Category: Diocese of Scranton News

EAST STROUDSBURG – In a big parish, sometimes it is better to go small.

That is the lesson that the ministry team at the Church of Saint John is learning as they recently launched a pilot program known as “Small Groups.”

At the beginning of Lent, the parish began offering parishioners the opportunity to participate in small group discussions about their faith, spiritual growth and real life experiences.

“It is the power of sharing testimony and sharing your faith and making those connections matter,” Kathy Fisher, Small Groups Leader, said.

Fisher helps to coordinate a team of facilitators who run 11 different small group meetings each week. Participants range in age from people in their 20s to mid-80s.

“I believe that it has been inspiring, having other members of the group speak about their day to day struggles, faith sharing and how God plays a role in helping them through their struggles or questions,” Leslie Pettenati said.

Pettenati facilitates a small group of men and women that meets on Monday afternoon. Having moved to the Poconos only three years ago, she only knew one of the people who was initially in her group.

“So many people are hungry and thirsty to have connections and know more. The small groups are a safe space where everything you say is kept confidential and respected,” she added. “Everyone can speak freely and without judgment. It is a safe space to say, ‘I’m struggling with this or I have questions about that.’”

Reverend Gregory A. Reichlen, pastor, Church of Saint John, said the “Small Groups” initiative is part of the REBUILT network that consists of parishes all around the country that are striving to apply certain strategic priorities and ideas in their community.

“The small group becomes a school of discipleship, where people are learning from each other and their own life experiences and that is where the spiritual growth is happening. People who didn’t know each other previously are connecting, sharing, becoming vulnerable, opening up and trusting each other,” Father Reichlen said. “We have seen the immediate, very positive impact of all of this.”

As the parish was developing its “Small Groups” program, organizers said they would have been happy to have 50 people participate. Instead, more than 115 signed up.

“We were amazed,” Father Reichlen admitted.

“I was expecting a big response,” Fisher said. “Coming out of COVID, people need more opportunities to connect with each other than ever so I knew it was going to be big.”

Each week, the “Small Groups” conversation is rooted in the previous weekend homily given by Father Reichlen. Questions are even included in each weekend bulletin to get participants thinking ahead.

“We are all called to be life-long learners of the faith. It’s just a continual learning process and that is the beauty of it, learning from each other,” Pettenati said.

Participants in the “Small Groups” program recently came together for a Potluck dinner at the parish. They shared their thoughts on the program so far.

“It gives me so much hope about the Catholic Church,” Pettenati said following the first nine weeks of the program. “To me, it is inspiring. People take it very seriously when they’re in the group.”

Fisher said the power of the “Small Groups” was recently on display when a parishioner who is participating in a group suffered a medical emergency during a weekend Mass. While an EMT quickly attended to the man, all of the other individuals in the man’s group also quickly came to his aid.

“Every single group member was around him, supporting him,” Fisher said, noting the bond that quickly develops between people.

While the “Small Groups” will take a break during the summer, the initiative is expected to continue in September at the Church of Saint John.

SCRANTON – Rosey, who just turned 14 years old last month, can be described in many ways. The Jack Russell/Pug mix is both a confidant and family member to her human companion, Douglas Howe, but he describes her in one additional way.

“She has been my protector,” he said.

As a veteran, Howe does not use those words lightly.

“She has been around me from birth … I take her everywhere. I take her to the store, I take her to the hospital when I have my appointments. She gets more attention than I think I’ll ever get,” he joked.

When Howe moved into Saint Francis Commons, an affordable, transitional housing facility for veterans experiencing homelessness last August, he was initially concerned he wouldn’t be able to bring Rosey.

“It was a huge concern. We stick to each other like glue. I take care of her all the time and she takes care of me,” Howe said.

It turns out Howe’s fears would be unfounded.

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton operates Saint Francis Commons. In 2019, the agency launched its Curative Companions Program that allows veterans and other traumatized persons who are living in Catholic Social Services housing and shelters to have the opportunity to heal and thrive through the love of a therapeutic pet.

