Category: Diocese of Scranton News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Saying “superficial” marriage preparation programs leave many couples at risk of having invalid marriages or unprepared to cope with the struggles that arise in every marriage, Pope Francis endorsed suggestions for a yearlong “marriage catechumenate” drafted by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

“With too superficial a preparation, couples run the real risk of having an invalid marriage or one with such a weak foundation that it falls apart in a short time and cannot withstand even the first inevitable crises. These failures bring with them great suffering and leave deep wounds in people,” the pope said.

The pope wrote the introduction to the dicastery’s “Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life,” a document released in Italian and Spanish by the Vatican June 15.

Pope Francis said he hoped the document would be followed by another providing guidance and clear suggestions for accompanying couples “who have experienced the failure of their marriages and live in a new relationship or have been remarried civilly.”

While providing guidance, the pope said, the document also must be adapted for local situations and for the people involved. “It is an outfit that must be ‘made to measure’ for the people who will wear it.”

The document is not a marriage preparation course, the dicastery said, but provides indications for launching “a catechumenal itinerary for married life,” designed to help young people understand the sacrament, prepare engaged couples to celebrate their marriage and support newlyweds in the first years of their married life.

In addition to general presentations to children and teens about marriage as a vocation, the actual “marriage catechumenate” for couples should last about a year and begin with a celebration or “rite of engagement,” the dicastery said. The second phase should include a few months of more immediate preparation and a pre-wedding retreat just before the wedding. The third phase of assisting newlyweds should last two or three years.

The parish pastoral team, it said, will have to be sensitive and discerning in situations where the engaged persons or just one of them refuses to participate in the catechumenate.

The dicastery suggested dioceses and eparchies first establish a “pilot project” or consider the design of their marriage preparation itinerary to be “experimental,” with a fixed time for reviewing and making necessary adjustments.

“The dwindling number of people, in general, getting married, but also and especially the short duration of marriages, even sacramental ones, as well as the problem of the validity of celebrated marriages, constitute an urgent challenge, which puts at stake the fulfillment and happiness of so many lay faithful in the world,” the dicastery said, explaining why the guidelines were necessary.

Citing calls in the church going back to the 1950s for a more serious preparation to celebrate the sacrament of matrimony, the dicastery said that, like with the preparation of adults for baptism, time and energy should be devoted to helping couples prepare to live the Christian vocation of marriage.

By speaking of a marriage “catechumenate,” the dicastery said, it wanted to make clear that the goal is not simply to pass on church teaching about sexuality, marriage and married life — although those are essential — but to help couples recognize and thrive in “the mystery of sacramental grace, which belongs to them by virtue of the sacrament: to bring to life the presence of Christ with them and among them.”

After all, it said, for Catholics matrimony is not a one-day celebration, but “it is a vocation, a journey to holiness that embraces one’s entire life.”

Just as preparations for living the vocations to priesthood or religious life extend over time — years, not a few weeks — so should preparations for the vocation of marriage, the document said.

While not presenting a complete curriculum, the dicastery said preparation should: last long enough to allow couples time for real reflection and maturation; place faith and an encounter with Christ at the center; be “articulated in stages, marked — where possible and appropriate — by rites of passage to be celebrated within the community”; and include “formation, reflection, discussion, dialogue, liturgy, community, prayer and celebrations.”

“The marriage catechumenate is not preparation for passing an exam but for living a life,” it said, adding that the challenge can be greater in countries where many, or even most, couples live together before marriage.

The preparation should include encouraging couples to observe “premarital chastity” so that rather than “becoming fixed on the physical instrumentalization of the other,” they focus on dialogue and getting to know each other better, it said. “Even in the case of cohabiting couples, it is never useless to speak of the virtue of chastity. This virtue teaches every baptized person, in every condition of life, the right use of one’s sexuality.”

In most cases, the dicastery said, preparing for marriage will “require gradualness, welcome and support, but also the witness of other Christian spouses to welcome and be present along the way. Therefore, it is important that more space be given in communities to the active presence of spouses as spouses, as agents of marriage ministry, and not just as individual believers.”

The couples engaged in ministry need training and education, however, the document said. “Some complex issues pertaining to marital sexuality or openness to life — such as responsible parenting, artificial insemination, prenatal diagnosis and other bioethical issues — have strong ethical, relational and spiritual repercussions for spouses and require specific formation and clarity.”

Getting to know the couples and their beliefs is crucial, the document said.

