Penn Hills priest will lend support to revitalize parishes

When the Rev. David J. Bonnar arrived five years ago as pastor of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Penn Hills, the parish school had declining enrollment and the church was in need of repairs.

Pat Nigro hadn't been to church in many years.

Nigro, of Penn Hills, said Bonnar worked with school officials and parents to stem the enrollment decreases. He refurbished the church with carpeting, paint and utility systems -- and spoke with Nigro about her faith. Today, she is a member of the church pastoral council and a Eucharistic minister who helps distribute Holy Communion to the congregation.

"His Masses were so inspiring, and his homilies suited what I needed for that day," Nigro said. "He was instrumental in getting me to become active in the parish."

Bonnar's ability to breathe life into the parish did not go unnoticed. On July 9, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh made him leader of its Secretariat for Parish Life and Ministerial Leadership.

Sister Dorothy Pawlus, St. Bartholomew's new parish life collaborator, said Bonnar's outgoing personality made it easy for people "to let their guard down."

"He touched a lot of lives here," she said.

Bonnar, 45, celebrated his 19th anniversary in the priesthood July 23. He said he and the rest of the secretariat, formerly the Secretariat for Ministerial Leadership, are discussing what needs to be done for the 214 parishes of the diocese that serve about 764,000 Catholics in six counties.

"We want to offer support and direction as (parish officials) work on the mission of the parishes," he said. "There is a real link between the vitality of parishes and the vitality of their leadership."

Bonnar, who grew up in Castle Shannon, attended St. Gabriel Catholic School in Whitehall and graduated from Seton-LaSalle High School in Mt. Lebanon. He earned a degree in social communication from Duquesne University and received his seminary training at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Bonnar later was rector and director of vocations at St. Paul Seminary, as well as a dean and assistant pastor of three parishes.

In all of these assignments, "he has shown himself to be a wonderful spiritual leader and a very competent administrator," said the Rev. Ronald Lengwin, diocesan spokesman. "He possesses the special skills needed to head the secretariat as it addresses some of the challenges facing the church today."

Bonnar said he and other members of the secretariat have four goals:

• To foster a sense of collaboration throughout all the parishes.

• To find ways to help priests, deacons and other church leaders.

• To prepare the laity to take more of the responsibility of parish work, because of the declining number of priests.

• To foster vocations to the priesthood.

"I know God is still calling men to be priests," he said. "We need to give support to men, because it's a calling that is not easy. It's a special job. It's certainly a life worth living."