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Preparations for the 82nd Annual Pilgrimage are in full swing! Thanks to Sr. Josifa Simova for taking these wonderful photos!

Pope Francis’ Year of Consecrated Life closed on the World Day of Consecrated Life, February 2, 2016. The Byzantine Catholic Serra Club chose this year to honor 44 religious, including Basilian and Benedictine sisters, Brother Michael Zetzer, OSB and Abbot Leo Schlosser, OSB on Sunday, May 22. This time of appreciation began with a prayer service in the Monastery Chapel.

These Consecrated religious have served our Metropolia for over 2,515 years, and the Byzantine Serrans thought that a time of appreciation was long overdue. Of the 44 honored, 28 were able to celebrate with us. Byzantine Serra President Patricia Bovee presented each honoree with a certificate of appreciation, which indicated the years each served. Certificates were sent or carried to those who could not be present. Pictures were taken and Serrans mingled with the honorees at the catered dinner that followed in the Monastery dining room at Mount St. Macrina.

Members of the Catholic Daughters of America from Court St. Anne de Beaupre and Court Dolores entered the Holy Doors at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the House of Prayer May 25.  The women, from Bentleyville and Brownsville Pa., spent time in prayer and enjoyed a tour and luncheon before visiting the Religious Gift Shop. Catholic groups from the greater area are arriving to pray at this Holy Door site at Mount St. Macrina House of Prayer. Call 724-438-7149 for reservations.

Mount St. Macrina Cemetery will hold its annual Memorial Day services on Monday, May 30, 2016. The Divine Liturgy will be offered by the Sisters of St. Basil in their chapel for all military personnel and for all those interred in the cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend the prayer service to be held in the cemetery at 11:00 a.m. Military Honors will be provided by the members of AMVETS Post 103 Honor Guard.

During the National Pike Festival, the Thompson Mansion/House of Prayer will be open for guided tours on Sun., May 22. Cost: Adults-$12; Children – $5

For further information about the festival, visit http://nationalroadpa.org/news-events.

We raise up the generations of men and women who have given their lives to the service to the Church as religious and monastic sisters, brothers, and priests.  Their commitment has made the church possible.

Read about our communities here Celebrating the Gift of Religious Life

Sister Vitalia would have celebrated her 107^th birthday in early June. Instead, she celebrated her patronal Feast Day by entering into the Heavenly Kingdom on Friday morning, April 22, 2016. Sister Vitalia entered the community in Elmhurst, Pa., in 1930, when the community was only in existence nine years, so she was one of the first vocations to answer the call to the Sisters of St. Basil.

The daughter of the late Stephen and Anna (Belley) Tomcho, Sister Vitalia was born in Walhonding, Ohio. She entered the Sisters of St. Basil from St. Gregory Church in Lakewood, OH on October 27, 1930. She pronounced her First Vows on August 30, 1932 and made her Solemn Perpetual Profession on August 21, 1938 in the presence of Bishop Basil Takach of blessed memory.

In her vocation story which was published a few years ago, Sister Vitalia stated that teaching became her lifelong work. In fact, at the time of her retirement from active ministry, Sister had the distinction of offering the longest active service of any of the Sisters in community. Her teaching ministry spanned 67 years, most of these as a full-time teacher and/or principal. Only the last few years were spent in tutoring on a part time basis. Although Sister liked all the places where she was sent, her favorite time and place was teaching the sciences and math at Mount St. Macrina Academy in the 1950’s. It was a great joy for her when the Alumnae returned to the Mount for their reunions and took the time to visit with her. Among the things she enjoyed were trips to the shore, visiting her late sister, good food, and even cooking it. She truly enjoyed life and the people she met throughout her life.

Sister Vitalia spent the last nine years of her life as a resident at Mount Macrina Manor. When visiting her, she could often be found fingering her rosary beads, but she was always ready for a chat. Over the years, Sister became well-known to many of the caregivers. It was touching to see that during her last hours on earth, quite a few of them stopped by her room for a final farewell.

Sister Vitalia was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Michael and Stephen, and her sister Mary Hausman. In addition to her Sisters in community, she is survived by her devoted niece Barbara Akins. The Parastas Service will be celebrated on Friday evening, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Divine Liturgy will be offered on Saturday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. by the Very Reverend Andrew Deskevich, Protosyncellus of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, with Rev. Michael Huszti as concelebrant.

June 24-26, 2016

Mount St. Macrina, Uniontown, Pa.

This Catholic retreat for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, themed The Heart & Soul of the Gospel, is for males and females, ages 18-35, both singles and married couples are welcome.

Offering is $100. Registration is due on June 17, 2016. Each participant will receive the book Rediscover Jesus: An Invitation.

To register, follow this link: Young Adult Flyer & Reg Form

In response to Pope Francis’ call for Catholics to seek and experience God’s mercy through a Jubilee Year of Mercy, Archbishop William C. Skurla opened the Holy Door of Mercy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help located in the House of Prayer at Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, Pa. The door was open on Sat., Mar. 19 at 10 a.m. and will remain open through the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Mercy on Nov. 20, 2016.

A reception was held immediately following.

The chapel of Mount St. Macrina suffered water damage in November from a rusted water tank in the bathroom on the second floor. The linoleum floor had to be removed and the original floor was sanded and restored. The beams and the murals were cleaned and repaired by a professional restoration company before the pews were returned to the chapel, just a day before the first Lenten retreat program.