General Info

Below you will find the useful information regarding various 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 Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3 or CLICK HERE to download a request form that you can complete and mail to the address provided or have it placed it in the collection basket.
 

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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 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, especially in the case of an emergency, is to ask the nurse to page the 'CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN ON CALL'. There is a priest on call 24/7 for Heritage Valley Beaver. (Our priests normally cover Thursdays and Fridays.) Calls to a parish office or a note left in a 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 a person is not, there is no way of knowing the patient's religious affiliation and so the person is not seen when a priest from our parish visits the hospital or when the other priests are there. Thank you in advance for seeing to the sacramental needs of the hospitalized.
 

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Bulletin Submission Deadline

Please note that all announcements, articles and information for the weekly parish bulletin must be received by the Parish Administravie Office by 12noon on Thursday 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.

Guidelines for Bulletin Submissions

An item submitted for publication in our weekly bulletin and/or parish website must be fully-composed. The submission must contain:

• a brief explanation of the event written in full, clear sentences
• the event’s date, time, and location (including address)
• the name of the group/person sponsoring the event
• the name and contact information of at least one person (to be included in the published announcement) who can answer questions regarding the event/announcement

Any included graphic must be free of copyright. Please proofread for any errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar and make the necessary correction BEFORE presenting the item.

Upon submission, the request will be reviewed.  If it is lacking in any of the above stated points, it will be returned and NOT published.  The request must be submitted at least nine (9) days prior to the weekend bulletin in which it is desired the item appear.  ALL REQUEST ARE SUBJECT TO APPROVAL.
 

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Verbal Weekend Mass Announcements

Verbal announcements for Sunday Mass must be received in the Parish Administravie Office by no later than 12noon on Thursday in order to be considered for presentation at the weekend Masses.
 

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Mass Intention Book for 2021 (is now full)

The scheduling of Masses for 2022 has not yet begun.  Normally, Mass intentions can be scheduled by calling the Parish Administravie Office at 724.775.6363 ext. 101.  The current Mass stipend is $10 per Mass.  You may either mail the stipend (in the form of a check/money order only made out to Mary, Queen of Saints Parish) in an envelope addressed to: Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, 115 Trinity Drive, Aliquippa, PA 15001; or submit the stipend by placing it in the collection basket in an envelope clearly marked 'Mass Stipend' along with your name and phone number on slip of paper placed inside. The intention will not be recorded in the Mass Book until the stipend is received.  Please note that messages left on the answering service or emails to the offices regarding Mass intention requests will not be returned/addressed. No exceptions!

Each registered family is entitled to two Masses. You may either have one Sunday/Holy Day plus one weekday or you may have two Weekday Masses.  Please be aware that there may be the possibility that your Mass intention(s) could move to another church within our parish. The day and date would remain the same; only the Mass would be offered at a different church location.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.  For information on the scheduling of Masses for the 2022 liturgical year, please check the Parish News page or the weekly bulletin.
 

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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.
 

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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. Mary, Queen of Saints Parish envelopes deposited in the collection at  any other local Catholic church are returned to Mary, Queen of Saints and are 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.
 

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Marking Your Donation Envelope

To eliminate errors on contribution statements, please make sure to mark your parish donation envelope with the amount it contains.  Approximately one-third of the envelopes received each week are not marked.  By marking your envelope with the amount, you will assist the volunteer money counters in their task as well as better ensure the correct posting of your contribution.  Thank you in advance for your co-operation.  

— Dave Deiter, Parish Business Manager
 

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Offertory Envelope Packets

In order to reduce expenses, the mailing of offertory envelopes packets has been stopped for members who have not made use of them in the last three years. These parisioners will remain on our parish census but will not be mailed envelope packets, eliminating production and mailing expense. Anyone who wishes to resume receiving envelopes packets by mail in support of our Mary, Queen of Saints Parish, please contact the Pastoral Center Office at 724.775.3940 ext. 3, and your offertory envelope packet delivery will be immediately reinstated.
 

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Sanctuary Lamp

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 in the Church of St. John the Baptist, 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 Parish Administravie Office at 724.775.6363 ext. 101. The requested donation per candle is $10 which helps defray costs and assists the parish.  For information on the scheduling a candle throughout the 2022 liturgical year, check the Parish News page or the weekly bulletin.
 

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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 Parish Administravie Office at 724.775.6363 ext. 101.  To defray costs and assist our parish in its mission, the requested donation per candle is $10.00.  For information on the scheduling a candle throughout the 2022 liturgical year, check the Parish News page or the weekly bulletin.
 

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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 found near the stand.
 

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Memorial Bricks

For those interested in having an engraved brick placed in acknowledgement or remembrance of a loved one on our church 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.
 

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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.
 

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Bulletin Boards

Please note that all information to be posted to the bulletin board installed near the main entrance door of the church must be submitted to the Parish Administravie Office first for review. Postings that have not been placed through the office will be removed. In addition, nothing is to be adhesive taped to the walls of the church. Thank you for your cooperation.
 

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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 Parish Administravie Office (724.775.6363 ext. 101) to discuss the request. (Please note that all printed materials found in various places throughout the church must first be presented to the Parish Administravie Office. Any materials not cleared through the Parish Administravie Office will be removed.)
 

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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.
 

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Baptism Preparation Class

Periodically, a Baptism Preparation Class is offered. Please see the bulletin or the Parish News page for announcements pertaining to the class. Registration will be necessary and completion of the class is required before the baptism can be scheduled.
 

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Faith: Living, Remembering, Sharing

For glimpses into the Church of St. John the Baptist history — occasions, recent and past; moments, enriching and notable — take a look at the pages titled SJB History and  Recollections as well as the Notes & Insights page.
 

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Weekly Bulletin

For news and events related to St. John the Baptist Church, our parish, and the surrounding areas as well as information on other items of interest, pick up a copy of the current weekly bulletin found at each church entrance to take home.  You can also visit the Parish Bulletin page for information on how to view the weekly edition of our parish bulletin online or have it conveniently delivered to your email inbox each week.