About Incarnation of the Lord Church - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Incarnation of the Lord Church is one of four worship sites of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, located at 4071 Franklin Road in the Perry North / Observatory Hill neighborhood on Pittsburgh's North Side. Sunday Mass is celebrated at the church at 8:00 a.m., with weekday Masses on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 a.m. The parish was originally built in 1925 as Nativity of Our Lord Church, designed by prominent Pittsburgh ecclesiastical architect Carlton Strong in his signature inverted-ship-keel Gothic style, and was renamed Incarnation of the Lord in 1993 when Nativity merged with Annunciation Parish. Since July 1, 2020, Incarnation of the Lord has been part of the combined Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish along with Saint Athanasius (West View), Saint Sebastian (Ross Township) and Saint Teresa of Avila (Perrysville).
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- Incarnation of the Lord (the building was originally Nativity of Our Lord; the parish was renamed Incarnation of the Lord upon the 1993 merger; the larger parish's patroness is Our Lady of Mount Carmel)
- Rector
- Rev. John R. Rushofsky, M.Ed. (Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish; assigned with parochial vicar Rev. Michael R. Ruffalo)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pittsburgh
Why belong here
Incarnation of the Lord offers a small, neighborhood-sized Catholic community in the heart of Pittsburgh's North Side, with Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday morning weekday Masses, and the full devotional life of a much larger parish — Rosary, Miraculous Medal Novena, Eucharistic Adoration, centering prayer, a weekly Bible study with Father Leroy DiPietro, and the McDonald's Ministry with Deacon David Witter — all shared with the Saint Athanasius / Saint Sebastian / Saint Teresa of Avila family that makes up Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. The parish's 1925 Carlton Strong-designed church has been carefully maintained (including the 2008 enclosed accessibility lift), and the parish runs a full faith-formation program under Director Will Reaves. It is a great fit for North Side parishioners who want a historic, intimate church connected to a vibrant four-site Catholic community.
Mass times at Incarnation of the Lord Church - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Per the diocese directory, current times are listed in the weekly parish bulletin on mountcarmelpgh.org; Saturday confessions for the combined parish are commonly scheduled before the Saturday Vigil at Saint Athanasius Church.
Adoration times
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration at Saint Athanasius Church, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with reflection, Benediction and Reposition at 2:45 p.m.
- Additional adoration/devotional times are published in the parish bulletin and Facebook feed.
About Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is a four-site Catholic community in the North Hills and North Side of Pittsburgh in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. It brings together the former parishes of Saint Athanasius in West View (est. 1907), Incarnation of the Lord in Observatory Hill / Perry North (1993), Saint Sebastian in Ross Township (1952) and Saint Teresa of Avila in Perrysville (1867). All four church buildings remain in active use. The Parish Center, which houses the administrative and finance offices, is located at 800 Avila Court in Perrysville.
- Parish Center: 800 Avila Court, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 — 412-367-9001
- Saint Athanasius Church — 7 Chalfonte Avenue, West View
- Incarnation of the Lord Church — 4071 Franklin Road, Perry North
- Saint Sebastian Church — 311 Siebert Road, Ross Township
- Saint Teresa of Avila Church — 1000 Avila Court, Perrysville
History of Incarnation of the Lord Church
The building was constructed in 1925 as Nativity of Our Lord Church and School to serve the North Side / Observatory Hill community. It was designed by Carlton Strong, a prolific Pittsburgh ecclesiastical architect whose signature motif — interiors shaped like an inverted ship keel — was meant to remind worshippers of the barque of Peter and the ark of Noah. The new church earned early praise for fitting the major buildings of a parish group under a single roof. In 1993, Nativity merged with Annunciation Parish (founded 1893 on Norwood Avenue in Perry South) to form Incarnation of the Lord Parish; the combined school became Incarnation Academy, which closed in 2006. The school section of the building is now used as a social hall and administrative offices. In 2008 the parish joined the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation's Historic Religious Properties program, and parishioners and volunteers — led by Benedictine Sister Florence Lynch — oversaw replacement of the wooden accessibility ramp with an enclosed electric lift. On July 1, 2020, the parish was merged into Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.
- 1925 — Nativity of Our Lord Church and School built; designed by Carlton Strong.