“In the event that they explicitly and formally reject what the church intends to accomplish when celebrating marriage, the couple cannot be admitted to the sacramental celebration,” it said. However, if there is an “imperfect disposition,” they can be married, but the priest and couples charged with ministry to families must follow up and help them grow in faith and their understanding of what the church teaches.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ domestic policy committee June 14 praised a bipartisan Senate proposal “to help prevent senseless violence” that includes “reasonable gun safety measures.”

“I am deeply grateful that members of Congress have undertaken bipartisan negotiations to address the plague of gun violence in our nation,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

“I encourage Congress to continue these important efforts which will help build a culture of life. It is imperative this Congress passes into law new protections for the American people,” he said.

Archbishop Coakley made the remarks in response to a June 12 announcement by 20 senators who said they had reached agreement on a package of safety and gun-related measures narrowly focused on preventing future shootings similar to the one in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers May 24.

The senators’ proposal, which was not yet written into bill form, calls for funding to encourage states to pass and implement so-called “red flag” laws to take guns away from potentially dangerous people; funding for school safety and mental health resources; expanded background checks for gun purchases for people between ages 18 and 21; and penalties for illegal straw purchases by convicted criminals.

The senators’ “willingness to engage in dialogue and commitment to the common good” illustrates “the ‘better kind of politics’ that Pope Francis champions” in “Fratelli Tutti,” Archbishop Coakley said, quoting from the pope’s 2020 encyclical: “For when the good of others is at stake, good intentions are not enough. Concrete efforts must be made to bring about whatever they and their nations need for the sake of their development.”

The USCCB has consistently called for laws to address gun violence.

In a Nov. 11, 2019, presentation titled “Responses to the Plague of Gun Violence” that he gave during the U.S. bishops’ fall general assembly, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, then the bishops’ domestic policy committee chairman, spelled out the bishops’ support for a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks and a federal gun trafficking bill.

They also backed, he said, regulations on sales of handguns, improved mental health interventions, safety measures and “an honest assessment of violent images and experiences in our society.”

SCRANTON – With the overall goal of awakening a desire among the faithful to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist and to cultivate a personal devotion and relationship with Him, the Diocese of Scranton will join many other dioceses across the country in launching a National Eucharistic Revival this weekend.

The multi-year Eucharistic Revival will begin on Sunday, June 19, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) and will end with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on July 17-21, 2024.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will kick-off our local observance by celebrating the 12:15 p.m. Mass on June 19 at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton followed by a Eucharistic Procession out onto Wyoming Avenue.

Everyone is invited to participate in both Sunday’s Mass and Eucharistic Procession. For those unable to attend in person, CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton will broadcast the Mass and provide a livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website and social media platforms.

“As we begin this Eucharistic Revival initiative, it is my hope that all of the faithful in the Church of Scranton come to a deeper awareness of the boundless love of God made present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, so that it may bear fruit in our lives and in the life of the world,” Bishop Bambera said.

At their November 2021 General Assembly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to move forward with plans for the National Eucharistic Revival. The National Eucharistic Congress planned for 2024 will be the first in the United States since 1975.

The effort comes at a critical time, when belief in the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist is reportedly waning among professed Catholics.

According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, roughly two-thirds of U.S. Catholics do not believe that the bread and wine at Mass become Christ’s body and blood during the consecration – a core dogma of the Catholic faith and the “source and summit” of the church’s life, according to the catechism.

The USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, chaired by Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, is spearheading Revival efforts.

“We are really aware in these times that we live that the church needs to become more missionary. The culture itself doesn’t support what we do anymore as Catholics,” Bishop Cozzens said in a statement. “All Catholics are invited into a renewed encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, especially those Catholics who don’t fully understand the power of the Eucharist.”

As people are seeking deeper connection more than ever before, “this is a time not to be ashamed of the Gospel but to proclaim it from the rooftops,” he added.

The National Eucharistic Revival will have a strategic three-year focus for formation and missionary discipleship beginning at the grassroots level in individual parishes and dioceses along with other Catholic institutions:

Year One (June 2022-June 2023) will be the Year of Diocesan Revival in which U.S. bishops respond to the Lord’s personal invitation and empower their presbyterates and parish leaders to host events with a Eucharistic focus. These events include Eucharistic Congresses and designated days for formation and reflection. Trained pastors comprising the National Eucharistic Preachers initiative have also been commissioned to speak at diocesan events.

Year Two (June 2023-June 2024) is planned as the Year of Parish Revival. Individual pastors will engage their staff and parishioners with community-specific activities and events such as catechetical formation on the Real Presence of Christ, opportunities to better understand and enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery through the celebration of the Mass, and extended opportunities for Adoration and Reconciliation.

