Buddhist Lama Visiting Pittsburgh

The 33rd Menri Trizin, the highest lama of the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition will speak and offer blessings Saturday at Mellon Institute from 3 to 5 and then attend a benefit dinner at India Garden in Monroeville.

Tempa Lama, the spiritual director of the Olmo Ling Center in Greenfield, says the Bon tradition pre-dates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet during the 7th century, making it the oldest of the 5 schools of Buddhism. He says Bon Buddhism holds that any human being can become a Buddha, an awakened being, through unconditional love and compassion for others. Tempa Lama studied in the 80s as a child under the 33rd Menri Trizin at the monastery he built in northern India when clashes with the Chinese forced many Buddhists to flee Tibet in 1959. It now houses nuns, monks and students, which will benefit from the fundraising.

Tempa Lama says the Menri Trizin will bless people with his great power to heal physical and emotional suffering, and even business troubles. He considers him a living Buddha, along with the Dalai Lama. As a world religion, he says Buddhism claims 10% but is the fastest-growing.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) votes on Ordaining Gays

In 2005 reverend Janet Edwards performed a marriage between two women in a Presbyterian (USA) church in Pittsburgh. The move violated the denomination’s Book of Order and sparked a debate over homosexuality in the church. While the debate over gay marriage within the denomination is far from over, a major milestone in how the church sees homosexuals was crossed last night in Minneapolis.

The Twin Cities Area Presbytery voted last night to change the Book of Order, which serves as the church’s constitution, to no longer prohibit the ordination of sexually active gays and lesbians. The vote among pastors in that presbytery was the 149th vote taken in the 173 presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The vote now stands at 87-62, giving the change a guaranteed majority.

The Pittsburgh Presbytery voted against the change last fall, which is a vote to leave in place language reading,“Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.”

Edwards said the vote affirms to her that “God loves us all” but she admits it does not change the rules defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

“The conversation around marriage will continue,” said Edwards. “What this will do is have in the Presbyterian Church, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender members feel more at easy, as the bible says, take the basket off of there light.” Edwards believes that will allow other members to see the deep and loving commitment between those members, “which we all recognize as marriage.”

The debate over the last few years has brought about amazing change in the denomination said Edwards. Despite the fact that at least a third of the presbyteries across the country voted no, she believes the move will not split the church. “Our present moment invites us to have deep conversations… there is the real gift form God out there of our church being more unified than it has in a real long time,” said Edwards.

Individual presbyteries will still have the power to accept or deny anyone looking to be ordain. A ruling to deny could be appealed through the church's court system. That same court system could be used to appeal the ordination of an openly gay pastor. Further, a homosexual pastor ordain in one presbytery could be denied a transfer to another presbytery.

Religious Art Exhibit Coming to History Center

From October 2nd through January 9th, the Senator John Heinz History Center will host "Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art", an exhibition of more than 200 items from the Vatican, along with more than fifty local artifacts of religious and historical significance.

History Center President and CEO Andy Masich says he agreed immediately to host the exhibit, not only because he knew the Vatican collection is world class, but because 60% of Western Pennsylvanians self-identify as Catholic, and people of any religion will find the art and history fascinating.

There will be a perfect copy of Michelangelo’s “Pieta”, which Masich says was used to restore the vandalized original in 1972, plus art works by Bernini and Giotto. Some items are 2,000 years old and some as recent as bronze casts of Pope John Paul 2's hands, which visitors will be able to touch.

Masich says the reliquaries are especially fascinating, both from the Vatican and from the Chapel of St. Anthony in Troy Hill, which houses the largest collection outside the Vatican.

Museum members, local parishes, and religious congregations can get discounted tickets now. They go on sale to the general public September 19th.

Peace Walk Goes through Region This Week

A peace walk that’s in favor of worldwide nuclear arms disbandment is marching through the Pittsburgh region this week. The walk is going through McMurray, Library, McKeesport and Greensburg. It was also in Washington PA over the weekend. The three-month long walk began in Tennessee last month, and it will make its way to New York City in May, in time for a United Nations conference regarding nuclear arms.

