Holy Family Parish, ACCESS get senior parishioners to church

Seniors in the Holy Family Parish have a new way to get to Mass thanks in part to the parish’s Serving Our Seniors Ministry.

Any senior member can get a free ride to church through ACCESS Transportation Systems.

ACCESS is sponsored by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, but it primarily serves people with disabilities, clients of human service agencies and people aged 65 and over. In the case of the Holy Family Parish, only members who are also registered with ACCESS are able to schedule a ride.

“The program is designed for seniors of our parishes who cannot get to church,” said volunteer Margaret Barton. “And it’s for anybody over 65 living in Allegheny County. We’re trying to find transportation for them. As they get older, they don’t want to drive as much. We still want them to come to church.”

Volunteer Lynn Verratti said the service is only picking up about five people on an average weekend between the five churches that make up the Holy Family Parish. About 20 seniors in the parish are registered, but the hope is that will pick up once winter arrives.

“I think when the weather gets bad and word of mouth, we’ll have more,” said Verrati.

The Holy Family Parish consists of the churches St. John the Baptist in Plum, St. Januarius in Plum, Our Lady of Joy in Plum, St. Irenaeus in Oakmont and St. Joseph in Verona. In order to use the ACCESS service, one must be at least 65 years of age, a member of the Holy Family Parish and registered with ACCESS. Right now, only one Mass per church is offered for rides, but the rides are free to members. The hope is that this can expand if the service proves to be popular.

The service is also limited to members in Allegheny County. Verrati floated the idea of hopefully expanding to include members in Westmoreland County, but it all depends on how successful this first service option is.

To sign up for a ride, call the Serving our Seniors office at the Holy Family Parish, 412-793-4511, ext-107.