Year Three is the Year of the National Eucharistic Congress and Missionary Sending and commences with a National Eucharistic Congress set to take place July 17-21, 2024 in Indianapolis, IN.

Among other components of the National Eucharistic Revival is the selection of 58 priests as National Eucharistic Preachers. They will soon be fanning out to dioceses across the country.

SCRANTON – Celebrate and honor World Refugee Day!

On Saturday, June 18, 2022, everyone is invited to join local Scranton refugee communities for a time of sharing, learning, fellowship and celebration that honors global refugees from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event, to be held at YMS of R Park in South Scranton, 1000 Kane Street, will include cultural songs and music, refreshments, games and activities for kids.

World Refugee Day is an annual international day, designated by the United Nations, to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution.

SCRANTON – Calling all young adults!

The Diocese of Scranton is planning a pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Young Adults ages 18-35 are invited to journey with us for this gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. World Youth Day is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world.

Our trip package includes flights, ground transportation, most meals, WYD events in Lisbon, a day in Fatima and a visit to the Chapel of the Apparitions, 2 days in Barcelona, and a tour of Montserrat Monastery. Shorter trip packages are also available.

For more information, contact Shannon Kowalski at skowalski@dioceseofscranton.org or (570) 207-2213.

 

SCRANTON – Several priests who are celebrating milestone anniversaries of their ordination year were honored and recognized during the 2022 Mass for Priest Jubilarians on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist. During the Mass, the bishop recognized his brothers who have served the Diocese of Scranton for 65 years and 50 years respectively.

Being honored for 65 years of service are Reverend Michael J. Rafferty and Monsignor William P. Ward.

Being honored for 50 years of service are Reverend William J. Karle, Reverend Connell A. McHugh and Reverend Joseph R. Kakareka.

“Today, the Church of Scranton has the privilege of honoring a group of men who have sought to witness in their lives the life and love of Jesus Christ,” the bishop said. “Teaching us to pray, celebrating the Eucharist, proclaiming the Gospel, administering sacraments and walking in countless numbers of ways with the people who God entrusted to their care, these are the merciful works that enabled these priests to speak to us in both word and deed.”

The 2022 Mass for Priest Jubilarians was broadcast live by CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and is available for viewing on the Diocese of Scranton website and Diocese of Scranton YouTube channel.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – “Life and Dignity for All” is the theme of this year’s Religious Freedom Week of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The observance opens June 22, the feast day of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, both English martyrs who fought religious persecution. The week ends June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and includes the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which is June 24.

“This year, as we approach the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,” the USCCB “is especially mindful of the debates around our country about abortion,” said a news release about Religious Freedom Week. “The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in bearing witness to the Gospel of life and serving all who will be affected by these discussions and their outcomes.”

The Dobbs case involves a Mississippi law banning abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. An initial draft of a Supreme Court opinion in the case that was leaked May 2 indicated the high court is set to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision, which 50 years ago legalized abortion nationwide.

The court also is expected to overturn its 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which affirmed Roe and prohibited regulations that created an “undue burden” on women seeking an abortion.

If the final ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturns Roe and Casey, the issue of abortion would be returned to the states.

Another a major area of concern continues to be protecting the religious freedom of U.S. Catholic institutions, such as schools, hospitals and child welfare service providers, “to carry out their missions with integrity” and in accordance with their religious beliefs, the USCCB news release said.

“In particular, protecting Catholic adoption and foster care will become even more vital, as we take new steps in building a culture of life and dignity for all in the United States,” it said.

“To build a culture of life and dignity for all,” the Catholic Church “must support women and children,” the release added.

To that end, the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities in 2020 launched the “Walking with Moms in Need” nationwide initiative. Its aim is “to engage every Catholic parish in providing a safety net to ensure that pregnant and parenting moms have the resources, love and support they need to nurture the lives of their children.”

In starting the initiative, the U.S. bishops said they want to ensure “our Catholic parishes are places of welcome for women facing challenging pregnancies or who find it difficult to care for their children after birth, so that any mother needing assistance will receive life-affirming support and be connected to appropriate programs and resources where she can get help.”

Among its goals is to help Catholics “recognize the needs of pregnant and parenting moms in their communities, enabling parishioners to know these mothers, to listen to them, and to help them obtain the necessities of life for themselves and their children.”

Another focus of Religious Freedom Week is international, the USCCB release said. The USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty has collaborated with the Office of International Justice and Peace “to raise awareness about religious liberty in China and in solidarity with people throughout the world who suffer for their faith.”

