Cor ad Cor Loquitur
Heart speaks to heart. Come find a home.
Oratory of St. Philip Neri
What Is an Oratory?
An Oratory is a community of Catholic priests and brothers who live together in common life without vows, following the Constitutions established by St. Philip Neri in Rome in the 1500s. Each Oratory is autonomous — rooted in a specific city, serving that city’s people.
Philip Neri was known for joy, humor, and the radical availability of his priestly heart. He gathered people around prayer, music, and conversation — not rules and programs. The Pittsburgh Oratory, founded in 1961, inherits that spirit.
The Pittsburgh Oratory is also home to the Catholic Newman Center for the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Chatham University — the Oratorian tradition of personal encounter finding its natural home on university campuses.
Founded
1961, Pittsburgh, PA
Patrons
St. Philip Neri · St. John Henry Newman
Worldwide Movement
Founded by St. Philip Neri, Rome, 1564. Now present in over 90 cities worldwide.
Mission
“Cultivates lifelong relationships with Christ in local university students and lay faithful of Pittsburgh through participation in the sacraments, devotion to the Word of God, and formation of intentional Catholic community.”
The Community
The Oratorians
A community of priests and brothers lives together at 4450 Bayard Street. Each came to Pittsburgh first as a student or resident — and stayed.
Father Michael Darcy, C.O.
Provost· Ord. 2002
Born in Middletown, NY, Fr. Mike arrived at the Oratory in 1997 and was ordained in 2002. He holds a Doctorate of Theology from Duquesne University and teaches senior Religion at St. Cyril Academy.
Fishing, camping, and biking.
Father Joshua Kibler, C.O.
Vice-Provost· Ord. 2009
From East Stroudsburg, PA, Fr. Josh arrived in 2005 and was ordained in 2009. He serves as Vice-Provost and Novice Master and teaches Latin at South Hills Catholic Academy.
Racquetball, soccer, and following the Pirates.
Father Peter Gruber, C.O.
Campus Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry· Ord. 2017
Fr. Peter studied engineering and philosophy at Pitt and was ordained a priest in 2017. He oversees campus ministry for all three universities, with a particular focus at Pitt, and he serves as the Minister of the Rednal retreat house.
Spending time with his many nephews and nieces, and woodworking.
Father Stephen Lowery, C.O.
Priest· Ord. 2009
From Alabama, Fr. Stephen arrived in 2006 and was ordained in 2009. He studied film at NYU, where he converted to Catholicism.
Digital photography and classic films.
Father Reed Frey, C.O.
Treasurer· Ord. 2021
From Lancaster County, PA, Fr. Reed arrived during his Pitt Philosophy studies and was ordained in 2021. He is currently pursuing Systematic Theology studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Being outdoors and studying the history of philosophy.
Father Thomas Skamai, C.O.
Part-time Campus Chaplain· Ord. 2022
From Rural Valley, PA, Fr. Thomas studied philosophy at Pitt and was ordained a priest in 2022. He serves as a part-time chaplain focusing on Chatham and full time as a high school teacher at Aquinas Academy. He is also pursuing an advanced degree in Canon Law.
Nearly any sport.
Father Leo Dornan, C.O.
Part-time Campus Chaplain· Ord. 2024
From Holly Springs, NC, Fr. Leo studied Philosophy and Political Science at Pitt and was ordained a priest in May 2024. He serves as a part-time chaplain focusing on Carnegie Mellon and full time as a teacher at Oakland Catholic High School.
Soccer and time outdoors.
Brothers & Seminarians
Br. Kurt Kessler, C.O.
Assistant to the Chaplains
From Lancaster, PA, Br. Kurt graduated from Pitt with a degree in philosophy and was ordained a deacon in 2026. He will be ordained a priest in May of 2027 after completing his seminary training at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Hands-on projects and bike rides.
Br. Matthew Grzybowski, C.O.
Brother in Formation
From the Cleveland suburbs, Br. Matthew graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in civil engineering and teaches gym at South Hills Catholic Academy.
Working out; he previously played football.
Br. John Crawshaw
Brother in Formation
Br. John grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and came to the Oratory after graduating from CMU with a degree in Information Systems, where he also competed on the track and field team. He became a novice shortly after moving in and is the most recent to join the community.
Staying active in the weight room and playing the piano.
History
Six Decades in Oakland
The Pittsburgh Oratory was established in 1961, when the Bishop of Pittsburgh founded a university parish — first located up the hill on Bigelow Boulevard — to serve students at Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, and Chatham. In 1967 it was canonically established as a pontifical house of the Confederation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, and in 1994 the community moved into its current home at 4450 Bayard Street in Oakland.
Today the Pittsburgh Oratory is one of roughly eighty Oratories worldwide — some five hundred Oratorians in all — and it serves the nearly ten thousand Catholics of the local university community. Across six decades it has remained a stable point in a changing neighborhood, and one of the few daily Mass communities in Pittsburgh.
In 2024, the Paul Fritts Opus 52 pipe organ was installed in the Oratory Chapel — a gift that underscored the community’s commitment to the full tradition of Catholic worship. The chapel, renovated through the Magnify the Lord capital campaign, is now one of the finest liturgical spaces in western Pennsylvania.
The Little Oratory
A Community Beyond the Clergy
The Little Oratory is the lay community of the Pittsburgh Oratory — men and women, students and families, who gather in friendship around the Oratory’s liturgical and community life.
Rooted in the spirituality of St. Philip Neri, the Little Oratory is not a sodality or a program. It is a gathering of friends who pray together, eat together, and support one another in ordinary life.
Little Oratory events include Sunday Donuts after the 11 am Mass, Fr. Mike’s Friday Bible Study, community dinners, and the annual Rednal Benefit dinner.
Bible Study with Fr. Mike
Fridays · 4:00 pm · The Oratory + Zoom
Sunday Donuts & Coffee
First Sunday of each month after 11:00 am Mass
Children's Holy Half Hour
Second Friday of each month · 10:30–11:00 am
Oratory Lecture Series
Last Thursday of each month · 6:30–8:30 pm
Rednal Benefit Dinner
Annual · Supports the Rednal Retreat House
Come and See
The Oratory is not a program. It is a place where people encounter God and one another — in the chapel, at the table, and in ordinary conversation. Come to Mass. Stay for coffee. See what happens.
4450 Bayard Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 · (412) 681-3181