A man marched into a Pittsburgh synagogue and murdered 11 people attending morning services today.
I grew up about 60 miles from Pittsburgh and have lived in Pittsburgh proper since the end of 2006. I have seen Pittsburgh change, in ways both good and bad. For all of the change that has come to this city in the last 10+ years, one constant has been what defines a Pittsburgher. Being a Pittsburgher is not a birthright, it is not bestowed upon someone by circumstances of geography.
Today my city is grieving, is in mourning, and is coming together. This is the city of Mr. Rogers, and in that spirit I’m sharing the words of The Pittsburgher’s Creed, written by James G. Connell, Jr. sometime in the early 1900’s. I came across this in Pittsburgh Magazine a while ago.
The Pittsburgher’s Creed
I believe in Pittsburgh the powerful- the progressive. I believe in the past of Pittsburgh and in the future founded on the heritage of that past; of clean living, frugal, industrious men and women of poise, power, purity, genius and courage. I believe that her dominant spirit is, has been, and always will be for uplift and betterment. I believe that my neighbor stands for the same faith in Pittsburgh, altho his expression may vary from mine. I believe in Pittsburgh of the present, and her people- possessing the virtues of all nations- fused thru the melting pot to a greater potency for good. I believe in taking pride in our city, its institutions, its people, its habits.
I believe in the great plans born of initiative, foresight, and civic patriotism in the minds of the great men of today; here-now. I believe that the Pittsburgers who truly represent her are those of God fearing lives, scorning ostentation and the seats of the ungodly: building surely, quietly and permanently.
I believe that those who know Pittsburgh love her, “her rocks and rills, and templed hills.” I believe that Pittsburgh’s mighty forces are reproduced in a mighty people, stanch like the hills,- true like steel.
