Tag Archives: Pittsburgh

Shameless Plug for Self and Club

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Western Pennsylvania Track Club, for which I am recruiter and membership committee chair, has a new website. It’s not quite complete, but I think I’ve gotten it to the point of being usable. Many thanks go to Nina Ehmer, the previous webmaster, for all the work she did on the old site.

For the curious:

The Western Pennsylvania Track Club is a club for runners of all ages and abilities. Members compete in track and field, cross country, and long distance running. They compete at all levels of competition — local, state, national, and world. West Penn has over 150 members.

Members of the Western Pennsylvania Track Club strive to promote long distance running and track and field by:

  • sponsoring clinics, training programs and work shops
  • conducting cross country races, road races and track meets
  • providing support to athletes who compete at the national and international levels

Club headquarters is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but club members also reside in Florida, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio.

History of Latin Mass in Pittsburgh

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The Pittsburgh Catholic has a decent surface-level summary of Pittsburgh’s Latin mass community.

Latin Mass has history in Pittsburgh Diocese

“…[T]he Diocese of Pittsburgh formed a committee in early in 1989, and the celebration of Mass in Latin was reintroduced in the diocese on June 11, 1989, at two locations: the Duquesne University chapel and SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Beaver.”

Memo to Pittsburgh Priests on Motu Proprio

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The ink on Summorum Pontificum was barely dry before officials for the diocese of Pittsburgh sent out a memo that “rewrite[s] what the pope actually said in the motu proprio“, making it essentially moot here. Following is the controversial section.

In parishes where a group of faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition exists stably, pastors are exhorted to willingly allow public Masses for the people using the Roman Missal of Pope Blessed John XXIII but no more that one per Sunday and feast days.The celebration of baptism, penance, anointing of the sick, weddings and funerals in the older rite is permitted in these parishes. In our diocese, the only parish that qualifies under this norm is Holy Wisdom Parish (Saint Boniface Church) located on the Northside of Pittsburgh. Since 1989 the Diocese of Pittsburgh has approved the celebration of the Roman Missal of Pope Blessed John XXIII of 1962. This extraordinary expression of the law of prayer of the Catholic Church is celebrated on Sundays and holydays of obligation at Saint Boniface Church (Holy Wisdom Parish). In addition, the diocese has permitted at Saint Boniface Church the celebration of baptism, penance, weddings and funerals according the rites of 1962 and has granted permission for the celebration of the Roman Missal of Pope Blessed John XXIII on other special occasions. Finally, the celebration of the Triduum using the 1962 Roman Missal has also been permitted at Saint Boniface Church.

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2007 Brentwood Firecracker 5K

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On July 4th, I volunteered for and ran in my first Brentwood Firecracker 5K. It was very well organized, especially considering how large it was (~1300 runners). Registration went smoothly, the race started on time, there was plenty of food (and beer!), and the door prizes were well worth sticking around for. Kudos to race director (and West Penn Track Club secretary Janice Boyko).

I finished 36/74 in my class and 462/1319 overall with a time of 25:24 (8:11 pace). I have high hopes of finishing this year’s Run Shadyside in under 25:00. I have plenty of time to train and the Shadyside course is a lot flatter (and therefore easier) than this was.

2007 Us Too Fathers’ Day 10K

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Well, this year’s Us Too Fathers’ Day 10K wasn’t entirely as bad as last year’s (which, BTW, seems worse in hindsight than it did at the time). It wasn’t great, either.

Pros:

  • It was a lot cooler than last year.
  • The walkers started at different time and didn’t collide with the runners.
  • I finished 4:12 faster than last year.

Cons:

  • There were only 2.5 water stations. That .5 is for a stop where bottled water was handed out. Who the hell wants/needs bottled water during a 10K?!
  • The 5K and 10K runners started at the same time. Consequently, the starting line and the first mile of the course were ridiculously crowded. The course is just too narrow to accommodate both races.

I finished 14/23 in my class and 178/321 overall with a time of 54:17 (8:44 pace). My good buddy Kevin crossed at the same time as me, which is pretty impressive since this was his first 10K ever. Also, congratulations are deserved by fellow West Penn Track Club members Larry Van Dyke and Carl Hubel, who finished fifth and eighth, respectively.