Fr. Alan Grote celebrated his 25th Anniversary of service to the Priesthood on Sunday August 19th.

    There was good news & bad news.... the good news we were all set to celebrate the gift of 25 yrs of priesthood with Fr. Alan's family, friends & parishioners...the bad news was that Fr. Alan was not present! A sudden illness & hospitalization prevented him from attending his own celebration!

Portrait of a Priest - By Linda Henkel

      The journey of a Christian life is marked with loving servants along the way  who help us draw nearer to God. One such person who has enabled the parishioners of St. Margaret Mary, All Saints and Mt. St. Peter churches to know, love and serve God more faithfully is our parochial vicar, Fr. Alan Grote.

      He was born on Sept. 15, 1955 in Uniontown, PA. to his parents Eugene and Eleanor Grote. He was the second of five sons. His brothers are Dennis, Larry, Regis & Ralph.

      His family attended both St. Mary (Nativity) church & its mission of St. Cecilia in Lemont Furnace. Along with his brothers, he attended St. Mary School, graduating in 1969 from 8^th grade. Taught by the Vincentian Sisters of Charity, he continues to cherish the wonderful memories of their kindness and devotion, especially that of Sister Mary Valentine. Fr. Alan is one of 18 former students of hers that have become priests.

      Fulfilling the ministry of altar server with his brothers, he was inspired by the priests who served in his home parish. With a strong family life and early Catholic education, he began to realize an inner call to become a priest.

      After graduating from Laurel Highlands High School in 1973, he then went to West Virginia University, majoring in Advertising Journalism. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1997. While at WVU, he encountered the influence of the Paulist Fathers in campus ministry as well as a Franciscan prayer group that lead to the next step in his vocation.

      Possessing a fervent and unwavering intention on entering the priesthood, he entered Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. It was here, in the seminary, that his vocation to the Priesthood finally came to fruition. He earned a Master’s Degree in Systematic Theology (magna cum laude) as well as a Master’s Degree in Divinity in 1982. 

     Father Alan was ordained on May 1, 1982, by Bishop William G. Connare.  Included in this ordination class of six were Fr. William McGuirk, former parochial vicar at St. Margaret Mary church, Fr. Kenneth Zaccagnini, former parochial vicar at Mt. St. Peter church, Fr. Paul Whalen and Fr. John Sedlak, who both served with Fr. Alan at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, and Fr. Joseph Traynor, who would serve with Fr. Alan in Northern Indiana County.

     The next day, in the presence of his family and friends, Fr. Alan celebrated his first Mass of thanksgiving at St. Mary, his home parish.  The following week he celebrated Mass at St. Cecilia in Lemont Furnace. He who once knelt at these two altars as a server, now stood at these altars as priest offering the prayer and sacrifice of the Mass.

      Bishop Connare first assigned Fr. Alan as Parochial Vicar at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral from 1982 -1987. It was at the Cathedral that he came to know Monsignor Donald J. Mondello, who would remain his good friend throughout the years.

      Bishop Anthony Bosco then assigned Fr. Alan as Parochial Vicar to St. Joseph church here in New Kensington. For over five years, Fr. Alan ministered at St.Joseph, as he grew in priestly experience.

      Bishop Bosco next assigned Fr. Alan as Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi church in Rossiter and the following year appointed him Administrator of nearby St. Michael church in Glen Campbell as well. The diocese was in the process of combining the six churches and four missions in Northern Indiana county into eventually one parish, the Church of the Resurrection, in Clymer.

      With the formation of this new parish, Bishop Bosco reassigned Fr. Alan. For the next 10 years, once more as Parochial Vicar, Fr. Alan ministered at Holy Family church in Latrobe, privileged to serve again with his good friend, Monsignor Mondello, from his days at the Cathedral.

 Bishop Lawrence Brandt in August of 2005 then assigned Fr. Alan the task of being a “Shared Parochial Vicar”, responsible for serving the parishes of Mt. St. Peter in New Kensington, All Saints in Arnold and St. Margaret Mary in Lower Burrell. Fr. Alan has responded well to this new assignment. 

     Fr. Alan maintains a wealth of knowledge about the lives of the saints, speaking frequently about their faith, their witness for Christ and the power of their intercession for us.  

     The greatest challenge Fr. Alan feels he possesses as a priest today is the task of stirring up the desire for faith and a love for Christ and His Church among people who have somehow lost their way to our Heavenly Father.  He prays daily for those who have no belief at all in God as well as those who lack faith in Jesus Christ and the many “lost sheep” who have strayed from the Good Shepherd, from Mass and the gift of Holy Communion…for those whose love has sadly grown cold or lukewarm.

      As we continue to walk with this marvelous minister of the Gospel, may the light of his kindness, humility and compassion radiate our way, leading us to know, love and serve our Lord more dearly in our own lives. 

     May God bless you, Fr. Alan, on this, the beautiful occasion of your twenty-fifth year in the Priesthood and always!

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