VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As the Catholic Church learns to be more “synodal,” to listen to all its members, value their gifts and seek together the Holy Spirit’s guidance, Catholics will need to be patient in awaiting responses to their questions and concerns, said several synod members.

After close to two weeks of discussion — including on issues such as synodality itself, the role of women in the church, welcome for LGBTQ Catholics, better education and formation of Catholics and more collaborative relationships between priests and laypeople — “there is a sense that things are tightening up, emerging, but through that process of hopeful patience,” said Renee Kohler-Ryan, a synod member from Australia.

Jesuit Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University in California, speaks during a briefing about the assembly of the Synod of Bishops as Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat, Morocco, listen at the Vatican Oct. 17, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

“It is going to take time, but it has to in order to give all of those issues the seriousness that they deserve,” she said Oct. 17 at the press briefing for the assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

“Are these issues being discussed in the synodal hall seriously and passionately? I testify, yes,” said Jesuit Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University in California.

“It is important to remember that the synod is a consultative body; it doesn’t make decisions,” he said. But “the process is important,” and if synod members and the church at large do not focus on “niche issues” at this point, but on forming a synodal church, “it becomes possible for us to address these issues in a way that is constructive and not confrontational.”

Especially as a theologian, he said, he sees this as a “privileged moment” in the life of the church, “an experience of a process of the church making and remaking itself in a way that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“I remain convinced that the process is probably going to be more important than the outcome,” the Jesuit said.

The synodal process can help the church experience “a new way of being where people, no matter who they are, no matter their status, station or situation in the church, are able to be part of a process where they are not only heard, but they also are able to contribute to the process of discernment.”

Kohler-Ryan insisted that the synod discussions, including about women, are much broader than the media would have people believe. With members from around the globe, including lay women and men – some of whom are mothers and fathers – participating as members for the first time, the discussion about women is not focused on the possibility of women deacons, but on a myriad of issues related to their lives in the church and the world, including supporting their families and educating their children in the faith.

Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and head of the synod’s information committee, told reporters some of the topics discussed in the synod hall late Oct. 16 included “overcoming clerical models” that prevent cooperation and shared responsibility, the importance of inclusive language, the example of Jesus including women among his followers, the relationship between leadership and service, and the possibility of allowing women to preach at Mass given that women were the first to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection to the apostles.

Sheila Leocádia Pires, secretary of the commission, said much of the focus Oct. 17 was on the ministry and role of bishops, their role in promoting ecumenical and interreligious relations, a suggestion that more people be consulted in the appointment of bishops, the importance of bishops listening to victims of clerical sexual abuse and the need for Catholics to pray for their bishops.

Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay, Australia, told reporters, “One of the geniuses of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is that this (synodality) is not something that is born in a vacuum.”

“He has reflected very deeply and sincerely upon the human reality of the community of people around the world, and how we experience life together on this planet, but also how we as Catholic Christians live our faith and how we proclaim the Gospel in every single moment of our day, regularly by what we say but always by who we are as a community of Christ’s faithful and disciples of the Lord.

Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat, Morocco, told reporters, “I’m enthusiastic for synodality” and for learning to live that way on a local level as well as on the level of the universal church. “Even if the synod were interrupted tomorrow, it would be worth it,” he said.

Synodality, he said, must become the “concrete modus operandi” of the church, but it is important to remember that the current synodal process, which began in October 2021, is set to go through October 2024 when the second assembly gathers in Rome.

In the meantime, he said, people must have “patience and hope.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Catholic Church’s highest ranking prelate in the Holy Land offered his “absolute availability” to be exchanged for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, told reporters during an online meeting Oct. 16 that he is willing to do “anything” to “bring to freedom and bring home the children” taken into Gaza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which more than 1,300 Israelis were killed. The Israeli military said Oct. 16 that some 200 people, including children and elderly persons, are being held hostage.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, poses for a photo while speaking to reporters at the Vatican Sept. 28, 2023. (CNS photo/Carol Glatz)

Returning the hostages held in Gaza is “absolutely necessary” to stopping the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas, the cardinal said. He expressed the Vatican’s willingness to assist in de-escalation and mediation efforts but said they had not been able to speak with Hamas.