The USCCB provides “Pray-Reflect-Act” resources at www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek. Each day focuses on different religious liberty topics and this year’s daily themes intersect with life issues.

“Through prayer, education and public action during Religious Freedom Week, the USCCB continues to advocate for the essential right of religious freedom for Catholics and for those of all faiths,” the release added.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – In the Catholic Church, permanent deacons “are entrusted with the unique responsibility of bringing Christ to every corner of society,” said the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

They carry out their ministry “in imitation of Christ the servant and impelled by the spirit of charity,” said Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey.

He made the remarks on the unique role deacons have in the Catholic Church in a statement issued June 2 with the results of an annual survey that provides a portrait of the permanent diaconate in the U.S.

“By virtue of their ordination, deacons witness to Christ in the workplace, within their families and among the members of their community, especially the poor,” Bishop Checchio said. “The church is grateful to all permanent deacons who extend Christ’s mercy and healing to all those in need.”

Conducted for the USCCB by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University since 2005, the study provides a detailed snapshot of the state of the permanent diaconate in the United States.

Findings include the percentage of active vs. nonactive deacons; the archdioceses/dioceses and eparchies with the largest number of permanent deacons; sociocultural demographics; and ministerial involvement.

With contact information provided by the National Association of Diaconate Directors and CARA’s Catholic Ministry Formation database, CARA contacted the 183 dioceses and eparchies in the United States that have an active permanent diaconate office and formation program.

Of this total, 141 responded to the survey for an overall response rate of 77%.

Some of the major findings of the report follow:

— Responding archdioceses/dioceses with the largest number of permanent deacons include Chicago, 804; Los Angeles, 498; and Joliet, Illinois, 497. Adjusting for Catholic population size, Latin-rite dioceses with the lowest ratio of Catholics per permanent deacon include Lexington, Kentucky, 477 Catholics per deacon; Amarillo, Texas, 547; Rapid City, South Dakota, 678; Pueblo, Colorado, 681; and Anchorage, Alaska, 699.

— The 138 Latin-rite archdioceses/dioceses that responded to this question report a total of 16,765 permanent deacons, both active and not active. The three eparchies that responded reported a total of 36 permanent deacons. “Extrapolating to include archdioceses/dioceses and archeparchies/eparchies that did not respond to the survey,” the report said, “it can be estimated that there were as many as 20,888 permanent deacons in the United States in 2021-2022.”

— Latin-rite archdioceses/dioceses reported having 11,746 permanent deacons active in ministry. The three eparchies reported 31 active permanent deacons. “Extrapolating to include arch/dioceses and arch/eparchies that did not respond to the survey,” the report said, “it can be estimated that there are 14,586 deacons active in ministry in the United States in 2021-2022, or about 70% of all permanent deacons.”

— During the 2021 calendar year, 458 new permanent deacons were ordained in the archdiocese/dioceses that responded to the survey. At the same time, 512 deacons retired from active ministry and another 393 deacons died. “As is the case with priests in the United States, there are not enough new permanent deacons being ordained to make up for the numbers who are retiring from active ministry and dying each year,” the report said.

— Close to all active permanent deacons — 95% — are at least 50 years old. About a fifth, or 20%, are in their 50s; two-fifths, 41%, are in their 60s; and about another two-fifths, 36%, are 70 or older.

— Nine in 10 active permanent deacons, or 93%, are currently married; 4% are widowers; and 2% have never been married.

— Seven in 10 active permanent deacons, or 72%, are non-Hispanic whites. One in five active permanent deacons, 21%, are Hispanic or Latino; 3% are Asian or Pacific Islander; and 2% are African American.

— Among permanent deacons who are financially compensated for ministry, one in five (19%) is entrusted with the pastoral care of one or more parishes; one in four (25%) works in other parish ministerial positions, such as director of religious education, youth minister; and one in seven (15%) works in parish non-ministerial positions, such as administration, business, finance.

— Seven in 10 active permanent deacons (67%) have at least a college degree. One in seven (14%) has a graduate degree in a field related to religion or ministry.

— Close to all dioceses and eparchies (98%) require an annual retreat of deacons. On average, three in four (75%) deacons participate in the retreat. Four in five responding archdioceses/dioceses (83%) provide couples retreats for deacons and their wives. Nine in 10 archdioceses/dioceses (86%) provide annual gatherings of deacons in addition to or apart from a retreat.

— Nine in 10 archdioceses/dioceses (94%) have a minimum age requirement for acceptance into the diaconate formation program — with the minimum age ranging from 28 to 60, with a median of 33.