St. Bernard and Our Lady of Grace Parishes

An important message from Fr. Dave: With a heavy heart, I must inform you that this week's parish festival for Our Lady of Grace has been cancelled. An office at the Diocese of Pittsburgh Pastoral Center has received a letter containing a veiled security threat at an unnamed parish festival on the weekend of August 14-17. Only Our Lady of Grace in Scott Township had a festival slated for those dates. My call as your pastor is to lead, feed, and protect. As soon as I learned of the letter, I contacted the Scott Township Police Department, who in turn contacted the United States Postal Inspector. They are seeking to identify the sender. The Scott Township police also advised us of ways to increase security. After consultation with law enforcement, the parish festival committee and diocesan officials, and mindful of too many tragedies, I decided that the only safe measure was to cancel this year's festival. Anyone with information that could help to identify the person who sent the threat is urged to contact the Scott Township Police Department at 412-276-7725. Please be in prayer for the parish, for those who have worked so hard to prepare for the festival, for the school and ministries that would have benefitted from the festival, for the vendors who have lost work and for the individual who sent the letter. May we all experience the grace and mercy of God.