Mass of Thanksgiving on the 75th Anniversary of the Diocese of Greensburg

By Cliff Gorski
Chief Communications Officer
The Catholic Accent

GREENSBURG – On March 10, 1951, Pope Pius XII made a declaration in a papal bull that stated, “We hereby erect and establish a new Diocese from the territory of Armstrong, Indiana, Westmoreland and Fayette County. which we decree to be called Greensburg.”

Seventy-five years to the date and six bishops later, the Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving in Blessed Sacrament Catheral, Greensburg, marking the anniversary of the Diocese of Greensburg. In his homily, Bishop Kulick said the image of a diamond to mark the milestone anniversary seemed especially appropriate in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“This land, our home, saw generations of coal miners going deep into the earth to bring forth what was hidden there,” Bishop Kulick said. “In a region shaped by coal we celebrate something even more remarkable: how God has turned our coal into diamonds.”

The Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated the faith of ordinary people who were tested through hardship, sacrifice and perseverance that transformed the early years of the Diocese into a radiant witness of the Gospel.

Bishop Kulick remembered those from afar who traveled from their homes in Europe to see a new life in the United States, specifically, the Diocese of Greensburg.

“Priests, religious, miners and mothers, steel workers and students, farmers and friends, who together wove the living tapestry that is our beloved Diocese of Greensburg,” he said, noting that the anniversary is not merely the marking of a milestone in time, but a moment for ecclesial renewal to reflect on what make us a Church – the living body of Christ.

“The Church is not merely made of stone and wood, or even the parchment of a papal bull. It is not sustained over time, how well we know by cold, steel, aluminum or glass,” Bishop Kulick said. “We, we are the living stones, the living temple. God dwells in us and Christ is our lives. God’s grace infuses every moment of our lives and allows us to be what he has called us to be.”

As Bishop Kulick spoke, more than 70 priests, religious sister representing orders in the four counties of the Diocese, deacons and religious brothers looked on fondly with past memories of the many celebrations that have occurred in Blessed Sacrament Cathedral over the past 7½ decades.

Bishop Kulick reminded the hundreds of the faithful participating in the Mass in person or through social media to thank God for the blessings of 75 years ago when new seeds were planted, watered through sacrifice, nourished by the sacraments and strengthened by unity through the light of God’s only son.

“By the grace of God, like chunks of coal transformed under pressure into diamonds, they became something radiant and beautiful. But the diamonds are not yet finished. The Lord who began this good work among us is still shaping it, shaping us. Still purifying. Still calling us forward. Still forming us so that our diamonds can adorn the crowns of salvation.”

Bishop Kulick encouraged the faithful to lift their eyes toward the horizon with confidence and hope as we give thanks to God for the faith that built this local Church.

“Let us guard the unity that sustains it. Let us renew the mission that sends it forth. And let us beg God’s grace so that the Diocese of Greensburg, born in faith, strengthen your beauty, radiant with hope, may shine even more brightly from the glory of God. So that when future generations look back upon us, they, too, will be able to say, ‘The seed was sown. The people of the Diocese were faithful. God blessed it. The harvest was plenty.’ May we hand it down pure and undefiled to the generations.”