President's Letter, October 2026

“Bitter thoughts come from the evil spirit; those from Our Lord are gentle and mild.”
 -St. Vincent dePaul

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Lord, it is so easy to yield to anger and impatience when things are stressful. Calm my quick
temper when things don’t go my way. Keep me mindful that I owe my family, friends and
coworkers’ encouragement and not angry words.

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Dear Presidents and Members:

National Assembly:
Thank you to those who attended the 2026 National Assembly in Miami Florida. The Ladies from Miami did a fantastic job hosting all of us and everything ran smoothly. The Junior Ladies of Charity from Miami were also outstanding in every part they played for the assembly. They have an amazing devotion to the Blessed Mother and led us each morning with the rosary they planned with words, costumes, symbolic items and music. It brought most of us to tears each day. These young women were at the hotel bright and early each day and spent the whole day with us till we danced the night away on Saturday night.

Judy Weismann and Karen Tomaszewski were elected as Mid Atlantic Representatives. They will now serve on the LCUSA Board and represent us for the next several years. Since we are the largest association in the United States, it is very important that the Diocese of Pittsburgh is represented on the board. I know Judy and Karen will do an outstanding job.

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November Officers Meeting:  
November 7^th will be our next Officers and VSM meeting at St. Paul of the Cross Parish, St. Anne Church. Bethany Young from Catholic Charities will talk to us about St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality. We would like to collect men’s boxer shorts, undershirts and XL twin fitted sheets. The sizes needed are Large, XL and XXL and also some Small sizes. Thank you for your continued generosity for these donations.

Sister Grace and Nancy Bianculli will also be commissioning those ladies who were not able to attend the Assembly in Miami as Lay Vincentian Spiritual Moderators. Please notify your ladies who took the course this past year so they can attend the Officer’s Meeting in November. We will also reach out to them with an invitation.

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Dues Notice:  
Barb Direnzo our Financial Secretary has sent all presidents the form for submitting dues and member lists. They were sent out as an email and by now you all should have received it. If you did not, please check your SPAM folder and if you still don’t have it contact Barb at: 724-282-3092 or 724-991-2551  bjdirenzo@zoominternet.net

All Associate Members, (A Lady of Charity who can no longer participate actively, but gives spiritual and financial support to her parish association. She may be someone who can take an active part in one or two functions throughout the year.) were sent an email or hard copy of their dues requirements. They will submit their dues ($15.00) directly to the Diocesan Ladies of Charity.

PLEASE SUBMIT ONE CHECK MADE PAYABLE TO: Association of Ladies of Charity Diocese of Pittsburgh, or ALCDP by December 1, 2026. Include your updated member list and dues form, along with your check. *****Only Invested Ladies of Charity pay dues. *****

Dues will remain the same: $20.00 for Active LOC and $4.00 for Honorary LOC

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Cemetery Sunday:  
November 8^th is Cemetery Sunday at Calvery Cemetery at the St. Vincent de Paul Monument. We will begin our prayer service for the Unclaimed Souls at 2:00 and lay a fall wreath. A prayer service will also take place at Rachel’s Garden near the mausoleum at 1:30. The St. Matthew’s Ladies of Charity will conduct the prayer service and also lay a wreath for the unborn.

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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:

• 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

• Retreat: December 5^th at St. Joseph Church-Christ the King Parish.

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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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October Rosary Intention
We pray for the Church, the Pope, Christians, and for those of different faiths - that we work together for justice and fraternity.

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