Hello! Welcome to North American Martyrs Parish Website. As of September 4, 2010, Bishop Zubik has decreed that North American Martyrs Parish, Monroeville, and St. Michael Parish, Pitcairn, would join to become one parish under the name of North American Martyrs Parish. This merger has been long in the making since my predecessors, Fr. Tom Lewandowski, the former pastor of North American Martyrs and Fr. Dave Poecking, the former pastor of St.Michael, Pitcairn, began meeting with Diocesan officials about the Envisioning Ministry process as early as January 2009. I took over on October 1, 2009, when I was appointed pastor of both parishes.

After many meetings with the Envisioning Ministry team, (consisting of three members of North American Martyrs Parish and three members of St. Michael Parish) after 40 interviews with the Appreciative Inquiry Process, after a town hall meeting at each parish last fall, after a revision of the Mass schedule of both parishes on April 10, 2010, after a lengthy phase of getting consultation form feedback regarding the consolidated parish's name, after two priest council meetings with Bishop Zubik, it's official! North American Martyrs Parish is the new parish's name while keeping St. Michael Church and North American Martyrs Church/School.

Some steps have already been taken to ensure greater unity in our newly merged parish. In October 2009, Pat Cepec, the secretary of St.Michael Church, began meeting with me and the other members of the North American Martyrs Staff at our bi-weekly staff meetings. The Finance Council worked with me to hire a full-time business manager, Joe Cepec (Pat's brother-in-law) to manage both St. Michael's and North American Martyrs. The budget that Joe proposed (and I approved) in May before our Finance Council, is a combined budget for both churches for this fiscal year. I have selected members of the new Finance Council which has members from both churches and we will be meeting on September 21 for our next quarterly meeting. Fr. Ed Yuhas, pastor of St. Bernadette, Monroeville, and I have selected a new full-time youth minister, Lauren Gates, who began serving the needs both of St. Bernadette's, North American Martyrs and St.Michael's on August 1.

There is still much for us to do to work toward unity in both churches. I hope to have a Ministry Fair on the same weekend at both churches later this Fall. This will allow members of both churches to see what is available at "the other church" as we hope to increase the number of volunteers in our various parish organizations and ministries. In addition, beginning on this first weekend of September, there is the first of a series of inserts on "What is a Parish Pastoral Council?" The discernment and selection phase of pastoral council members from each church will occur in October.

There is a Parish Mission planned for October 18-20 which should help unify members of both churches. Also, the Anointing of the Sick Mass on October 10 at St. Michael Church, the Remembrance Mass on November 3 at North American Martyrs and the consolidation of the St. Michael CCD program with the North American Martyrs CCD program is coming in a few weeks.

This is just a sample of the coming together that will continue to grow and build with the help of our patrons-- the North American Martyrs, St. Michael and the grace of God. Please pray for unity as we have grown from 1,258 families to 1,758 families as a result of the merger. We may experience "growing pains" but it's all part of the process of experiencing positive change as we learn to appreciate one another in this new larger setting. May God be with us all and give us patience, perseverance and most of all, love. May the peace of God remain with you.

In Christ's Service,

Rev. Joseph G. Luisi

Pastor