Dr. Anthony Padovano Will Not Be Speaking on September 15th at The Kearns Spirituality Center

September 11, 2014

We are very sorry to tell you that Dr. Anthony Padovano has suffered a serious concussion in a fall at his home and will not be able to join us on Monday, September 15th.

His family has sent us a copy of his talk and we would like to convene on Monday as planned and have it read to us by a member of our staff. We will then follow the reading with discussion of the points raised.

Because this has just happened, we were unable to provide timely notice to those who have paid for his talk in advance. We will, therefore, offer a refund of the amount paid for the talk. You can obtain a refund by coming on Monday evening, or, if you choose not to come, by contacting us at:

APP, P.O. Box 2106, Pittsburgh PA 15230.

We have no information at present about the possibility of rescheduling Dr. Padovano’s visit but given his age and the seriousness of his injury, are not optimistic.

We hope you can join us on Monday at Kearns.

Peace and Blessings,

David Aleva
The Association of Pittsburgh Priests

[Text of Dr. Anthony Padovano's planned talk]

Rest in Peace Rev. Neil McCaulley

Rev. Neil McCaulley, a contributor to this website, member of the Association of Pittsburgh Priests, and a priest who supported ordination of women and married men passed away on June 28, 2014.

In these pages he addressed important issues that must be discussed, including the consultation in the selection of bishops and the need for married priests. He wrote: "There will be no new evangelization or “church alive” without a drastic increase in priests. The obvious answer that everyone speaks of is to ordain married men."

He also wrote hopefully: "Today, everyday, God does new things. Try to discover them. Look for the summer God (as John Shea says) i.e. where things bloom in your life. If we have joy in the Lord, confident of His commitment, concern, power and plan, it makes it easier to strive to build God’s Kingdom here on earth. We have hope and that is a true source of divine energy."

You can read his obituary in the Post-Gazette. He will be missed.

Letter From Fr. Neil McCaulley

Dear Editor:

There is an old saying that “honesty is the best policy”. Everything I read today speaks of the critical need for more priests. There will be no new evangelization or “church alive” without a drastic increase in priests. The obvious answer that everyone speaks of is to ordain married men. The only ones who won’t recognize this seems to be our bishops. It is about time for them to publicly demand the permission to do that from the Vatican. Pope Francis is open to the idea of collegiality. In fact, he embraces it and encourages it. What are our bishops waiting for? For all the parishes to close?

Concerned,

Fr. Neil McCaulley

Association of Pittsburgh Priests Statement in Support of the LCWR

The Association of Pittsburgh Priests would like to add our name to the chorus of support for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Network and the Resource Center for Religious Life.

We want to thank the sisters for their major role in building the Church in the United States from coast to coast.

We want to thank them for their whole hearted response to Vatican II to return to the charisms of their founders and continuously seek renewal.

We want to thank the sisters for answering the call of Vatican II to minister to those at the margins of society as well as those suffering most in society.

We want to thank the sisters for not judging or condemning our brothers and sisters who are gay or lesbian or women who feel called to ordained ministry.

We want to thank the sisters for their radical obedience to the voice of God in spite of opposition from those who should support them.