Cardinal Pizzaballa said some 1,000 Christians in Gaza are currently sheltering in church-affiliated buildings because “they don’t know where to go and moving is dangerous.”

While Christians concentrated in northern Gaza were told to leave the area by the Israeli military, “practically all have chosen to stay there because it is safer for them to stay, since the situation is even more delicate elsewhere.” The cardinal said none of the Christians sheltering in Gaza have been killed, though some have suffered light wounds.

“Moving is dangerous because many die in transfers,” and “possible places of refuge are already overflowing; there is no place to go,” he said.

The cardinal said that some 500 Christians are sheltering at a Latin-rite church, some 400 are in a Greek Orthodox church and approximately 300 are at a YMCA. “Supplies are beginning to run short,” he said. “We try, through our contacts, to make as many physical supplies as possible reach (them), provisions such as medicine, water, even generators.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa said the Catholic Church, in coordination with humanitarian agencies, is “trying to insist” that a humanitarian corridor can be opened into Gaza to allow basic necessities to be brought in.

After praying the Angelus Oct. 15, Pope Francis publicly called for humanitarian law to be respected “especially in Gaza, where it is urgent and necessary to ensure humanitarian corridors and to come to the aid of the entire population.”  

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – St. Thérèse of Lisieux, long one of Pope Francis’ favorite saints, teaches Christians “the little way” of love, self-giving, concern for others and complete trust in the mercy of God, the pope said in a new document.

“At a time when human beings are obsessed with grandeur and new forms of power, she points out to us the little way,” he wrote. “In an age that casts aside so many of our brothers and sisters, she teaches us the beauty of concern and responsibility for one another.”

Pope Francis carries a white rose as he approaches a reliquary containing the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux before the start of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican June 7, 2023. He announced he was planning on issuing an apostolic letter dedicated to her for the 150th anniversary of her birth. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Published Oct. 15, the pope’s letter is titled, “C’est la Confiance,” the opening words of her phrase, “It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.”

The papal letter is subtitled, “On confidence in the merciful love of God.”

“At a time of great complexity, she can help us rediscover the importance of simplicity, the absolute primacy of love, trust and abandonment, and thus move beyond a legalistic or moralistic mindset that would fill the Christian life with rules and regulations and cause the joy of the Gospel to grow cold,” the pope wrote.

In the letter, the pope explained that he chose not to release the document on her feast day, Oct. 1, or the 150th anniversary of her birth last Jan. 2 or the 100th anniversary of her beatification, which was celebrated in April, because he wanted to “transcend” those celebrations and emphasize how her life and writings are part of the “spiritual treasury” of the church.

Pope Francis has spoken often about his devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who also is known by her religious name, St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, or as St. Thérèse, the Little Flower, because she described herself as a little flower in God’s garden.

But there is another flower connection as well. While still archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis told journalist Sergio Rubin in 2010, “When I have a problem I ask the saint, not to solve it, but to take it in her hands and help me accept it, and, as a sign, I almost always receive a white rose.”

And the pope closed his new exhortation with a prayer: “Dear St. Thérèse, the church needs to radiate the brightness, the fragrance and the joy of the Gospel. Send us your roses! Help us to be, like yourself, ever confident in God’s immense love for us, so that we may imitate each day your ‘little way’ of holiness.”

Although she died at the age of 24 in a cloistered convent, her passion for sharing the Gospel through her prayers and example led Pope Pius XI to declare her patroness of the missions in 1927, and her writings led St. John Paul II to proclaim her a doctor of the church in 1997.

“In the heart of Thérèse,” Pope Francis wrote, “the grace of baptism became this impetuous torrent flowing into the ocean of Christ’s love and dragging in its wake a multitude of brothers and sisters. This is what happened, especially after her death. It was her promised ‘shower of roses.'”

The “little way” of St. Thérèse is a path to holiness anyone can follow, the pope said. It is about recognizing one’s own smallness and trusting completely in God’s mercy.

“This is the ‘sweet way of love’ that Jesus sets before the little and the poor, before everyone. It is the way of true happiness,” the pope said.