- 1993 — Nativity and Annunciation merge to form Incarnation of the Lord Parish; school becomes Incarnation Academy.
- 2006 — Incarnation Academy closes; school building becomes parish social hall and offices.
- 2008 — Enclosed electric lift installed; parish accepted into PHLF Historic Religious Properties program.
- July 1, 2020 — Incarnation of the Lord merged into the new Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.
Pastor and Parish Staff
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish is led by Pastor Rev. John R. Rushofsky, M.Ed., with Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael R. Ruffalo and a team of retired and assigned priests and deacons serving the four worship sites. The staff page also lists the Director of Faith Formation and the finance team.
- Rev. John R. Rushofsky, M.Ed. — Pastor
- Rev. Michael R. Ruffalo — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Michael J. Maranowski, M.Div. — Parish Chaplain
- Rev. Leroy A. DiPietro — Retired with an Assignment as Pastor; weekly Bible Study leader
- Rev. William E. Dorner — Director for Matrimonial Concerns / High School Chaplain / Tribunal Consultant
- Deacon David R. Witter
- Deacon Gary L. Comer
- Deacon Clifford M. Homer, Sr.
- Deacon Robert E. Koslosky
Devotions, Rosary and Bible Study
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish runs an unusually rich devotional calendar that parishioners at any of the four worship sites can attend. Rosary is prayed multiple times a week, the Miraculous Medal Novena is offered on Tuesdays, and Father Leroy DiPietro leads a weekly Bible Study on Wednesday evenings.
- Morning Rosary — Mon/Wed/Fri after 8:30 a.m. Mass at Saint Athanasius (livestreamed on Facebook)
- Afternoon Rosary — Mon–Fri after the noon Mass
- Miraculous Medal Novena — Tuesdays after 8:30 a.m. Mass at Saint Athanasius
- Bible Study with Father DiPietro — Wed 7:00–8:00 p.m., Saint Athanasius Rectory
- Centering Prayer — Wed 10:30 a.m., Parish Center Prayer Room
- Spirit Refill Rosary & Presentation — 13th of each month, 7:00 p.m., Saint Teresa of Avila
Faith Formation and Catechesis
Faith Formation across the four churches is directed by Will Reaves, Director of Faith Formation and Intergenerational Catechesis. Reaves joined the staff from St. Catherine of Sweden / Sts. Martha and Mary Parish in Pittsburgh, where he had served for six and a half years as Director of Evangelization. His vision emphasizes that a parish becomes a home through in-person community, volunteering, and welcoming the stranger in the pew.
- Will Reaves — Director of Faith Formation and Intergenerational Catechesis
- Volunteer catechists and family-program leaders across the four worship sites
Parish Ministries and Outreach
Parishioners serve through a range of parish and apostolic ministries: the Ladies of Charity, the Knights of Columbus, the McDonald's Ministry (a twice-weekly Q&A with Deacon David Witter at the West View McDonald's), the Rosary at the Haven ministry to a senior residence on Babcock Boulevard, and parish-wide social events such as the Parish Picnic and the annual Parish Festival.
- Ladies of Charity
- Knights of Columbus
- Rosary at the Haven — Jane Sestric (412-841-3923) / George Linkhauer
- McDonald's Ministry — Deacon David Witter, Mon & Wed 9:15 a.m.
- Parish Picnic and Parish Festival
Finance and Administration
The parish's administrative and finance operations are based at the Parish Center, 800 Avila Court, Perrysville.
- Patrice D'Amico — Financial Manager — 412-367-9001 ext. 8436 — [email protected]
- Naomi Wells — Bookkeeper — 412-367-9001 ext. 8419 — [email protected]
- Parish fax: 412-366-8415
Getting Involved at the Parish
The parish's stated invitation — drawn from Director Will Reaves's reflection on finding a 'home' in a parish — is that community is built by stepping out: volunteering through groups like the Ladies of Charity or Knights of Columbus, serving at Mass or in faith-formation programs, attending the Parish Picnic or the August Parish Festival, or simply being neighborly to the family in the next pew. The parish invites new members to register and to receive church envelopes.
- Volunteer through Ladies of Charity, Knights of Columbus, or faith-formation programs
- Attend the Parish Picnic or Parish Festival
- Pray the Rosary on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the parish community