While the parish maintains responsibility for the upkeep of all campus buildings, in the school building, operational costs such as utilities are shared with the Academy. 
 
St. Bede campus in Point Breeze includes: 
 
A 575-seat church, which serves as the location for daily Mass Monday-Saturday. Additionally, there is weekly Confession and Eucharistic Adoration every Saturday morning from 9:30 to 10:30am. Currently our weekly Sunday 11am Mass draws an average attendance of 200 people. 

St. Bede School includes a cafeteria and a modern gymnasium and an attached Activities Room, accommodating groups of 20-30, which is used for both school and parish meetings. The parish oversees the building’s upkeep and shares operational costs — such as utilities — with the school.
 
St. Bede rectory serves as a residence for one priest and the central office for St. Mary Magdalene Parish. 
  
Mother of Good Counsel campus in Homewood includes: 
 
A 200-seat church. No other facilities exist on the campus of MOGC. Since July, to ensure everyone’s safety following the ceiling issues at Mother of Good Counsel, we continue to celebrate 9am Mass at St. Bede Church. This Mass draws an average attendance of around 70 people.  
 
In Summary: 
 
When we look at our parish as a whole, we see about 370 faithful gathering for our three weekend Masses. While our community is vibrant, we must be honest about our financial reality: since at least 2020, our operational costs and maintenance needs have consistently exceeded our offertory income. We were fortunate to receive one-time tax credits last autumn, which will keep us in the black for this current fiscal year. However, this is a temporary reprieve. Without a sustainable increase in income, we will face an operational deficit again in the coming year.  
 
Looking Forward:
 
As we look toward the future, we must address several critical questions. On the operational side, we need to determine how to balance our budget, address our long-term maintenance needs, and optimize the use of our facilities. We also need to address next steps with Mother of Good Counsel church. Simultaneously, we must focus on our mission: Where are our greatest opportunities for evangelization and outreach? How can we best serve the 
spiritual and pastoral needs of our parishioners and our neighbors?  

Please join me on April 21 at 6pm in the St. James Chapel, where I will share the next steps for our parish community.
                          
Blessings,

Fr. Larry