Association of Pittsburgh Priests upcoming events

RETREAT - Political Holiness: A Spiritual Journey presented by Rev. Art McDonald (2 May 2026)

Sat, 02 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The expression "political holiness" was coined by Salvadoran liberation theologian, Jon Sobrino. "Because of a new awareness of the misery and oppression of the majority of the human race, holiness can no longer be confined to the realm of personal piety, contemplation or almsgiving.... The area of political action is the right place to seek holiness." ~ Jon Sobrino. Two presentations will be followed by sharing & discernment: ways of seeking holiness through political engagement

Rev Art McDonald is a former Dominican priest, now retired Unitarian Universalist minister, who served in Pittsburgh and Massachusetts. Art spent time in Peru, working on his PhD dissertation on liberation theology (1993). A longtime activist on behalf of immigrants and community building, Since 2003, he has been Board President of Essex County Community Organization in Lynn, MA

Dorothy Day: A Saint for our Times with Jeffry Odell Korgen (7 May 2026)

Thu, 07 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Dorothy Day, Servant of God, has been described as "the most interesting Catho lic of the 20th Century." Take a deep dive into Dorothy Day’s life with Jeffry Odell Korgen, author of Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion and coordinator of the local phase of the canonization process for the Archdiocese of New York. No hagiography, this graphic biography uses words and art to draw a throughline between Dorothy’s radical past to her life as a Catholic Work er and Christian peacemaker.

Korgen worked as a lay ecclesial minister in the Church for 32 years, serving as a youth minister, community organizer, di rector of social ministries for the National Pastoral Life Center, Executive Director of Diocesan Planning for the Diocese of Metuchen (NJ), and leader of Korgen Asso ciates, a Church leadership consulting firm. In the later capacity, he coordinated the local phase of Dorothy Day’s Cause for Canonization for Cardinal Dolan.

Advancing Women's Leadership in the Catholic Church: A Journey with Gifted Friends and Colleagues on the Way with Elizabeth A. Donnelly (2 Jun 2026)

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

How far have we come toward full partici pation of women in the church's ministry and leadership? Elizabeth (Betty Anne) Donnelly will share her own journey.. She is convinced that people's willingness to en gage with the Good News of Jesus and Catholic social teaching has been impaired by several issues, including women's sec ond-class citizenship in the church. She will outline origins and successes of the Catho lic Women Preach, and then efforts both to restore women to the Catholic diaconate and to permit lay Eucharistic preaching.

Ms. Donnelly is the Co-Founder of and Preacher Coordinator for the Catholic Women Preach website. Having grown up in Squirrel Hill, she was educated at Georgetown University, Harvard Divinity School and its Department of Government. She was a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Lima, Peru (1981-83), and has served on many boards, including Bread for the World, the Ignatian Solidarity Network, and Maryknoll Lay Missioners. She is happily married for 40 years to Dr. Phillip Pulaski, a fellow for mer Maryknoll Lay Missioner and retired physician with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, and is the very proud mother of three extraordinary daughters. Zoom: Tuesday June 2 at 7 pm

Promoting Civilized Discourse on Immigration (1 Jul 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, advocates for humane, "pro-life" immigration policies that prioritize family unity and oppose mass deportation and detention. He strongly opposes expanding private detention centers, calling them a "industrialization of human suffering," and pushes for comprehensive, compassionate reform. How do we respond to this crisis? Bishop Cahill has suggested, "While people can honestly disagree about the ways to achieve these goals, we can all agree that we must urge our government officials to listen to the voices and concerns of the people they serve.” He will share more of his reflections and suggestions at this Zoom presentation.

Bishop Cahill was ordained a priest in 1990 in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston where he was raised. Pope Francis promoted Cahill to bishop of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas in 2015. Cahill speaks English, Spanish and Italian, and has a working knowledge of French and German. Since becoming the Bishop of Victoria, he joined the Communities of Faith in Victoria with other Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders and has been an active supporter of the Gulf Bend Center Coalition of Mental Health.