By car and bus, pilgrims join Bishop Kulick in Saint Joseph Day Pilgrimage

By The Catholic Accent

GREENSBURG – Thousands of pilgrims from around the Diocese of Greensburg joined Bishop Larry J. Kulick March 18 and 19 to visit the four St. Joseph parishes and Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. Bishop Kulick dedicated the Diocese to the patronage of St. Joseph for the Eucharistic Revival Year of Mission in 2024, the Jubilee Year of 2025 and the 75th anniversary of the Diocese in 2026.

At each stop, a reflection was presented on the various aspects of St. Joseph’s life and as Patron of the Universal Church.

The pilgrimage began at St. Joseph Parish in New Kensington, where more than 200 gathered to hear noted author Mike Aquilina offer a reflection on St. Joseph, the worker. St. Joseph Day bread and medals, blessed by Bishop Kulick, were handed out to those who attended. At a reception afterward, pilgrims were asked to visit St. Joseph’s Workshop, where keychains imprinted with the Diocesan crest were made for each person.

The next day, pilgrims traveling by bus or on their own offered morning prayer with Bishop Kulick and Father Salvatore R. Lamendola, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Derry. Following morning prayer,  a reflection on St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, was presented.

A panel on Catholic funerals and burials included Jason Brinker, funeral director and owner of Lopatich-Brinker Funeral Home, Latrobe; Matthew Merlin, funeral director and owner of Matthew X. Merlin Funeral Home, Derry; John McCabe, funeral director and owner of McCabe Funeral Home, Derry and Ligonier; Father Christopher J. Pujol, Parochial Vicar of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg, and Episcopal Master of Ceremonies; and Paul Puleo, Managing Director of Development and The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Greensburg.

At Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Bishop Kulick celebrated Mass and promulgated his pastoral letter, “Donum Veritatis: The Gift of Truth.” During Mass, the Bishop welcomed 2,600 Catholic school students from around the Diocese watching a livestream of the Mass from their classrooms. The Mass focused on St. Joseph, Patron of Families and Fathers.

Following Mass, the pilgrims traveled to St. Joseph Parish in Everson for afternoon prayer. Beneath the bus carrying the pilgrims were hundreds of non-perishable food items collected in schools and parishes around the Diocese. The donations were carried into the church by volunteers and students from Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High, Connellsville, and St. Sebastian Regional Catholic School, Belle Vernon, to build a St. Joseph Altar. The St. Joseph Altar is a custom in which pilgrims offer the sacrificial fruits of their labors in honor and thanksgiving for the intercessions of St. Joseph.

During afternoon prayer, Bishop Kulick reflected on St. Joseph, Patron of Immigrants. He called to mind how many immigrants built our churches and our communities. St. Joseph Parish in Everson is the oldest Polish parish in the Diocese of Greensburg. In his reflection, Bishop Kulick included a video of how immigrants are the foundation of the Church, forming our communities and our churches and supplying labor for our factories, coal mines and glass plants across the Diocese.

The Bishop blessed the items brought to the St. Joseph Altar, as well as fava beans to be passed out as part of tradition that serves as a reminder of God’s provision through the intersession of St. Joseph. After the prayer service and reflection, the faithful carried the items from the altar to be separated in the church and packaged for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg to distribute to the needy across the Diocese.

The pilgrimage ended at St. Joseph Parish in Uniontown, with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction. The evening, attended by more than 400 people, was dedicated to St. Joseph, Patron of Vocations and Protector of the Eucharist.

A reception followed, where pilgrims were invited to learn more about vocations and gather materials to build a home altar so they could create a space where they and their families can gather for prayer, helping to keep God as the center of daily lives.

At each stop on the pilgrimage, pilgrims recited the Diocesan Prayer to Saint Joseph:

Saint Joseph,

Guardian of the Holy Family, Protector of the Church,
Fosterer of Vocations, Adorer of the Eucharistic Lord,

and silent model of God’s mercy and justice,

show us the paths that lead us closer to Christ.

Guide the Church of Greensburg with your protection,

so that we may live in God’s truth.

Inspire our families to be committed to love of one another

and our homes places in which the Gospel is shared.

O Terror of Demons,

protect us through your powerful intercession

from all evil and sin in the world,

and from the temptation and influence of Satan.

Through your mediation,

may we find joy and fulfillment in our work,

the strength to uphold the dignity of human life,

a welcoming spirit to the migrant and those in need,

and the peace of a happy death.

Help us to become faithful disciples of your son and our Lord,

so that we may experience His presence in our lives as you did at Nazareth.

Amen