Campaign Goals

Since 1961, the Pittsburgh Oratory of St. Philip Neri has been drawing young people to Christ through its campus ministry programs. Many of these young people are already leaders in the Church and, as they graduate and move away, they become leaders in parishes throughout the country.  

The Oratory has embarked on the Magnify the Lord Capital Campaign to expand our campus ministry initiatives. Additionally, the proceeds from this campaign will address essential liturgical and infrastructure needs, ensuring the Oratory's continued ability to serve students and the wider Catholic community for years to come.

Ready to learn more? 

CAMPUS MINISTRY STAFF EXPANSION 

$600,000 

Campus ministry has been at the heart of the Oratory’s mission since its founding in 1961 and has had a long-lasting impact on students’ lives, spurring vocations and transforming hearts for Christ. FOCUS missionaries support the campus ministry program and are active on the Pitt and Carnegie Mellon campuses. As this ministry continues to expand, we need to hire a full-time, lay campus minister to manage programs effectively. Campaign goals for campus ministry include: 

  • Funding to hire a full-time campus minister to effectively manage the growth in activities and events. This person will manage day-to-day activities of the campus ministry and assist in coordinating and expanding our programs. 

  • Funding to expand the reach of FOCUS, bringing in additional missionaries to evangelize students at Chatham University, along with student-athletes on all campuses. 

SACRED LITURGY RENEWAL

$1.8 MILLION  

Our electronic organ has always been ill-suited to our space, lacking delicacy, clarity, warmth, and quality of tone. Furthermore, like any 30-year-old electronic device, it is reaching the end of its intended lifespan. In addition, our chapel has never had a proper choir loft. The present space occupied by the choir – never envisioned as a choir loft and plagued by inadequate acoustics – does not allow for more than a few singers and suffers from a lack of tonal egress and a sightline to the organ console across the chapel. The sacred liturgy renewal goal will allow us to:  

  • Commission a new organ specifically designed for our space. The Oratory has contacted Paul Fritts, who designs and builds some of the nation’s most sensitive and nuanced organs, including ones tailored for more intimate worship spaces like our chapel. Fritts is eager to build, voice, and install a pipe organ that will harmonize beautifully with the chapel space visually and be acoustically well-suited to the prayerful and recollected nature of the Oratory’s liturgies. 

  • Construct a new choir loft in the rear of the church that will offer space for the new organ and 20 singers. Both organ and choral music will sound substantially more pleasant and clear with the new loft and organ. 

  • Preserve and promote the rich history of sacred music for generations by equipping our young people with the skills necessary to promote the arts of choral singing and conducting, as well as liturgical organ playing. This campaign will: 

    • Enhance and expand our choral, choral conducting and organ fellowship programs. 

    • Fund the recruitment and hiring of additional professionals to elevate feasts and solemnities. 

    • Allow for increased presence of the Director of Sacred Music to teach our students and elevate our liturgies. 

  • Update and improve the chapel by refinishing and repairing pews, repainting the walls, resealing the floor of the chapel, replacing the sacristy cabinets and drawers, repairing the AV system, and acquiring new vestments. 

New choir loft rendering

BUILDING RENEWAL PROJECTS

$2.1 MILLION  

The next time you stop by the Oratory, pause as you put your hand to the front door and look down to your left. There you will see the Oratory’s cornerstone. On it is inscribed the year “1994.” This means that our current building, the home of both our lives as Oratorians and our ministries, will turn 30 years old this year.  

The building is lovely. And yet, a close inspection reveals clear signs of 30 years of wear-and-tear. The same is true of Rednal, our retreat house in Ligonier. The buildings on which we depend for our life and work are at the point where they require more than the usual day-to-day maintenance we provide for them. They have been a great blessing to us. It is time for us to provide a great blessing to them in return. The Magnify the Lord campaign will allow us to: 

  • Refurbish the Oratory and take steps to protect the building for years to come. Key projects include: 

    • Replacing the shingles on the roof. 

    • Replacing all exterior doors and windows. 

    • Renovating the main floor bathrooms. 

    • Replacing the flooring on the second floor. 

    • Lighting improvement. 

  • Update the student center by addressing maintenance items and maximizing space. Projects include:  

    • Expanding the kitchen with a larger cooking area, dishwashing sinks and serving counter. 

    • Reconfiguring event space. 

    • Adding new lighting, flooring and sound-dampening materials to minimize the amount of sound filtering up into the chapel. 

    • Replacing the original 30-year-old furniture. 

    • Renovating the lower-level bathrooms. 

  • Complete a comprehensive list of projects at Rednal to bring the entire house up to satisfactory standards to handle large and small groups comfortably. The projects include:  

    • Repairing the foundation under the kitchen. 

    • Replacing the roof and siding. 

    • Improving the electrical system in the old part of the house. 

    • Regrading the backyard to improve drainage. 

    • Renovating the kitchen. 

    • Improving the HVAC system. 

    • Renovating the bottom floor of bell tower into a men’s shower. 

    • Excavating for a water retention tank. 

    • Installing a new washer and dryer. 

RENDERING OF VIEW FROM ENTRY DOOR
RENDERING OF VIEW TOWARD KITCHEN
RENDERING OF KITCHEN

Floor plan