“We noticed almost immediately how much of an impact the animals made on the veterans, Ryan Pollock, Program Director of Saint Francis Commons, said. “We had veterans that would be coming out of their rooms to interact with the animals that didn’t typically interact with the other veterans.”

Scott Pence has been living at Saint Francis Commons for eight months. Four months ago, he got a newborn German shepherd named Sasha.

“She is my best friend. She’s a companion and she just means the world to me,” Pence said. “I’m with her 24 hours a day. We play together all the time and she’s just adorable.”

Pence believes Sasha has helped him ‘break the ice’ and get to know many of the other veterans staying at Saint Francis Commons.

“They all love her. She’s just a pup and easily excited,” he explained.

John Lipscomb, who cares for Angel, a two-year-old black lab, agrees.

“We have a couple other vets here who even will take her for walks because I can’t walk very far,” Lipscomb explained.

He says the love and companionship Angel provides him is extremely important since he recently left rehab.

“She’s the reason I want to keep living and want to do better … It gives me a purpose in life. I lost everything and she gives me good reason to get out of bed in the morning,” he added.

The Curative Companions Program is in need of financial assistance to stay in operation and provide services to even more veterans.
Pollock says several other veterans have asked about getting an animal.

“All of our veterans are low income and anybody that wants to have an emotional support dog, we don’t want finances to be a barrier,” he explained.
On average, it costs $2,000 annually for a pet between food, supplies, vet visits and other expenses.

The Curative Companions Program was made possible through the generosity of its initial funder The Robert H. Spitz Foundation, and then a later sustaining contribution by the PNC Foundation. Through its administration of the Spitz Foundation, the Scranton Area Community Foundation, which additionally has supported other Catholic Social Services programs, also has been an instrumental partner.

Dr. Paws of Scranton has also made substantial in-kind contributions and has provided some no-charge veterinary and follow-up care to some animals.

Anyone looking to support the Curative Companions Program can contact Ryan Pollock at (570) 209-9200, x2302. People will also be able to support the program on NEPA Gives Day, Friday June, 3, 2022, at nepagives.org.

PECKVILLE – The COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed the party but there was no way it was going to cancel the celebration.

On April 23, 2022, one year after it was originally scheduled to take place, hundreds of people gathered at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Peckville to celebrate the parish’s 75th anniversary.

The celebration began with a Jubilee Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, and continued well into the night with a dinner at Fiorelli Family Catering.

“What a great, great joy this is for me to join with all of you who are a part of this great community here at Sacred Heart in Peckville to celebrate 75 years of life, love, ministry and service, proclaiming the Gospel and the Good News of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Bambera said as he welcomed the faithful to Mass. “What a blessing this is for all of us.”

Father Andrew Kurovsky, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish since 2017, delivered the homily.

“For 75 years, you have touched the presence of Jesus Christ in our midst by the way that you have reached out to one another in your woundedness, in your hurt and in your pain,” Father Kurovsky said. “For 75 years, you have recognized the presence of a Resurrected Christ right here in our midst and that is what we celebrate today.”

The Mass took place on the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, which always includes the Gospel message of ‘Doubting Thomas,’ who had a hard time believing Jesus is alive after the Resurrection without touching his wounds.

Father Kurovsky used the popular refrain from Diana Ross’ song, “Reach Out And Touch” (Somebody’s Hand), to connect the Gospel message to the work being done by people in the parish on a daily basis.

“In the last 37 years, I’ve never experienced a community of faith, a group of people more filled with the Holy Spirit and your willingness to continue to build up God’s kingdom right here in our own little corner of the world,” Father added.

Sacred Heart of Jesus began as a mission church of Saint Mary Assumption Parish in Jessup. The original church, built on Main Street in Peckville in 1942, was served by Rev. William Boyd, who acted as administrator, and by the assistant pastors of Saint Mary’s until 1946.

With the appointment of Rev. Joseph Gilbride, Sacred Heart of Jesus became a parish in its own right on April 24, 1946.

Following the 75th Jubilee Mass, 341 people attended the reception at Fiorelli’s, in which Mark and Lisa DeLeo served as chairpersons.

“It was really a moving and wonderful experience,” Mark DeLeo said. “It was such a wonderful sense of fellowship. Our parish has grown tremendously since Father Andy is there.”

