General Info

Below you will find the useful information regarding various parish practices and topics:
 

Communion Calls

Our parish provides Holy Communion to parishioners who are homebound or unable to attend Mass. For more information or to schedule a visit, please call St. John the Baptist Pastoral Center at 724.775.3940 ext. 3.
 

Hospital Patients & Nursing Home Residents

If you know of a family member or a neighbor who is in a local nursing home or hospital and would like a church visit, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, receive Holy Communion or the Anointing of the Sick, please call the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 to let a clergy/staff member know. Due to the HIPPA Laws, churches are almost never notified by the healthcare facility.

PLEASE NOTE: The quickest and most efficient way to ensure that your hospitalized loved ones are anointed in the case of an emergency is to ask the nurse to page the CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN ON CALL. There is a priest on duty 24/7 for Heritage Valley Beaver. (Our priests cover Thursdays and Fridays.) Calls to the Pastoral Center Office or notes left in the church sacristy may not be responded to in a timely fashion due to unavailability or oversight. Calls to the Catholic chaplain answering service receive IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. Also, please ensure your family member is listed in the hospital records as Catholic. If the person is not, there is no way of knowing the patient's religious affiliation and so are not seen when Fr. Regis kindly visits the hospital almost daily, or when the other priests are there. Thank you in advance for seeing to the sacramental needs of the hospitalized.
 

Bulletin Submission Deadline

Please note that all articles and information for the parish bulletin must be received by the Pastoral Center Office by 12noon on Friday so that it may be considered for publication in the bulletin to be printed for distribution at the weekend Masses that occur after the upcoming weekend.
 

Sunday Mass Announcements

Announcements for Sunday Mass must be received in the Pastoral Center by no later than 12noon on Thursday in order to be considered for presentation at the weekend Masses.
 

Mass Intention Book for 2019

The book is open for scheduling Masses for 2019. Requests will only be accepted by phoning the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3.
 

Offertory Procession Participants

Anyone wanting to carry up the offertory gifts at a Mass celebrated for the intention of a family member or friend, please speak with one of the ushers about it prior to the start of Mass. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
 

Offering Envelopes

As has been the practice for many years, parish offering envelopes deposited in the collection basket in any Catholic church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are returned to the parish named on the envelope. St. John the Baptist envelopes deposited in the collection at Our Lady of Fatima, St. Frances Cabrini or St. Titus (or any other local Catholic church) are returned to St. John the Baptist to be included in the following week's offertory figures. Thank you in advance for supporting your parish, no matter where you may need to worship on a given weekend.
 

Offertory Envelope Packets

In order to reduce parish expenses, the mailing offertory envelopes has been stopped for parishioners who have not made use of them in the last three years. These [279] parishioners will remain on our parish census, but will not be mailed envelope packets, eliminating production and mailing expense. Any parishioner who wishes to resume receiving envelopes in support of our Parish Community of St. John the Baptist, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3, and your offertory envelope packet delivery will be immediately reinstate.
 

Lamps in Memory/Honor/Prayer

The hanging sanctuary lamp found above the entrance of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel as well as the tabernacle lamp standing next to the chapel's altar, burn in testament of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic. For those interested in having a candle placed for a special intention in either location, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 or download and complete a Chapel/Shrine Candle Request Form by clicking here. The requested donation per candle is $10 which helps defray costs and assists the parish.
 

BVM Shrine Candles

Those wishing to have a candle placed in the Blessed Mother Shrine Candle Lamp in memory or honor of a loved one or for a special intention, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 or download and complete a Chapel/Shrine Candle Request Form by clicking here. To defray costs and assist the parish in its mission, the requested donation per candle is $10.00.
 

Votive Candles

The large votives, found in the multi-candle stands located in various places throughout the church, are replenished daily. (Container candles are no longer stocked in the sacristy.) Wooden tapers for lighting these tall votive candles can be found at each stand. The requested donation per candle is $3.00 (to cover parish cost). Please place your candle offering in the secure box mounted near the stand.
 

Memorial Bricks

For those interested in having an engraved brick placed in acknowledgement or remembrance of a loved one on the parish grounds, Memorial Brick Request Forms are available at all entrances of the church as well as via download by clicking here. The price per brick is $25.
 

Candle Placement

For safety and insurance purposes, do not place votive candles of any kind on the Blessed Mother Shrine Altar or the Blessed Sacrament Altar. A faulty candle container may result in a fire, or at the very least, damage to surfaces and linens. Thank you for your consideration.
 

Bulletin Boards

Please note that all information to be posted to the bulletin boards installed at the doors of the church must be submitted to the parish office. Postings that have not been placed through the parish office will be removed. In addition, nothing is to be adhesive taped to the walls of the church. Thank you for your cooperation.
 

Pamphlet Rack

When at church, don't forget to browse the pamphlet rack located in the main entrance/vestibule. It is hoped you will find helpful and engaging materials on it. Is there a subject on which you would like information or do you have something you would like to see added? If you do, please contact the Pastoral Center (724.775.3940 ext. 3) to discuss the request. (Please note that all printed materials found in various places throughout the church must first be presented to the Pastoral Center Office. Any materials not cleared through the Pastoral Center Office will be removed.)
 

CCD Schedule Information

Please note that any weather-related cancellation of our Faith Formation Classes / CCD sessions as well as meetings and/or services will be broadcast on KDKA, WTAE, and WPXI.
 

Baptism Preparation Class

Each month a Baptism Preparation Class is offered. Please see the bulletin or the STJB Happenings page for announcements pertaining to the class schedule. Contact the parish office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 to register. Completion of this class is required before a baptism can be scheduled.
 

Scripture and Coffee

All are welcome to participate each Wednesday at 9:30AM in a weekly scripture discussion in the Faith Formation Center located in the St. John the Baptist Pastoral Center.
 

Faith: Living, Remembering, Sharing

For glimpses into the parish's ongoing history — occasions, recent and past; moments, enriching and notable — take a look at the page on this website titled Recollections.
 

Staying Informed

For further news and events related to the parish, parish grouping, and the surrounding areas as well as information on other items of interest, pick up a copy of the weekly bulletin at church to take home or you can view the most current (or a previous) edition online by visiting the Bulletins archive page.