Karrie-Ann Garlick, an Australian native with Footprints for Peace, says their message is simple: to bring a nuclear-free future to the world. She says people participating in the walk are coming from places such as Japan, Australia, Europe and the United States.

Former Pgh. Auxiliary Bishop Dies

Retired Auxiliary Bishop John McDowell of Pittsburgh died Thursday at Passavant Hospital in Pittsburgh. Bishop McDowell was 88 years old. Bishop David Zubik said in a written statement that McDowell was "a national figure in Catholic education" and "a dear friend."

McDowell helped launch the 1972 document "To Teach as Jesus Did" before moving up the Catholic education ladder and becoming superintendent of Diocese of Pittsburgh schools. McDowell also wrote seven biographies of past Pittsburgh bishops before the 2007 publication of his final book, an autobiography.

State Judge to Retire

Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Maureen Lally-Green says her decision to step down was a difficult one, but the situation is bittersweet. She is getting to work with Bishop David Zubik and the Catholic Diocese, and it was an offer she couldn't pass up.

"When the opportunity was presented to, perhaps, work with him in this arena, I thought: Wow. What a tremendous opportunity."

Lally-Green has been state Superior Court Judge since 1998. She will step down from the bench at the end of July, and will take her position as Director of the new Office for Church Relations in August. She says her job will entail administrative and communication tasks, particularly dealing with community outreach.

Four Catholic Schools to Close

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced the closing of four schools at the end of this school year: St. Titus in Aliquippa, St. Elizabeth Seton in Sheraden, Bishop McDowell in Baldwin, and St. Valentine in Bethel Park.

Father Kris Stubna, diocesan secretary for education, says all four schools faced the same basic problem of a declining population of school age children--a situation faced by public schools as well. As enrollment went down, tuition went up, and enrollment then went down further.

For students, Father Stubna says there are other Catholic schools available in their areas, which may have lower tuition, more varied programs and better extracurricular opportunities.

Displaced teachers will get preference when applying for openings at other schools in the diocese.

Gateway Students Asked to Remove Religious Headscarves

Two Gateway High School seniors left school Tuesday after school administrators asked the students to temporarily remove their headscarves because of tensions between students.Gateway School District Spokesperson Cara Zanella said the meeting between administrators, parents and students went well, and added there will be a follow-up meeting to arrange a conflict-resolution.

A dress code violation a few weeks ago had initiated the escalation between students. Zanella said a student wore a t-shirt that was labeled “R.I.P Israel”. She said some students took offense in the shirt, and as a result administrators asked the student to remove it.

Another student then wrote an article about the situation in a local newspaper, in which students had also complained. It was at that point that Muslim students felt unsafe at school. Zanella said the headscarves follow dress code rules; the t-shirt with the anti-Israeli sentiment does not.

Scotch-Irish Preacher to Deliver Martin Luther King Jr. Day Message at Baptist Minister’s Conference

At 12:30 today Dr. Jerry O’Neill, president of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary on Penn Avenue in Point Breeze, will be the first person not of African-American descent to speak at the Baptist Minister’s Conference. O’Neill is scheduled to give the Martin Luther King Jr. Day message to his fellow preachers. The doctor, who is from Scotch-Irish roots, says he will avoid talking about changes in policy and speak more on how Jesus Christ changes hearts. He says although it is important to have legislation which encourages better race relations, true reconciliation requires a change of heart through Christ. The Conference is being held at Calvary Baptist Church on Wylie Ave. in Pittsburgh.

Local Presbyterian Church Uses Courts to Split

Memorial Park Presbyterian Church voted at its weekend services to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with the help of civil courts.
Senior Pastor Dean Weaver says the congregation has long been at odds with some practices of the national church, and had "intense discussions" over the past year about separating. A June vote approved the matter in the McCandless church, but the Pittsburgh Presbytery refused to dismiss them. Weaver says the church had "no choice" but to go to the courts, especially after receiving a letter forbidding them to meet or vote. An injunction prevented interference.
Pittsburgh Presbytery has called the move "unconstitutional," and still considers Memorial Park a member church. Weaver says their actions are a ploy to maintain control and "misguided."