Like the Jubilee Mass, the reception was originally supposed to take place in 2021 – but was also delayed because of the pandemic. The DeLeos believe it actually made the event more meaningful.

“People were ready to get out, people were ready to see each other, to socialize,” Lisa DeLeo explained. “It was a long time coming but it was worth every extra hour and the extra year that we put into it.”

Organizers say tickets for the reception sold out after only two weekends of offering them after Masses.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, where the motto is ‘The Round Church…Where There’s Room for Everyone,’ has been growing in population over the last five years. The parish reports an increase of approximately 500 families.

The most recent parish census shows 1,380 registered households and more than 3,000 parishioners. The parish currently has more than 250 students in its faith formation program.

As he thanked everyone for the role they play in helping the parish grow, Father Kurovsky emphasized, “Good things happen in churches where the Holy Spirit is alive!”

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis offered his condolences for the death of the Most Reverend John M. Dougherty, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, who died on April 16 at the age of 89.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera received a letter from Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre in which Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed the condolences of Pope Francis at the death of Bishop Dougherty. Bishop Bambera shared the text of the letter during his homily at Bishop Dougherty’s Mass of Christian Burial.

The letter read as follows:

“His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Bishop John Martin Dougherty, and he sends heartfelt condolences to you, to the late Bishop’s family, and to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Scranton. Recalling Bishop Dougherty’s years of priestly and episcopal ministry, marked by his example of simplicity of life and tireless dedication to the pastoral care of the sick and dying, His Holiness joins those gathered for the Mass of Christian Burial in commending his soul to the compassionate love of our Heavenly Father and cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State

SCRANTON — Everyone has a “Bishop Dougherty story.” Usually several.

But whether the remembrances tell of his keen administrative ability, his untiring efforts to be omnipresent for anyone in need of God’s mercy or his genuine piety while celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the stories always speak of the singular wit, wisdom and humility of one John Martin Dougherty.

Jane McLane is a longtime member of Saint Patrick Parish in Scranton’s West Side and recollected how a 53-year-old Monsignor John Dougherty — having just stepped away from his role as Chancellor of the Diocese yet continuing to shoulder enormous leadership responsibilities on the diocesan level — departed the Chancery Building in 1985 to face unprecedented challenges in his new assignment as pastor of Saint Patrick’s.

Saint Patrick’s had been linked with the parishes of Holy Cross, in the city’s Bellevue section, and Saint John the Baptist, on Main Avenue. Not only were there more than 3,000 faithful as registered parishioners, but the pastoral appointment also included the operation of a Catholic elementary school with nearly 700 students.

“During his ten years at Saint Patrick’s, he modeled pastoral organizational skills,” McLane noted, referring to Monsignor Dougherty’s tenure that came to a close with his episcopal elevation to serve as Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton in 1995.

“Thankfully, Bishop Dougherty had invaluable assistance from young priests who served him well over the years,” McLane continued. “He inspired them with his priestly conduct, his boundless charity and tireless efforts to be a presence in the lives of his parishioners,” attending school events, meetings of parish societies, and always at the bedsides of the sick and dying.

“We parishioners remember Bishop Dougherty as a talented administrator and a joyous, faith-filled priest,” she concluded.

Fellow Saint Patrick parishioner Jeanne Palumbo remarked that memories of the late bishop will remain forever in her heart, as she referred to him as a tremendously important and unforgettable part of her life.

“I had the pleasure and honor of knowing him as a very caring, kind, dignified, holy, honorable and compassionate priest and leader who captured the hearts of everyone,” Palumbo said of Bishop Dougherty, whom she credits — and is eternally grateful to — for involving her in church service as a Eucharistic minister and lector.

She continued, “He was also a dear friend, as well as a bishop, when I needed one,” remembering how he offered endless comfort and counsel as she grieved the passing of her mother.

“He was always caring, patient and asking if I was okay,” Palumbo said. “He was always there for me. Heaven has certainly opened its door to a great, holy, remarkable man.”

