About Good Samaritan Church - St. Luke the Evangelist Parish · Ambridge, Pennsylvania
Good Samaritan Church is the Ambridge worship site of St. Luke the Evangelist Roman Catholic Parish, a multi-site Catholic community in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh that was formed on July 1, 2022 by merging four formerly independent parishes. The Ambridge church at 725 Glenwood Avenue carries on a worship tradition in the borough that dates back through five earlier Ambridge parishes consolidated in 1994. The wider parish serves the faithful of Ambridge, Baden, Conway, Franklin Park and Sewickley, offering Mass in English and Spanish, perpetual and daily adoration, faith formation for children and adults, and a robust social ministry.
- Established
- 1994
- Patron
- St. Luke the Evangelist (parish); the Good Samaritan church building is the former St. Veronica Church
- Rector
- Father Joe Carr
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
St. Luke the Evangelist Parish welcomes families from Ambridge, Baden, Conway, Franklin Park and Sewickley with a full sacramental life: daily and Sunday Mass in English and a Spanish Mass on Sundays, weekly confession, daily Eucharistic adoration, and a perpetual-adoration chapel at the Saints John & Paul Grotto. A staffed Faith Formation office (Holly Smith, Director; Chris Patsch at Good Samaritan; Sarah Sacco at SSJP) supports religious education, Confirmation prep and OCIA for adults, while a Youth Minister (Nick Sciarappa) and Nursery Coordinator (Trish Cerminara) keep younger families engaged. Two directors of music ministry, a Parish Social Minister (Ana Bakhtar) and parish ministers round out a parish that explicitly aims to put faith into action through charity and community life.
Mass times at Good Samaritan Church - St. Luke the Evangelist Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:30 PM at Good Samaritan
- Saturday 3:00 PM at Good Samaritan
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM at Good Samaritan Chapel (Adoration Chapel inside Good Samaritan Church)
- Perpetual Adoration at the Saints John & Paul Grotto Chapel (suspended Saturdays at SSJP for maintenance)
Our Story: From Five Ambridge Parishes to St. Luke the Evangelist
Good Samaritan Parish was established on July 2, 1994, by merging the five Catholic parishes that then existed in Ambridge — Christ the King, Divine Redeemer, Holy Trinity, St. Stanislaus and St. Veronica. Divine Redeemer was closed and sold; the other four stayed open, but by 2001 it was clear that four buildings could not be sustained. A three-year study led to the closures of Holy Trinity (final Mass Nov. 7, 2004), St. Stanislaus (Nov. 14, 2004) and Christ the King (Nov. 21, 2004), and on December 11, 2004 St. Veronica Church was renamed and dedicated as Good Samaritan Church. In 2015 Bishop David Zubik announced On Mission for The Church Alive!, a diocesan strategic-planning process to address declining Mass attendance and a shrinking priest pool. Good Samaritan remained an independent parish through the consultation period, sharing clergy, staff and eventually a joint bulletin with neighboring parishes. That era ended on July 1, 2022, when Good Samaritan merged with St. John the Baptist Parish (Baden), Our Lady of Peace Parish (Conway) and Ss. John and Paul Parish (Franklin Park) to form today's St. Luke the Evangelist Parish. Good Samaritan Church remains open as one of the new parish's worship sites.
- 1994: Good Samaritan Parish formed from five Ambridge parishes
- Nov. 7 / 14 / 21, 2004: final Masses at Holy Trinity, St. Stanislaus and Christ the King
- Dec. 11, 2004: St. Veronica Church renamed and dedicated as Good Samaritan Church
- 2015: Bishop Zubik launches On Mission for The Church Alive!
- July 1, 2022: Good Samaritan, St. John the Baptist (Baden), Our Lady of Peace (Conway) and Ss. John & Paul (Franklin Park) merge to form St. Luke the Evangelist Parish
Our Parish Family: Clergy and Staff
St. Luke the Evangelist Parish is served by a unified pastoral team that ministers across all of its campuses. Father Joe Carr serves as Pastor of the parish, with Father Christopher Mannerino as Parochial Vicar and Father Mario Gonzalez as Priest for Latino Communities (overseeing the parish's Spanish-language ministry, including the Sunday 4:00 PM Spanish Mass at Good Samaritan). Three permanent deacons complete the clergy team: Deacon Jim Olson (who also serves as Pastoral Associate), Deacon Tony Giordano, and Deacon Tom Boucek.
- Father Joe Carr — Pastor
- Father Christopher Mannerino — Parochial Vicar
- Father Mario Gonzalez — Priest for Latino Communities
- Deacon Jim Olson — Permanent Deacon / Pastoral Associate
- Deacon Tony Giordano — Permanent Deacon
- Deacon Tom Boucek — Permanent Deacon
Pastoral, Faith Formation and Music Staff
Lay staff under the pastoral team carry out the day-to-day work of evangelization, formation, music and charity. Karen Walker (also OCIA coordinator) and Mary Louise Kohser serve as Parish Ministers; Ana Bakhtar is the Parish Social Minister overseeing charity and outreach. Faith Formation is led by Director Holly Smith, with Chris Patsch as Coordinator at Good Samaritan (and Parish Safe Environment Coordinator) and Sarah Sacco as Coordinator at Saints John & Paul. Bridget Jarsulic directs the Music Ministry at Good Samaritan and Vincent Gentile directs Music at Saints John & Paul. Youth Ministry is led by Nick Sciarappa, and Trish Cerminara coordinates the Nursery at Saints John & Paul. Jan Culp is the Good Samaritan office secretary; Betsy Shulkosky and Clare Giuffre staff the Saints John & Paul office.
