St. Mary of the Mount safety closure affects wedding plans

St. Mary of the Mount Church, a popular site for Pittsburgh weddings because of its prominent spot atop Mount Washington, has been closed because of "safety concerns" raised by a recent inspection.

In a written statement, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese said there are "serious concerns with the integrity of the church ceiling which are being given immediate attention."

Masses are being celebrated at Sullivan Hall on Bigham Street until the necessary repairs can be made at the church on Grandview Avenue. It's not yet clear what type of repairs are needed or how much they are expected to cost.

Casey Martin and Michael Jandrasits were supposed to walk down the aisle at St. Mary of the Mount on Saturday. At the last minute, their wedding and everyone involved in it will move to the nearby Grace Episcopal Church on West Sycamore Street.

"It's kind of ironic," Jandrasits said with a laugh, "because everything that happened to St. Mary of the Mount was due to age, and this church right here is older."

"Anytime something changes, especially something major like this, your heart just has to go out to the planning and to the celebration," said the Rev. Michael Stumpf, pastor at Saint Mary of the Mount.

Stumpf is working with Bishop David Zubik to relocate other scheduled weddings and funerals. On the parish's Facebook page, Stumpf posted a note that said, in part, "We're very blessed to enjoy strong relationships within the ecumenical, as well as the diocesan, community."

"This church (Grace) opened their doors. Father John was gracious enough to allow us to have it here. And then Bishop Zubik was upset, obviously, for us and he reached out to their bishop, and they both had the blessing of this too,"?Jandrasits said.

While Martin and Jandrasits were a little disappointed about the change in plans, they both know it's love -- not a church building -- that?makes a marriage.

"Like I told Father Mike, if we had to have one of two things, if it was him or the church, we wanted Father Mike," Jandrasits said. "He's just that great."

Source: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/safety-concerns-close-st-mary-of-the-mount-church/-/10927008/20953762/-/i3elk9/-/index.html?absolute=true

Sahara Davenport Resident Evil 6 arnold schwarzenegger adam shulman adam shulman peanut butter recall jason aldean