Palumbo’s dear friends — Louise Passarella and her husband of nearly 70 years, Gene (Dempsey) Passarella — fondly recalled how their onetime pastor uniquely touched their lives forever. Louise explained that she shared an enviable relationship with Bishop Dougherty since she is first cousins with Margaret “Peggy” Dougherty, whose husband Joe, the bishop’s late brother, owned the landmark Dougherty’s Restaurant in Scranton’s Pine Brook section.

“When my mom was very ill, I had to make an end-of-life decision concerning her, and I was very upset and called Bishop Dougherty,” Louise reflected. “We talked from early evening until almost midnight. He helped me through the most difficult decision I ever had to make.”

“The next day the Lord took it out of my hands as my mother passed. I am so grateful for that conversation with Bishop Dougherty.”

The Passarellas remembered how then-Monsignor Dougherty assured Gene, the founding bandleader of the area’s venerable Gene Dempsey Orchestra, that his musical group would always have the support of Saint Patrick’s as a permanent part of the parish’s annual summer picnic.

“Whenever the bishop saw us, he would greet us with, ‘Hi, cuz. How’s the band?’” the couple noted.

Ninety-three-old Jim Connor continues to serve as an altar server for funeral Masses at Saint Patrick’s, as he did during Bishop Dougherty’s pastorate there.

He and his wife Eleanor, a parish lector, fondly reminisced about the late auxiliary bishop and his lasting impression on them, noting that while visiting loved ones in the hospital it was not unusual to cross paths with their pastor — at four o’clock in the morning!

“He was a just a great guy, and not only our pastor but a close friend,” Jim shared. “Bishop Dougherty was a prime example of a Catholic priest.”

Peggy and Bill Cusick of Saint Patrick Parish were enthusiastic about sharing their most memorable Bishop Dougherty “stories” while he served as their shepherd at the Scranton parish.

“I remember Monsignor Dougherty coming to visit me during one of my extended hospital stays,” Peggy began, seemingly about to recount another of the countless classic examples of the priest’s compassion for the suffering.

The tale took an unexpected twist, however, and wound up being an example of his classic dry wit, as she added, “He said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Peggy, everything is under control at home. I just went by the house and Bill was hosing off all the dinner dishes in the front yard.’”

On a serious note, Peggy explained the reason why Bishop Dougherty was always the last person in line at the funeral home during a viewing. “He made sure that if anyone was behind him, he insisted they go ahead of him.”

Two years after Bishop Dougherty was required by canon law to submit his letter of resignation at the age of 75, Pope Benedict XVI released the Scranton Auxiliary from his official duties in 2009. Not surprising, however, the word “retirement” had only a nominal effect on the 77-year-old shepherd.

In addition to other such official/unofficial assignments he fulfilled as Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Dougherty served in residence for several years at Christ the King Parish in Archbald.

“I became a better Catholic because of Bishop Dougherty,” Christ the King parishioner Mary Lynn Krushinski said. “His solemn Masses, his stature was so noticeable, along with his deep voice that got your attention. He renewed my love for God by his example.”

Rockne O’Connor, a member of the Archbald parish who attends Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, prefaced his comments with the following quote from Saint John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, which he believes best sums up the bishop’s legacy: “The priest is not a priest for himself…he is for you. After God, the priest is everything.”

“Bishop Dougherty, by his selflessness and humility, is a true priest for all of us forever,” the young man stated.

Rockne’s father, Jay, was spiritually insightful and somewhat poetic in offering these thoughts on the revered clergyman of cherished memory: “His voice, as stern and as authoritative as I would imagine God’s would be; his eyes and heart as empathetic, kind and merciful as I know Mary’s are, he was and will forever be a giant of a man of God and an immaculate example of a true priest in his humble, selfless service to all.”

SCRANTON – When the phone rang in the middle of the night at the Saint Patrick Parish Rectory in West Scranton in the 1980s, Bishop John Dougherty was normally the first to pick it up.

“We would assume it was the hospital calling for someone to go over to anoint someone or give them Last Rites and before Monsignor Tressler or I could get to the phone to answer it, he would pick up the phone. Before moments passed, Bishop Dougherty would be dressed, in the car and on the way to the hospital,” Father James Paisley said.