In place of a notion of holiness that is individualistic and elitist, one “more ascetic than mystical, that primarily emphasizes human effort,” he said, “Thérèse always stresses the primacy of God’s work, his gift of grace,” trusting that he would bring her to heaven one day.

Even in speaking about the Eucharist, her desire to receive Communion took second place to “the desire of Jesus to unite himself to us and to dwell in our hearts,” the pope said. “Her gaze remained fixed not on herself and her own needs, but on Christ, who loves, seeks, desires and dwells within.”

In his exhortation, Pope Francis focused on St. Thérèse’s reflection of St. Paul’s description of the church as the body of Christ with each part or member having a role to play in the functioning of the entire body.

But she did not see herself as the foot or the ear or the eye or the hand, as described in First Corinthians, the pope said. “In the heart of the church, my mother, I shall be love,” she wrote.

“This heart was not that of a triumphalistic church, but of a loving, humble and merciful church,” the pope wrote. “Thérèse never set herself above others but took the lowest place together with the Son of God, who for our sake became a slave and humbled himself, becoming obedient, even to death on a cross.”

Rediscovering love as the heart of the church can be “a great source of light” for Catholics today, Pope Francis said. “It preserves us from being scandalized by the limitations and weaknesses of the ecclesiastical institution with its shadows and sins, and enables us to enter into the church’s ‘heart burning with love,’ which burst into flame at Pentecost thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“It is that heart whose fire is rekindled with each of our acts of charity,” he wrote. “‘I shall be love.’ This was the radical option of Thérèse, her definitive synthesis and her deepest spiritual identity.”

(OSV News) – As war between Israel and Hamas rages, Catholics in the U.S. are heeding a call to pray and fast for peace in the Holy Land.

In an Oct. 13 statement, the patriarchs and heads of the churches of Jerusalem urged “the people of our congregations and all those of goodwill around the world to observe a Day of Prayer and Fasting” on Oct. 17.

People mourn during the funeral for Israeli solider Roy Joseph Levy at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem Oct. 15, 2023. Levy was killed following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip. (OSV News photo/Lisi Niesner, Reuters)

The efforts are “in support of all those who have suffered in this war and of the families reeling from the violence,” said the statement.

On Oct. 7, Hamas militants stormed from the Gaza Strip into approximately 22 locations in Israel, gunning down civilians and taking at least 199 hostages, according to Israel, including infants, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The coordinated attack took place on a Sabbath that marked the final day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which celebrates the gathering of the harvest and the divine protection of the ancient Israelites as they escaped from slavery in Egypt.

Israel declared war on Hamas Oct. 8, placing Gaza under siege and pounding the region with airstrikes. Hamas has continued to launch strikes against Israel. To date, some 1,400 in Israel, including at least 30 U.S. citizens, and more than 2,700 in Gaza have been killed. Israel placed Gaza under siege, and has warned some 1.1 million in Gaza to move south within the enclave ahead of an expected ground offensive by Israeli forces. So far, half a million in Gaza have heeded the evacuation order, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the Middle East is “on the verge of the abyss.”

“There is yet time to stop the hatred,” said the Jerusalem patriarchs and heads of churches in their statement.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem — who has offered himself in exchange for the hostages — particularly urged “prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary.”

“This is the way we all come together despite everything, and unite collectively in prayer, to deliver to God the Father our thirst for peace, justice and reconciliation,” said Cardinal Pizzaballa in an Oct. 11 letter.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops posted to X, formally known as Twitter, Oct. 12 that they “join Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and all the Ordinaries of the Holy Land in calling for a day of fasting, abstinence and prayer” Oct. 17.

Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, echoed that exhortation, saying “we need to pray.”

He directed faithful “in this month of the rosary” to “pray this most effective prayer that our Blessed Mother will intercede with her Divine Son for the people affected by the current war. Pray for peace.”

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington asked faithful in his diocese to join him “in participating in this sacrificial offering to God with the intention to end the violence and hatred in the midst of this crisis.”

“May the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, transform hearts, bring an end to war, violence and suffering, and grant peace to the world,” said Bishop Burbidge.

The Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan listed a number of parishes offering Mass, Eucharistic adoration, the sacrament of Reconciliation and recitations of the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet.

