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Saint Kilian Parish was founded in 1917. We are moving toward the last decade of its first century. As we do so, we give thanks to God for all that we have been given as a parish, but we are well aware that new needs are before us and new challenges await us. In order to meet those needs, we must embark on a building program. The Diocese has given us the gift of land near the corner of Route 228 and Franklin Road in Cranberry Township.

We have already taken preliminary steps to determine if and how we might utilize that land. The municipal authorities have given us the initial approvals necessary to move forward. Now we must begin to raise the funds necessary to begin. What we will build will not only serve our needs today but also into a new century of the life of this parish. Thus, we have named our effort the Second Century Campaign.

 

A Letter from Fr. Bober

Dear Friends,

The paintings of Norman Rockwell are not alone in evoking feelings of warmth, home and belonging. From the earliest days of the church in the New Testament, the disciples of Jesus understood that the love of God must be demonstrated by love of neighbor. When they gathered for worship, therefore, their assemblies were described as places of hospitality and fellowship. That feeling of belonging even found its way into our Christian vocabulary. As Christian assemblies eventually took on a kind of permanence they were described as “parishes” derived from Greek words (par oikia) meaning “those living near by.” Formed from those “living near by,” parishes continued to be characterized as places where welcome and belonging were important. Over the centuries, parishes throughout the world became a spiritual and social home. In each new age and place, parishioners sought to provide gathering places where worship, education and service could take place in an atmosphere where all could feel “at home.” Responding to that challenge, several Catholic families in Southern Butler County welcomed priests into their homes for the earliest Masses celebrated here. Gathered regularly to hear the Word of God and celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments, they began Saint Kilian Parish in 1917.

Since that time, this parish has been a spiritual home to thousands of area Catholics. It has been a good neighbor and a vital part of the local community. It is now in its eighty-sixth year of existence. On the pages that follow we are providing information about a truly significant undertaking in the life and history of Saint Kilian Parish. As we complete our first century, we are preparing to build a new parish center to meet the needs of our second century. We invite you to read this material in light of our heritage and with an excitement about our vision for the future. Sincerely in the Lord,

Rev. Charles S. Bober
Pastor

Our History
Please click here to view our full history.

Recent Background
Clearly, Saint Kilian Parish has experienced dramatic growth especially in the last ten years. Today, as a parish of over seven thousand people, our needs are complex, varied and numerous. To assist in meeting those needs, the parish staff has been expanded and many parishioners have come forward to offer their time and talent. We now have the personnel to meet the needs of a parish of our size and complexity but are quickly outgrowing our temporary space to provide classrooms, meeting rooms, offices, and activity areas.

In addition and most importantly, we also lack sufficient space of our in which we can worship. That growth of our parish has been most evident in the number of our young people. We have 1,308 children of school age ( K-8). The parish must provide religious education for these children and much of that will need to occur on site in a classroom setting. While there are Catholic elementary schools in the general area, most are at some distance or are at capacity. Many in our parish have asked for serious consideration of establishing our own parish Catholic elementary school.

Need and Vision
The cost of the site development and structures shown on the site plan is approximately eighteen million dollars. We are working hard to identify alternative means for funding the facilities needed to appropriately carry out the mission of our parish. However, it is only through the generosity of all people of our parish that this campaign will be a success.

Our vision is to respond to the current needs of our parish in view of our Catholic heritage. This means that we will construct not only buildings but a home for our parish family. We seek to establish a place where all of our parishioners can feel at home. We envision a parish center where life and activity will abound, and where young and old will find a place to worship, grow in faith and serve God in service to one another and our neighbors. Before all else, we want Christ to be the constant guest in our home and center of all of its life. All of theses factors clearly demonstrate our need for a new parish center containing space for worship, education, activities and service. We have tested the needs through a parish survey. The results indicated clearly the priority of building on the parish owned property in Cranberry Township as soon as possible. This has directed our efforts to design the first structure to accommodate our most immediate needs. While building a permanent church first would respond to legitimate needs and provide us with fine worship space, it will not address the space needed for classrooms, offices and activities. Building an administration / educational building first is the most prudent direction at this time. In this way we hope to have a building in place, which will provide temporary but reverent space for worship. The facility can later be converted to other uses such as a gymnasium, which can act as a magnet for parishioners of all ages. We will also have classrooms for religious education, and hopefully a Catholic school as well as offices and space for many other parish activities. While this first building will meet the greatest needs at the earliest possible opportunity, it is not meant to detract from construction of a permanent and truly worthy church. Even as the first building is being constructed, we fully intend to begin educational opportunities in liturgy and church architecture for interested parishioners. We will then hold listening sessions to hear the views of all parishioners regarding a permanent church. From these meetings, we will begin to design the permanent church, which we all believe will be a tribute to our faith and ability to work together toward this goal.

Goal and Site Plans
We seek to develop our thirty acres of property in Cranberry Township in such a way that our parish center will be home to an active Catholic community. We look forward to that day when all parts of our parish property will be bustling with activity.

In the past, parish property was the center of activity, where generations worshiped God, learned the lessons of life and grew in their commitment to serve others. That is where we made life-long friends, formed our values and developed solid virtues. Our goal is to make that a reality for the present and future generations.

Building Partners
Even as we plan to build for our future, we cannot afford to over look our past and our Catholic perspective. When parishes begin building projects, they may be tempted to look rather narrowly at their own needs and neglect the needs of a “wider church.” Since everything we do as a parish is really a teaching moment (especially for our young people), that does not seem to be the vision we want to convey. To avoid such an impression, as we plan to build our new Parish Center, we also committing our resources to the needs of building the "wider church".

Four charities have been designated as recipients of parish assistance with monies to be raised in our building fund over the years. Those four charities are: Roselia Center of Pittsburgh (shelter for pregnant young women), Holy Family Institute of Emsworth (for children and youth from troubled homes), The Chimbote Foundation (which supports work among the poor of Peru) and the Little Sisters of the Poor (who care for the elderly poor).

Reflections on Stewardship and Giving

“The gifts you have received, give as a gift.” Matthew 10:8

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve
one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” I Peter 4:10

What is Christian Stewardship?
Stewardship is a mind set rooted in the belief that God is the owner and giver of all things and that each of us must act responsibly for what we have been given.

Who is Bound to Christian Stewardship?
All the disciples of Christ, reborn in Baptism, who are linked together in a community gathered around the altar of Eucharist.

What do Christian Stewards Do?
Christian stewards acknowledge God’s gifts with gratitude; cultivate God’s gifts wisely; shares God’s gifts lovingly and return the God’s gifts with increase.