Father Paisley and Monsignor David Tressler were both assigned to be assistant pastors under Dougherty for their first assignments after ordination in the 1985. Both say Dougherty had a deep love for ministering to the sick and dying.

“He would go to the hospital almost every day when I was a newly ordained priest. I was with him three years. That was a priority to him,” Monsignor Tressler said. “As assistants we had our assigned days to go, but he still would go late in the evening when his day was freed up.”

As a young priest, Tressler said he learned how to be a pastor by watching Dougherty’s humble example.

“I learned the importance of compassion, of taking time for people in need, being present to people. I think that was key,” he said.

“Everything I do now, hopefully for the people, the needs of the people, for the Church and for my God, I learned all of that from his loving example,” Paisley added. “I carry a little bit around and I will continue to do that long after he’s gone now.”

GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

Both Paisley and Tressler said Bishop Dougherty would never expect his assistants to do something that he would not do.

“He instilled my great love of the priesthood. I love my priesthood. I love being able to serve the people of God and I really attribute it to him because of the fact that he was a great example,” Tressler said.

Paisley said even when he became Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, Dougherty always worked to avoid attention and extravagant things.

“His big fancy car was a 1976 AMC Hornet and it literally, this is not an exaggeration, had a hole in the floor that you could see right down into the ground. Larry and I called it the ‘Flintstone Mobile’ because it was a Fred Flintstone kind of thing,” Paisley said.

Deacon Ed Kelly, Parish Life Coordinator of Saint Mary Parish, Waymart, became close with Bishop Dougherty while previously serving with him at Christ the King Parish in Archbald.

“Maybe it’s not a coincidence that he died in Cycle C in our Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, because the Gospel of Luke is known as the Gospel of Prayer,” Deacon Kelly said.

Kelly said he would often find Bishop Dougherty alone in prayer.

“Witnessing with my own eyes, seeing him sit before the tabernacle, or visit one of the churches and sit there in silence, and letting the Lord speak to him, that’s one thing I’m going to take with me from his legacy,” he added.

LOVE OF CONFIRMATION

As an Auxiliary Bishop, Dougherty would often travel around the Diocese of Scranton celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with young adults in parishes.

Dougherty’s fellow clergy say it was something he enjoyed.

“All of the priests know that he spoke at length at Confirmations. We would think, these kids are never going to pay any attention,” Paisley joked.

It is usually the opposite – as Bishop Dougherty would be engaging and relatable.

“They were riveted to every word that he said. He would get right down there with them. His message was very powerful and very direct. They loved it. It stayed with them for years and years afterward. That is how much he loved the young people,” Paisley said.

“I always found it so amazing how he really tried to engage them. He would get down on his knees and be eyeball to eyeball with the confirmation candidates,” Tressler added. “He made them feel so much at home. He gave them a sense of hope and a sense of peace.”

UNEXPECTED HUMOR

While all of Bishop Dougherty’s clergy colleagues admit he had a reputation of being stern and serious, they all say he had a great sense of humor.

“He had this extraordinary poignant dry wit and it would come out a lot,” Kelly said.

Monsignor Tressler said Dougherty’s humor often came out when he would not heed his advice.

“He’d stand at the wall and talk to the wall. He would say, ‘I get a better response out of this wall than out of you!’” Tressler recalled lovingly. “He also asked me if I was a piano player but he knew I had no musical ability. He said, ‘You know what keys to play to get a reaction out of me.’”

“I’ll never forget one night, in the middle of the winter, it was freezing cold outside, he said, come on we have to go somewhere. I got in the car with him and he scraped open a little, tiny opening. We went to the parking lot behind the school and he did donuts in the parking lot as I was holding on for dear life. I will never forget that. I couldn’t wait to get out of the car but I enjoyed every minute of it as well. That is the kind of humor that he had, that hardly anyone ever saw,” Paisley explained.

A LOVING EXAMPLE

While all of Dougherty’s fellow clergymen admit he would not like all the attention that his funeral brought, they say it is all well deserved.

“Monsignor Dougherty was the best pastor we could have possibly had,” Paisley said. “He taught by example. He didn’t tell us what to do, he didn’t force us to do anything, he taught by showing us what a good and holy priest would be.”