Women religious have also rallied around the observance. The International Union of Superiors General invited its members to observe the day of fasting and prayer, saying in a message to members that “in this moment of deep concern and sorrow for the situation we are facing, we wish to share a ray of hope.”

“This is a time when we want to come together as a global community, praying together for a world where peace prevails over violence, justice over discord, and reconciliation over hatred,” they said. “United in prayer, we can bring our desire for peace and justice to God the Father.”

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious reiterated that message, adding that congregations may want to organize their members “for a specific time of prayer together.”

 

Friends of the Poor is proud to once again announce three community-based programs to help those in need this Thanksgiving: The Thanksgiving Dinner for Adults and Elderly, the Family-to-Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, and the Interfaith Prayer Service. In addition, we are thrilled that this year’s program incorporates several new collaborative partners.

The Thanksgiving Community Program has never been one to operate in a silo. From its humble beginnings feeding a few dozen community members, our Thanksgiving Community Program has relied on the generosity of area businesses, families, and other institutions to make the holiday special for those who often go without. The same is true today, 47 years later, as we prepare to again serve 3,500 cooked meals and provide 3,500 families with Thanksgiving groceries. Our regular partners have once again returned. As a sponsored work of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), the core of who we are flows from the values brought forth by the Sisters. In addition, we are sustained day in and out by the most giving community we could hope to be a part of: the Scranton Cultural Center, the Scranton Area Multifaith Ministerium, Gentex, Stirna’s, the Junior League of Scranton, Marywood University, University of Scranton, Lackawanna College, Chartwells, Hilton Scranton, Schiff’s Food Service, Schiff’s Marketplace, Scranton Housing Authority, City of Scranton, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, Waste Management, and dozens more who come together to provide the ingredients and support needed to create this nutritious holiday meal. This year, we officially welcome the Catherine McAuley Center and Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank as official partners for our Thanksgiving Community Program, proving further that we are stronger together than we ever could be alone. The Catherine McAuley Center will offer the support of their staff to each event to help us accommodate the projected increase in need. The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank has also stepped in to provide the turkeys for the Thanksgiving meal.

The holiday celebrations kick off on Friday, November 17th at 7PM with the Interfaith Prayer Service at Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton, at 7 p.m.  All are invited and welcome to attend and take part in a beautiful service celebrating gratitude as the cornerstone of each of our faith traditions and the true meaning of the holiday we celebrate.

Sunday, November 19th gives University of Scranton students a peek into the inner workings of our Family to Family program as we join the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice to provide Thanksgiving groceries to 200 families in the Hilltop and Valley View Housing Developments within the Scranton Housing Authority.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner for Adults and Elderly will be distributed for the fourth year in a row take-out style. On Tuesday, November 21st in front of the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N Washington Ave, Scranton, PA 18503, from 2:30-5:30PM, anyone in need of a cooked Thanksgiving meal can drive-through or walk-up for a meal. No pre-registration or proof of income is required. Note that the 400 & 500 of N. Washington Avenue and Vine Street closed for traffic control. We ask that no one begin lining up earlier than 2PM, as we will be delivering approximately 1,500 meals to pre-registered, low-income seniors with the continued help of our dedicated volunteer drivers from the Junior League of Scranton.

The Family-to-Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Program, directed by the Robeson family, will pick up where the dinner leaves off the very next morning on November 22nd. Beginning at 9AM, we will provide all grocery items needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal to families in need in front of the Scranton Cultural Center. We will be there until 5PM or our supplies run out. This event will also be a drive-through, but we will have a dedicated tent with supplies and volunteers for those that need to walk up. No pre-registration or proof of income is required. Understanding that transportation is a barrier, we ask that those with access to their own vehicles serve as proxies for those who cannot get to the event.

We’ve all seen an incredible increase in need in our area over the last several years. The number of families seeking assistance from Friends of the Poor every day is astonishing, and the holidays add to that number. While many families struggle to make ends meet each week, the holidays bring with them additional expenses many simply cannot afford. We are making every effort to extend as much as we can to meet this need, but we cannot do it without the help of the dozens of organizations already listed and every member of our community who wants to share the magic of the holidays with a neighbor in need.