- Karen Walker — Pastoral Minister / OCIA
- Mary Louise Kohser — Parish Minister
- Ana Bakhtar — Parish Social Minister
- Holly Smith — Director of Faith Formation
- Chris Patsch — Faith Formation Coordinator at Good Samaritan / Safe Environment
- Sarah Sacco — Faith Formation Coordinator at SSJP
- Bridget Jarsulic — Director of Music Ministry (Good Samaritan)
- Vincent Gentile — Director of Music Ministry (SSJP)
- Nick Sciarappa — Youth Minister
- Trish Cerminara — Nursery Coordinator (SSJP)
- Jan Culp — Secretary, Good Samaritan office
Sacraments
Baptism, Confirmation and the OCIA process for adults are coordinated parish-wide. Infant baptisms are usually scheduled on Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons and require parents to attend a Baptismal Prep Class. Classes alternate between Good Samaritan (Tuesday evenings, contact Chris Patsch, [email protected] or 724-318-8403) and Saints John & Paul (Sunday mornings following the 9:00 AM Mass, contact Holly Smith, [email protected]). To schedule a baptism at Good Samaritan, contact Jan Culp; for Saints John & Paul, contact Betsy Shulkosky. Older children preparing for baptism receive a tailored program, and unbaptized adults are invited into the parish's OCIA process through Karen Walker.
- Baptism (infants) — Sat mornings / Sun afternoons
- Baptism Prep Classes alternate between Good Samaritan and Saints John & Paul
- Older-Child Baptism — individualized prep
- Adult Baptism / OCIA — Karen Walker, [email protected]
- Confirmation — Letter to the Pastor submitted to Nick Sciarappa
Faith Formation, OCIA and Youth Ministry
The Faith Formation office (Director Holly Smith) provides parish-school-style religious education for the children of registered families, with site-specific coordinators at Good Samaritan (Chris Patsch) and Saints John & Paul (Sarah Sacco). Adults who have never been baptized — or who were baptized in another Christian tradition and seek full communion with the Catholic Church — journey through OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) with Karen Walker. Youth Ministry, led by Nick Sciarappa, walks Confirmation candidates through service, retreat and discernment, including the signature 'Letter to the Pastor' in which each teen introduces himself, names his Confirmation saint, identifies his sponsor, and reflects on how God may be calling him to use his gifts after Confirmation.
- Faith Formation for children and teens — Holly Smith, Director
- OCIA (Adult initiation) — Karen Walker
- Youth Ministry & Confirmation prep — Nick Sciarappa
- Letter to the Pastor — written reflection submitted before Confirmation
Music Ministry
Music at each campus is led by a dedicated Director of Music Ministry. Bridget Jarsulic directs the choirs and musicians for liturgies at Good Samaritan Church, while Vincent Gentile directs Music Ministry at Saints John & Paul. Both choirs support the parish's Sunday and weekday Mass schedule, including the Spanish-language liturgy.
- Music Ministry at Good Samaritan — Bridget Jarsulic, Director
- Music Ministry at Saints John & Paul — Vincent Gentile, Director
Charity, Social Ministry and Outreach
Putting faith into action is a stated mark of the parish. Ana Bakhtar serves as Parish Social Minister, coordinating the parish's outreach to the poor and those in need. Parish Ministers Karen Walker and Mary Louise Kohser provide pastoral care to parishioners across the campuses, and the parish maintains Safe Environment compliance through Chris Patsch, the Parish Safe Environment Coordinator.
- Parish Social Ministry — Ana Bakhtar
- Pastoral care visits and outreach — Karen Walker & Mary Louise Kohser
- Safe Environment / Child Protection — Chris Patsch, Coordinator
Buildings and Facilities
Good Samaritan Church occupies the former St. Veronica Church building, the only Ambridge church of the original five that remained open after the 2004 consolidation. Its Adoration Chapel hosts daily weekday adoration. Across the parish, the newer Saints John & Paul campus in Franklin Park / Sewickley was dedicated on May 2, 2010 and designed by Desmone Architects as a basilica-style cruciform building of brick and sandstone seating about 1,500, with a choir loft, more than 30 reclaimed stained-glass windows and a 150-seat Grotto Chapel used for daily Mass, small weddings and perpetual adoration.
- Good Samaritan (former St. Veronica Church) — Ambridge
- Saints John & Paul — basilica-style cruciform church dedicated 2010
- Grotto Chapel — stone walls, wood details, indirect lighting, 150 seats, perpetual adoration
- 30+ reclaimed stained-glass windows at Saints John & Paul
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Good Samaritan Parish (pre-merger clergy team, 2018–2022)2018–2022
Shared clergy and staff with neighboring parishes during the On Mission for The Church Alive! transition; published a joint bulletin.
- St. Luke the Evangelist Parish2022–present
Formed July 1, 2022 by merger of Good Samaritan (Ambridge), St. John the Baptist (Baden), Our Lady of Peace (Conway) and Ss. John & Paul (Franklin Park / Sewickley). Father Joe Carr serves as pastor.