Keep the Light Shining Campaign 

St. Mary of the Mount Parish

NOW OVER 2.5 MILLION PLEDGED TO DATE!  

TO LEARN HOW TO DONATE ONLINE CLICK CLICK HERE

OUR VISION

We are a welcoming beacon of light for people searching for community. Shining brightly above the city of Pittsburgh, Saint Mary of the Mount Parish Center will be a hub for spirituality, fellowship, and service, and a home for communities in change.

OUR CHALLENGE

• We serve as the diocesan parish for the deaf community – and need space in which they can gather together.
• We are an active community partner – and lack functional space to host meetings, discussions, or workshops.
• We sponsor free educational, formative, programming featuring renowned speakers on topics of community importance (such as racial inclusion, social justice, and strengthening couples and families) – and require inviting space in which to present them.
• We are uniting multiple and diverse faith communities and the parishioner of our new community have no place to identify as their own.
• We support active social ministries – and lack practical or convenient space for them to convene.
• We host hundreds of celebrations throughout the year, including weddings, anniversaries, funerals, baptisms etc. 

OUR PLAN

We plan to build a parish center on the lot next door to our existing church property. Positioned visibly along Grandview Avenue, our new, two-story building of approximately 17,000 square feet will feature a large social gathering space for 250-300 people. A safe, state-of-the-art kitchen will facilitate parish and community gatherings of all sizes and shapes. Flexible wall design will accommodate classrooms and meeting rooms of differing sizes. Below-ground parking, optimized to exceed city requirements, will provide self-park space for 72 cars, and valet parking space for 100 vehicles.

PROJECTED COSTS

We estimate that construction cost will be approximately $7 million.

“WHY NOW?”

• People, including many Pittsburghers, are searching for spiritual and social community.
• Long-established faith communities are challenged to merge and combine.
• Saint Mary of the Mount Parish is growing – our reach expands across the city and into the suburbs.
• Our plan will replace a long-neglected, empty lot with a tasteful, community-centric, functional building visible throughout the city of Pittsburgh

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We invite you to become part of our beacon of light. Join us in building this new parish center that will serve the people and communities of Mt. Washington, of Pittsburgh, and of Western Pennsylvania.

What specifically can you do to Keep the Light Shining?

• You can search your heart and your budget and make a gift that truly reflects the meaning the St. Mary of the Mount parish community to you and your family. Your gift can be in the form of cash, stock, or a pledge of support over multiple years.
• You can talk with your fellow parishioners in the pews and where you live. Let them know that your support this project, and encourage them to do the same.
• You can share recommendations on who else we might approach to help us reach our fundraising goal.

Shining brightly above the city of Pittsburgh, Saint Mary of the Mount is a regional beacon of light to families through- out Western Pennsylvania.  Since 1897, our historic Gothic structure has served as "Pittsburgh’s Church" to city visitors who view its brilliance at the edge of Mt. Washington and to viewers who can’t miss it during televised city celebrations and sporting events.

For over 137 years, our Parish has served families and individuals in mind, body and spirit and for much of that time, our Saint Mary of the Mount School provided a legacy of Catholic education. With the St. Justin’s merger, the strength of our new family is demonstrated by the 1,500-plus current households who call Saint Mary of the Mount their home church. We continue to enjoy great Parish and community support as we prepare our church for its future. 

The beacon that is Saint Mary of the Mount is now positioned to shine even brighter over the Pittsburgh landscape as we begin work toward securing our future.

That future will include upgrades to our church and an exciting new development–the construction of a new parish center, to be built next to the current church property. The campus setting the results will enable us to house religious education, provide meeting space, host wedding receptions -- mere steps from our church—and serve as a gathering space for the Catholic Deaf Community, now part of the Saint Mary of the Mount family.

In order to meet our goals and realize the dreams of our parish community we are embarking on an ambitious capital campaign to raise a minimum of $3 million. We are looking to you to help us preserve our legacy and secure our future for generations to come, all the while living in the Spirit through ministries that advance our mission.

Saint Mary of the Mount Capital Campaign Prayer

Lord, You love us and have great plans for us. Like Mary, the first to receive You, we receive your life, your presence, your call with embrace and hesitation. We sometimes take our very gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure for granted and fumble on how to best use them in your name. Guide us, O Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, we embrace You as the center of our lives. As we do, You help us to elevate your Gospel and people over all things. You help us to use our earthly gifts in honor and praise to You. You help us to focus on what is most important in our lives, and to live in your simplicity and truth. You help us to grow in mind, body and spirit. With and in You, we ultimately transform our community and our world. Guide us, O Lord.

In accepting You and becoming true stewards of what You have given us, we together do astounding things and all the world experiences your Light. Guide us, O Lord. 

As people of Mary, we proclaim her words of praise to You: “For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant and from this day forward all generations will call me blessed.” Please Lord, as we labor to build your Kingdom on Earth, we humbly ask that You continue to bless this house—your house—known as Saint Mary of the Mount.  Amen!