President's Letter, September 2026

“We belong to God by his grace. What else do we wish, then, but to please him: If we are
contradicted, this is not surprising; what merit is there in not being crossed?” And who is there
than can escape it? For every little contradiction, should one stop doing good? Good which give glory to God?”
 -St. Vincent dePaul

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There is no such thing as trouble-free life, devoid of conflict. When these situations do arise,
Lord, provide me with the wisdom to view them as challenges rather than insurmountable obstacles.

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Dear Presidents and Members:

Annual Meeting Recap: We had a wonderful day at Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish for this years Annual Meeting. Thank you so much to the Ladies for making everything so lovely and go smoothly. There were around 175 ladies in attendance and everyone enjoyed our speaker, Jennifer Ploskina from Auberle. Because of your generous donations, Jennifer was able to take back to Auberle $1800.00 in gift cards and a carload of hygiene products. She said it was the most generous donation she has seen since working at Auberle.

Congratulations to the ladies who won the baskets and 50/50 raffle. Also, thank you to those who contributed the baskets and sold the tickets.

The display of all your wonderful works on the posterboards was so inspiring. I hope you all got to see them and get more ideas for growing your ministries. The Ladies from St. Philip’s Parish even brought a laptop with a video showing what they do. Maybe there is someone in your group who could put that together for you also. Your parish might even put it on their webpage to encourage more members.

We were blessed to have several of our members receive their 25 Year Medal Awards. We thank them for all their years of service.

Our new by-laws where reviewed and voted on. Thank you Janet Aland our Diocesan Parliamentarian and the committee that put many hours into drafting these by-laws. Please get in touch with us if you have questions as you start working on your association by-laws. As I mentioned at the meeting, we would like copies of them as soon as you have them ready.

National Assembly: When we return from Miami in the middle of September, we will have two new members from Pittsburgh on the LCUSA Board, Judy Weismann and Karen Tomaszewski. Since we are the largest association in the United States it is very important that the Diocese of Pittsburgh is represented on the board.

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The Spiritual Society of the Unclaimed Dead:  
If you are interested in receiving a decedent’s name, please contact Mary Jane Jurofcik at our LOC office 412-456-6924.

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Social media:  
Sherrie Dunlap Gallagher, social media chair, updates our Facebook page regularly. Please let her know of any activities you are currently doing that she can highlight on social media. She can be contacted at: sherrie.e.dunlap@gmail.com.

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Junior Ladies of Charity (JLOC):
For more information on JLOC, please contact Karen Harsch our new JLOC chairperson or Hailey Innocenzo Dube’ by calling the LOC office at 412­456-6924.

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Nursing Home Network:
Please remember that if you have someone that is going to a nursing home outside of your area to contact Christine Derr so that she can reach out to the local Ladies of Charity to visit. Call LOC office at 412-456-6924.

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501(C)(3):
Below is the updated distribution information for the quarterly submission of Treasurer Reports and Bank Statements. The deadline for reporting the fourth quarter for June, July and August are due September 15th. Updated sales tax exemption forms are available by contacting Judy Weismann at weismann2@comcast.net. Also, please consider joining the 501C3 team by inputting data into QuickBooks. Contact Judy if you would like to begin a training session.  Please note that Linda Fry is now inputting the treasurers’ data for those parishes listed under her name. Thank you, Kathy McCartney, for working with these associations since we received our 501©3 status. You did a wonderful job.

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De Marillac Newsletter:
Please share your pictures and stories with Peggy Keene for the next edition of the De Marillac Newsletter. We love to see what everyone is doing. pkeene9@outlook.com.

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Change Presidents and Deceased Members:
Please update us as soon as you know if there is a change to your newly elected presidents and if a member is deceased. Also, any changes of address are greatly appreciated. It is very important to keep our rosters current. Office: 412­456-6924

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Retreat
There may be a retreat schedule in the next 6 months. We will let you know the details at a later date.

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Dates to Remember:

• September 10 to 12: Please check the website for registration to the LCUSA National Assembly in Miami Florida.
• November 7, 2026: Bi Annual Officers Meeting—St. Paul of the Cross Parish/St. Anne Church

• November 8, 2026: Cemetery Sunday, Calvery Cemetery 2:00

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Miscellaneous Information:

• Pittsburgh Website: locpittsburgh.org
• LCUSA Website: aic.ladiesofcharity.us
• Vincentian Family:  http://famvin.org
• FACEBOOK: Ladies of Charity USA, Association of Ladies of Charity Diocese of Pittsburgh

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September Rosary Intention
We pray that we care for the environment and recognize our ties with all creatures who God made.

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In the Vincentian Spirit,
Karen Radu, President
Association of the Ladies of Charity, Diocese of Pittsburgh