A $60 donation sponsors the cost for the average size family we serve. We are prepared to serve 3,500 families, and we must raise at least $250,000 to cover Thanksgiving alone, including food and other supplies. Donations of any amount help us towards our goal, and can be mailed to Family to Family, PO Box 13, Scranton, PA 18503 or given online at friendsofthepoorscranton.com.

Additionally, if any additional businesses or community groups would like to participate in the cooked Thanksgiving dinner portion of our programming, we are in desperate need of supplies, including microwavable, sealable takeout containers, individually wrapped disposable utensils, plastic grocery bags, and more. Please contact us via email (friendsofthepoor@fotp-ihm.org) or phone (570-340-6086) if you can support the event in any way.

 

 

As part of its 39ᵗʰ annual prayer breakfast on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 9 AM at Fiorelli’s, Pennsylvanians For Human Life Scranton Chapter will feature the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Geri Featherby, and Peter DiMaio as its speakers. The focus of this year’s breakfast is “Educating Our Youth,” with students kindergarten through college admitted free of charge.

“We have taken a new direction with our breakfast this year. Our dynamic speakers will highlight what’s happening in the pro-life movement with emphasis on how things are affecting our youth. In fact, in order to attract more people, we have lowered the ticket price from $55 to $25 per adult, with students free. We are looking forward to seeing a sea of young people,” states Patrick Williams, President of Pennsylvanians For Human Life Scranton Chapter.

To reserve, simply go to https://prolifescranton.org/event/annual-prayer-breakfast/, call 570-343-5099, or email pahumanlife@yahoo.com.

SCRANTON – Praying for peace and standing in solidarity with the victims of a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel, local religious leaders and elected officials gathered at the Jewish Community Center in Scranton Oct. 9, 2023.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, spoke on behalf of the Roman Catholic community and joined faith leaders of several other religious traditions in expressing his grief and sorrow for the events that have been transpiring since the weekend.

More than 200 people attended a Solidarity with Israel event at the Jewish Community Center in Scranton Oct. 9. Bishop Bambera spoke on behalf of the Catholic community. (Photo/Eric Deabill)

“On behalf of the Catholic community of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania and well beyond, please know that we stand with the nation of Israel and the Jewish communities both locally and throughout the world,” Bishop Bambera said. “We pray with, and for you, this night for God’s peace. I think it is fair to say that our hearts, like yours, are broken.”

Bishop Bambera said he grieves the loss of every life that has been taken so brutally and senselessly.

“We call upon the power and presence of God to heal the land of Israel and the lives of all who suffer this day,” the bishop continued.

Nearly 200 people attended the interfaith gathering organized by the the local Jewish Federation.

Rabbi Alex Hecht of the Beth Shalom Congregation in Scranton said the targeting of the Jewish people is “as vicious as the Nazis 80 years ago,” adding, “This is really an attack on the entire Jewish people.”

The war – which started after Hamas militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7, taking more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage – has already claimed at least 1,600 lives as of Oct. 10. The violence is only expected to escalate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”

Reverend Rebecca A. Barnes of Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, who serves as president of the Scranton Area Ministerium, recalled how she was in Israel on a study pilgrimage one year ago.

“We come together, people of different traditions, and we lament,” Mother Barnes said. “We stand together in condemnation of the terrorist attacks of Hamas and all forms of violence and acts of inhumanity and injustice. By whatever name we call God, we call together on God, whose heart – like ours – is broken.”

David Fallk of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania thanked not only the faith leaders, but the dozens of community members, who attended the prayer service.

“The situation demands our attention and our attendance,” Fallk said. “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for people of good will to do nothing. I see people of good will doing something, expressing their concern not just for our community here but for the entire Jewish community, particularly those in Israel.”

Dan Cardonick, Executive Director of Jewish Community Center of Scranton that hosted the prayer service, said the last few days have been among the “darkest in Israel’s history.”

“Together, let us commit to a future where peace rules, families can live without fear, and dreams of a brighter tomorrow become a reality,” he said.

Cardonick urged people to continue to show their support for the people of Israel and refuse to remain silent.

“Our shock and anger at these horrific terrorist attacks are juxtaposed with heartbreak for the families of the victims, the state of Israel, and the entire Jewish people,” he added.