“He was able to take the Church to the sick and dying and he was able to bring people to the Church,” Kelly explained. “Bishop Dougherty understood, that not only was he bringing consolation through the Eucharist to the sick, he was also being consoled.”

“He believed priesthood is a lifestyle, it’s not a job, it’s something that we’re called to be priests 24 hours a day and he demonstrated that right up until the end of his life,” Tressler added. “I’ll be eternally grateful to Almighty God for having him in my life and his example. His compassion, his humility, his ability to give direction without being in anyway hurtful or critical. He just was a man who was rooted in his prayer life and he exuded that in everything that he did.”

 

EXETER – As dozens of parishioners came together to celebrate the closing Mass for Saint Cecilia Church on April 24, 2022, the Rev. Michael E. Finn reminded them that the Church is much more than just a building.

“We belong to a Church that is universal,” he said. “We are part of a Body, the Body of Christ, and no one can take away from that.”

The closing Mass was a beautiful and fitting tribute to the Exeter church that served the community for 122 years.

“A total of 4,392 people were baptized in this church, or the previous church,” Father Finn said during his homily as he reflected on the history of Saint Cecilia’s.

The parish was founded on Nov. 17, 1900. It was formally dedicated on Sept. 29, 1901. Father Patrick F. Quinnan served as the first pastor. The church was rebuilt in the 1970s after a massive fire and became part of Saint Barbara Parish in 2008.

Father Finn is the sixteenth pastor or administrator to serve Saint Cecilia Church.

“This is a bittersweet moment. It’s always hard because we’ve had these experiences, these wonderful things have taken place, this was the church, the context in which I was raised, but now I’m called to belong to another community. The communities are all the same. They’re all Christians. We’re all the descendants of the Apostles that met in Jerusalem in that Upper Room,” he added.

Following the final Mass, Father Finn and Deacon Walter Janoski led the closing ritual for the church, which involved processing from the baptismal font, to the cross of the church, the Saint Cecilia statue, the ambo and finally the altar. At each place, the faithful raised their voices in song and the clergymen offered prayers.

At the church’s altar, the final stop, Deacon Janoski reminded everyone that the altar is where Jesus allows us to join Him in the holy and perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.

“You have handed over your life to us through this holy sacrament as we worshipped you at Sunday Mass, special feast days, Confirmations and First Communions, celebrations of the Sacrament of Marriage and anniversaries and funerals celebrated here in hope. You have quietly waited for us, as you remained present in the tabernacle to speak to us, and to receive our humble prayers and requests,” he said.

The final act of the ceremony involved parishioner Dolores Seman, 91, who locked the front door of the church. When asked to describe what it meant to be asked to perform that important act, she said it was a “special privilege.”

Following the Mass and the closing ritual, parishioners mingled outside the building with one another and took photographs.

“We were married here in 1990,” Mary Ellen Berry of Wyoming said. “We loved this church. We sat in our old pew today where we always sat.”

Berry, who has been a parishioner at Saint Cecilia Church for 45 years echoed the words of Father Finn that a Church is its people, not the building.
“It has always been that way,” she said. She said the closing Mass and rituals were very fitting and will always have photographs to look back on when she gets nostalgic.

“We had beautiful wedding photos taken so we have some good views of the church, between my brother’s video and the professional photography that we had done. We still have the memories of the church in our album,” she explained.

The closure of Saint Cecilia Church finalizes a consolidation process that has been more than a decade in the making. It was first recommended during the “Called to Holiness and Mission” initiative. In recent years, the parish community of Saint Cecilia Church continued to diminish in size. Only one Sunday morning Mass was held in the church and sustaining operational costs would negatively impact the finances of Saint Barbara Parish.

While saying the church closure is bittersweet, Bernardine Regis of West Wyoming understands.

“You don’t see children coming to the church anymore. They have other things to do. We were always taught that you always went to church,” she explained.

Just days after the closing Mass, Father Finn also retired, taking on a new role of Pastor Emeritus, after many years of faithful service. As a result, Saint Barbara Parish entered into a new linkage with Corpus Christi Parish in West Pittston. The two parishes will share one pastor and have three worship sites: Saint Anthony Church in Exeter, Immaculate Conception Church in West Pittston and Church of the Holy Redeemer in Harding.

“Today we’ll be saying officially goodbye to Saint Cecilia’s and thank you for the 122 years of witness to the faith,” Father Finn said at the end of his homily. “May God give us the grace that we may continue and go on to give many more years to witness to the faith and allow his spirit to work in each and every one of us.”

 
DRUMS – After 17 years of marriage, Phil and Sue Milazzo both began to realize something was missing. Between work, family life and children, both started to realize that they were unhappy.

“It was a culmination of little things that built up,” Phil Milazzo said.

That unhappiness led to Phil’s poor choice of becoming emotionally and physically involved with another woman. It seemed like the couple, who married on Long Island at the age of 19, was headed for separation and divorce.

“It was very shocking for me when I heard that there was someone else,” Sue Milazzo said. “I ran in circles trying to find something to help us, to try and turn things around, trying to make some sense of what was happening and try to work on our marriage. I had no help at all. No matter where I went, people were helping me get divorced, no one was helping me stay married!”

That is when the Milazzo’s discovered Retrouvaille.

Retrouvaille (pronounced Retro-vi) is a marriage program for couples facing challenges in their relationship. The program is peer-facilitated by other couples that have gone through difficult times in their own marriages. Retrouvaille is Christian-based, and Catholic in origin, but welcomes couples of all faiths as well as non-religious couples.

“It is basically for people who are suffering a crisis in their marriage, whether they are in the middle of the crisis or they may even be separated or divorced,” Phil said.

The Retrouvaille program is broken down into three phases.

The first phase involves a weekend retreat where three presenting couples share the breakdown of their own personal marriage stories and teach tools they have learned to improve communication.

The second phase of the program includes six follow-up sessions which help the couples in healing and rebuilding a new foundation based on love, respect and communication.

The third phase consists of ongoing monthly small group meetings, called CORE (Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience), to keep marriages on track.

Overall, the Retrouvaille experience is focused on improving a couple’s communication through the sharing of feelings.

“Feelings are a large part of the program because feelings cannot be judged as right or wrong,” Phil said.

While several couples attend a weekend retreat at the same time, there is no large group sharing in Retrouvaille, which puts many people at ease.

Privacy is also a priority.

“There is no group sharing unless you want to,” Phil added. “No one is ever forced to say anything about their relationship. You can go through the entire weekend and not even say why you were there!”

Sue Milazzo is very blunt about the impact Retrouvaille has had on her marriage.

“We would not be sitting here today together if it wasn’t for Retrouvaille,” she admitted.

The program left such an impact on the couple that they have now spent more than three decades presenting it to other couples in need of assistance.

“We’ve been gifted to see people get back together after being divorced,” Sue said.

After moving to Luzerne County several years ago, Phil and Sue Milazzo are now working to bring the Retrouvaille program back to the Diocese of Scranton in coordination with the Diocesan Office for Parish Life.

A Retrouvaille Weekend has been scheduled for Aug. 19-21 at the Townplace Suites in Moosic. In addition to explaining the program and looking for couples that might benefit, Phil and Sue are also in need of help to get everything off the ground.

“We need people to do prayer letters, people to do hosting, people to just get supplies and get set-up for the weekend,” Sue said.

Over the last 37 years, the Milazzo’s have presented a total of 94 Retrouvaille weekend retreats. With an average of 20 couples attending each one, they’ve already helped roughly 2,000 people improve their marriages. They want to keep going.

“We’ve heard the phrase that it’s the best kept secret in the Catholic Church and I don’t know why that is!” Phil joked.

To learn more about attending the Retrouvaille weekend in August, or to learn more about helping to bring this weekend to life, please contact: Phil & Sue Milazzo, philmilazzo2@gmail.com or call (631) 338-5413. Additional information is also available by contacting Jen Housel, Director for Community and Family Development in the Diocesan Office for Parish Life, jhousel@dioceseofscranton.org, (570) 207-2213, x1104.