The prayer service ended with a song of peace.

The words of the song echoed many of the sentiments in the prayer with which Bishop Bambera closed his remarks.

“Oh God, rend your heavens and come into our midst. Console your people in their grief, comfort them in their pain, let justice prevail and peace reign in the hearts of your people and in your Holy Land,” Bishop Bambera prayed.

After the Scranton community gathered in solidarity with the people of Israel on Monday night, the Jewish Community of the Wyoming Valley held a similar gathering on Tuesday evening, Oct. 10, at the Jewish Community Center in Kingston.

WILKES-BARRE – We are stronger together.

That is the message that Father Joseph Verespy hoped to instill in his parishioners on the weekend of Oct. 7 & 8, 2023, as the new parish he now leads, Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, was officially formed.

After two years of discussion and consultation using the Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning Process, the parish communities of Saint Nicholas and Our Lady of Fatima were officially brought together in a consolidation.

“I said this is a chance for us to hit the reset button, to take a good look at who we are,” Father Verespy said. “We are located right downtown (in Wilkes-Barre) and it is a chance to bring new life together as one parish and look at the talents that we have and examine how welcoming we are.”

The front cover of the first parish bulletin for Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish.

Saint Nicholas Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Parish were originally linked in 2021 under the leadership of a single pastor, Father Verespy. After examining many of the priority drivers in the Vision 2030 Process, including demographic changes in the community, Mass attendance, sacramental participation, financial obligations and the availability of clergy, the recommendation was brought forward to create one parish out of the previous two independent entities.

“When people see us now, hopefully it will be a parish people want to be a part of, but that is only going to be because we’re in this together,” the long-time pastor said.

In early September, in preparation of the consolidation, a new weekend Mass schedule was implemented. There is a Saturday 4 p.m. Vigil Mass in English and 6 p.m. Vigil Mass in Spanish. Both are being held at Saint Nicholas Church.

On Sunday, there are Masses at 8 a.m. (English), 10 a.m. (English) and 12:15 p.m. (Spanish) at Saint Nicholas Church and a 12:10 p.m. Mass (English) at Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church.

Father Verespy indicated that the schedule is provisional and will be evaluated as time goes by and the new Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish comes into formation.
One of the most obvious changes for parishioners was a new consolidated bulletin on the first weekend of the new parish. The design of the first bulletin was simple and featured only the name of the new parish and the date it was established, Oct. 7, 2023.

“I started my homily by saying, ‘Take a good look at the bulletin. It’s pretty empty, pretty bland, pretty vanilla … but we are going to fill the blanks in here together,’” Father Verespy stated.

Because of the discussions and consultation that has taken place, the first weekend of the consolidated parish was not anything out of the ordinary.

“We are going to bring our common faith, our talents, our time, and our personalities together so when people see the words Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, they will see us, our shared life, but it’s going to be up to us to do that together,” Father Verespy added.

Because of the consolidation, the new Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish will have one new parish office located at 226 S. Washington Street, which is formerly the office of Saint Nicholas Parish. Office hours will be Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is (570) 823-7736.

SCRANTON — Catholics throughout the Diocese of Scranton will unite with faith communities around the nation on Saturday, Oct. 14, at noon, to lend their prayerful pleas to the chorus of intercessions of supplication and reparation as part of this year’s “America Needs Fatima” Rosary Crusade.

Each year since the “America Needs Fatima” campaign was founded in 1985, faithful gather at noontime on a Saturday in October to send their Rosary prayers and petitions heavenward, seeking the Blessed Mother’s intercession on behalf of the United States.

The unified, simultaneous prayer effort coincides with October’s designation by the Catholic Church as the Month of the Holy Rosary and Respect Life Month.

Prayerful recitation of the Rosary as a visible sign of the power of prayer in public arenas pays homage to the Blessed Mother’s final apparition to the shepherd children of Fatima in Portugal on Oct. 13, 1917, culminating her messages of the need to offer the Holy Rosary as an essential tool for world peace and spiritual conversion.

The “America Needs Fatima” Rosary rallies include reparatory prayers for the country, particularly regarding the evil of abortion, and offenses against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Special intentions also include a greater respect for all human life — from conception to natural death — and converting hearts and minds away from sin.

Joining tens of thousands of similar “public square” prayer gatherings across America, the following outdoor Rosary events will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, at noon in the Scranton Diocese. All faithful are welcome.

Mountain Top — Weis Parking Lot, 237 South Mountain Boulevard, Mountain Top. For information, call Carmen at (570) 262-7373.

Wilkes-Barre — Our Lady of Fatima Blessed Grotto, 51 North Street, Wilkes-Barre.

Roaring Brook Township — Saint Eulalia Church grounds, 214 Blue Shutters Road, Roaring Brook Township. For more information, contact Mary Ann Brooks at (570) 689-9104.

Honesdale — Honesdale Central Park, Church & Ninth streets; sponsored by the four churches of Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Honesdale, and area Knights of Columbus. Event begins with Mass at 11 a.m. in Saint Mary Magdalen Church, Church St., Honesdale, followed by prayerful procession to the park. Facial masks and social distancing required; provide own chairs for the outdoor devotion. In case of inclement weather, the Rosary Rally will be held at Saint Mary Magdalen Church.

Dear Friends,

In 1972, the year before the United States Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade to legalize abortion in the United States, the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated the month of October as a special season to promote a culture of life throughout our land.

As it does every year, this sacred season calls us to focus our prayers upon a renewed commitment to treasure and preserve human life from the moment of conception to natural death. As such, we have and should continue to work tirelessly to create a culture that moves beyond the cavalier attitude that has sadly resulted in far too many lives being lost through abortion, euthanasia, physician assisted suicide and capital punishment.

The theme for our reflections this year is Radical Solidarity.

Years ago, Saint John Paul II affirmed that solidarity “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people … On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good … to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.” In short, solidarity is the means by which we put our love for others into action, making their good a goal for our own lives.

At this critical moment in our world and particularly in the United States, we have been entrusted with new challenges to build a civilization of authentic love, rooted in a fundamental respect for the dignity of every human life. Notwithstanding the fact that the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year has given us hope, it has not diminished the work that still needs to be done to ensure that every human life is valued and loved.

As a result of the Supreme Court decision, some areas of our country now protect the child in the womb, while other areas, sadly, are doing all they can to increase access to abortion. Here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, tragically, efforts to protect human life are being compromised more than we might realize. Plans are being made to terminate Real Alternatives, a statewide contract maintained by federal and state funding, which has been in existence for over 27 years and has provided a critical lifeline to nearly 350,000 women who have suddenly found themselves in need when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy.

Nearly half of Real Alternatives’ service providers consist of Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services sites throughout our state. These important human services sites provide critical pregnancy and parenting support from the moment mothers find out they are pregnant through 12 months following the birth of their babies. The termination of this vital contract, should it occur here in the Diocese of Scranton alone, will almost certainly result in diminished funding for Saint Joseph’s Center and challenge the very existence of relief programs for pregnant women in Scranton and Carbondale. Most notably, Shepherd’s Maternity House in Stroudsburg, which provides a safe home for women facing unexpected and challenging pregnancies, could lose over 80-percent of its annual funding that comes through a grant from Real Alternatives.

Simply put, brothers and sisters, if we desire to live our lives as Christians with authenticity, we have no choice. We cannot merely speak of our respect for human life or self-righteously criticize those whose beliefs may be different from our own.

We must enliven our words with action.

We must be fearless in our defense of the unborn – but also mothers in need, the elderly, the sick, the poor, the disabled, the prisoner, the immigrant and all whose lives are in jeopardy. Nor can we shrink from confronting life issues in our prayer, in what and how we teach as a Church, in the pastoral care that we offer and, in the initiatives, and public policies that we are able to influence through our right to vote.

Brothers and sisters, the radical solidarity that so reflects the teaching of Jesus refers to something much more than just a few sporadic acts of generosity or the empty words of the self-righteous. A culture of radical solidarity, as Pope Francis has proclaimed, “gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives … and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others.”

May each of us who seek to live as authentic disciples work together to build a culture of life through radical, sacrificial, Christ-like love and service of every human life made in the image and likeness of our Creator.

 

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton