Category: Diocese of Scranton News

(OSV News) – Catholics in Connecticut are working to help those impacted by what one lawmaker described as “historic, unprecedented flooding” Aug. 18-19 that took two lives and forced hundreds to flee for safety.

The southwestern part of the state was deluged by 6-10 inches of rainfall in as many hours Aug. 18, with more rain pummeling the region the following day.

At an Aug. 19 news conference, Brenda Bergeron, deputy commissioner of Connecticut’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security said the rainfall totals in some areas were at the “1,000-year level” high.

Two women in the town of Oxford drowned as rescuers tried to save them. Hundreds of residents were evacuated, with roads and infrastructure in the area devastated. Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency Aug. 19.

A volunteer staffer at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oxford told OSV News that while the church buildings were intact, “a lot of people here” in the parish “did get hit” by the flooding.

The parish is “having 300 cases of water delivered to the church on Friday (Aug. 23), and the town hall is going to spread the word that we have water available for people,” the staffer said.

In the meantime, “all activities are canceled for this week” except for Masses, funerals and a scheduled blood drive, said the staffer.

In Seymour, which also saw a tremendous amount of destruction, particularly to public infrastructure and area businesses, the storm’s full impact is still being assessed, said Father Thomas Cieslikowski, pastor of St. Nicholas Parish.

The priest told OSV News the parish’s two churches “are on high ground” and did not sustain any damage.

However, “one of the two bridges in town are washed out,” and “a couple of my parishioners who live in (Oxford) have been cut off,” he said. “They can’t make it out of their houses. It’s that bad. … I was supposed to have a meeting today, and one of the people that was running the meeting can’t get out of his house.”

Catholic parishes on Long Island, New York, were also battling similar flooding, as storms hammered various communities and mangled roads, rail lines and homes.

On its Facebook page, St. Thomas the Apostle invited those affected to contact the parish for help. The post included a prayer Aug. 18 for flood victims and those aiding them, a text the parish noted had been adapted from a similar supplication during Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that proved to be one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history.

“Lord, please be with our rescue workers and keep them safe as they make heroic efforts in dangerous situations to rescue those in trouble. Lord, please be with everyone waiting to be rescued, keep them safe, and bring help to them soon,” read the prayer. “God, bless each and every person affected by this storm and surround them with Your love, protection, and angels. Let them know that we are here praying for them and their loved ones. We give You all the praise and glory forever, Lord, and know that even in the darkest hours, You are always with us. Amen.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Cleansed from original sin by baptism, Christians are called to spread the “good fragrance of Christ” throughout the world by their kind actions and joyful attitudes, Pope Francis said.

At his weekly general audience Aug. 21, the pope said Jesus was “anointed with the Holy Spirit” when he was baptized in the River Jordan, whereas Old Testament kings, prophets and priests were anointed with perfumed oil.

Just as those leaders received the oil on their heads, “Christ is the head, our high priest, the Holy Spirit is our perfumed oil and the church is the body of Christ in which it spreads,” he told thousands of people who had joined him for the gathering in the Vatican audience hall.

During the chrism Mass each year, he said, bishops bless the sacred oils used in baptisms and confirmations by praying that recipients of the oils may “be made fragrant with the innocence of a life pleasing to you.”

He related the prayer to a passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians: “For we are the aroma of Christ for God.”

“We know that unfortunately, sometimes Christians do not spread the fragrance of Christ, but the bad odor of their own sin,” the pope said.

“Let us never forget: Sin distances us from Jesus; it makes us bad oil,” he added. “And the devil – do not forget this – usually enters through one’s pockets. Be aware.”

Sin, however, “should not distract us from the commitment of realizing, as far as we are able and each in their own environment, this sublime vocation of being the good fragrance of Christ in the world,” Pope Francis said. Referencing St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, the pope said that the “fragrance of Christ emanates from the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

“If we strive to cultivate these fruits, then, without our being aware of it, someone will notice some of the fragrance of the Spirit of Christ around us,” he said.

After his main talk, Pope Francis told his guests that Aug. 21 is the feast of St. Pius X, patron of catechists, and noted that many places celebrate catechists on that date to commemorate the saint. In 1905, Pope Pius mandated all parishes to teach catechism classes, and he compiled a simple, brief catechism, known as “The Catechism of Pius X,” which was used around the world for instructional purposes.

“Let us think of our catechists who advance so much work and who are, in many places in the world, the first to carry forward the faith,” Pope Francis said. “Let us pray for catechists today that the Lord may make them courageous and that they may continue.”

The pope also asked attendees at his audience to pray for peace in Ukraine, “which suffers so much,” as well as in Myanmar, South Sudan, Congo, Palestine and Israel.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Capital punishment promotes a deadly attitude of revenge and denies the possibility of change in the lives of incarcerated people, Pope Francis said.

“The death penalty is in no way the solution to the violence that can strike innocent people,” the pope wrote in the preface to a new book on prison chaplaincy.

Capital executions, “far from bringing justice, fuel a sense of revenge that becomes a dangerous poison for the body of our civil societies,” the pope wrote. And rather than continue the cycle of violence, governments “should focus on allowing prisoners the opportunity to truly change their lives, rather than investing money and resources in their execution, as if they were human beings no longer worthy of living and to be disposed of.”

The book featuring the pope’s preface, titled “A Christian on Death Row,” shares the experiences of Dale Recinella, a lay Catholic prison chaplain and licensed attorney who, along with his wife, has accompanied people on death row and in solitary confinement in Florida prisons since 1998. The book, published by the Vatican publishing house, was set to go on sale Aug. 27.

Pope Francis called Recinella’s work a “living and passionate witness to God’s school of infinite mercy,” and he said it is a “great gift to the church and to society in the United States.”

In light of the upcoming Holy Year 2025, the pope wrote, Catholics should “collectively call for the abolition of the death penalty.”

“As the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy taught us, we must never think that there could be a sin, a mistake, or an action of ours that distances us permanently from the Lord. His heart has already been crucified for us,” he wrote. “And God can only forgive us.”

In 2018, the pope formally changed the Catechism of the Catholic Church to unambiguously oppose the death penalty. While the previous language allowed for the death penalty in extreme cases, the revised entry in the catechism calls the death penalty “inadmissible” and states that the church “works for determination for its abolition worldwide.”

In his preface, Pope Francis said that God’s infinite mercy toward each person “can also be scandalous,” noting the many criticisms and rejections Recinella has faced for his prison ministry. “But is it not true that Jesus welcomed in His embrace a thief condemned to death?” the pope asked.

“Even the most heinous of our sins does not mar our identity in God’s eyes: we remain His children, loved by Him, protected by Him and considered precious.”

Pope Francis explained that in one loving gaze, “like that of Christ on the cross,” incarcerated people “may find a new meaning in their lives and indeed, in their deaths.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When receiving the Eucharist, Catholics should respond with gratitude and awe that Jesus offers himself as nourishment and salvation, Pope Francis said.

Jesus “becomes true food and true drink,” the pope said. “Thank you, Lord Jesus! Let’s say, ‘Thank you, thank you’ with all our heart,” he told visitors and pilgrims who joined him in St. Peter’s Square Aug. 18 for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

In the day’s Gospel reading from St. John, Jesus tells the crowd that he is “the living bread that came down from heaven” and that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life.

Some were surprised by Jesus’ words, and not in a good way, the pope said. But for Catholics, “the bread from heaven is a gift that exceeds all expectations.”

“The heavenly bread, which comes from the Father, is the Son himself made flesh for us,” he said. More than the bread that human beings need to survive, the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist “satisfies the hunger for hope, the hunger for truth and the hunger for salvation that we all feel not in our stomachs, but in our hearts.”

“Every one of us needs the Eucharist,” Pope Francis said.

“He saves us, nourishing our lives with his own, and he will do this forever,” the pope said. “And it is thanks to him that we can live in communion with God and with each other.”

The Eucharist, he said, is not “something magical, no. It is not something that will immediately solve all problems, but it is the very body of Christ that gives hope to the poor and overcomes the arrogance of those who gorge themselves at their expense.”

Pope Francis asked Catholics to ponder two questions: “Do I hunger and thirst for salvation, not just for myself, but for all my brothers and sisters? When I receive the Eucharist, which is the miracle of mercy, do I stand in awe before the body of the Lord, who died and rose again for us?”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ trip to Asia and Oceania in September will be a trip of religious, economic and social contrasts.

Visiting four nations Sept. 2-13, the 87-year-old pope will be making the longest trip of his pontificate, both in terms of distance covered and days away from the Vatican.

The trip will include predominantly Muslim Indonesia and predominantly Christian Papua New Guinea, as well as Singapore, Asia’s economic powerhouse, and Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest nations.

Plans were being made for the trip in September 2020, but everything was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pope Francis not only is four years older, but now regularly uses a cane, a walker or a wheelchair to get around.

The 45th trip of his pontificate is expected to focus heavily on interreligious dialogue, ethnic harmony, care for creation, concern for immigrants and gratitude for the work of missionaries and the church’s contribution to education and health care.

His visit will begin in Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world; Catholics account for only about 3% of the population. Then he will move on to Papua New Guinea, where an estimated 98% of the population is Christian. Timor-Leste is the only nation on the itinerary where Catholics are the majority; the Vatican estimates 96% of the population belongs to the church. In Singapore, Buddhists make up the largest religious group — about 31% — followed by 20% of the population claiming no religious belief; Christians account for almost 19% of the population and Muslims about 15%.

While from a European or North American perspective all four countries could be considered part of the “periphery” of global Catholicism — those outlying areas Pope Francis prioritizes when accepting invitations — he will stick to the largest city in each nation, with one exception: He will spend about three hours Sept. 8 in Vanimo and Baro, towns on the northwesternmost shore of Papua New Guinea.

It’s personal, according to Father Giorgio Licini, a PIME missionary and general secretary of the Papua New Guinea bishops’ conference.

Writing in Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, Father Licini said Pope Francis insisted on going to the outposts over the advice of the bishops’ conference and the government because he wanted to visit his friend, Father Martin Prado, a 35-year-old member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word from Argentina, and see the work he and the Incarnate Word sisters have been doing in the remote area.

But Indonesia is the first stop, and interreligious dialogue and “human fraternity” are expected to be the dominant topics.

Divine Word Father Markus Solo Kewuta, an Indonesian official at the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, said generally Christian-Muslim relations in his homeland are “very peaceful, very kind,” but they can vary in different parts of the country, a nation made up of more than 17,000 islands, about 6,000 of which are inhabited.

The country’s main Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, and the Indonesian government both promote official dialogue, peaceful coexistence and simple neighborliness, Father Solo said, but there is a worrying new trend of “ghetto building,” or of people looking to live in neighborhoods where only Muslims or Christians live, which decreases mutual knowledge, trust and cooperation.

The priest, who grew up on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores, told Catholic News Service it still is common for members of the Nahdlatul Ulama youth group to volunteer to stand guard outside their neighborhood Christian churches on Christmas Eve and during the Easter vigil to ensure the services take place in peace.

“Unfortunately, these good relations will be always disturbed by the radical or violent acts of people, and particularly also by the politicization of religion,” he said. “This really divides nations, societies and religions; friends become enemies. We have experienced this in the past several times.”

“We live in a plurality, and therefore we are condemned to dialogue with each other,” he said.

In Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, Pope Francis also is expected to talk about the religious obligation to care for creation. All three nations have seen accelerating deforestation as the global market seeks tropical wood, and all three struggle to regulate mining while relying on profits from mineral exports.

Pope Francis will not be the first pope to visit any of the countries on his itinerary. St. Paul VI visited Indonesia in 1970 and St. John Paul II went to the country in 1989; on the same trip, St. John Paul visited Timor-Leste, which celebrated its independence from Indonesia in 2002. The Polish pope visited Papua New Guinea in 1984 and again in 1995. In 1986, St. John Paul visited Singapore, though he stayed only five hours — enough time to celebrate a public Mass, meet government officials and speak to the nation’s priests.

Singapore is one of the world’s wealthiest countries, and Pope Francis’ 46-hour visit will include time with some of the island’s poorer residents — the elderly and sick people cared for at St. Theresa’s Home, a nursing home that can serve up to 200 patients.

A 2014 Pew Research Center report ranked Singapore as the most religiously diverse country in the world, but also found a significant percentage of the population claims no religious affiliation at all. Pope Francis’ final event in Singapore, before his 12-hour flight back to Rome, will be an interreligious meeting with young people, bringing the theme full circle.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Jill Rauh, the executive director of a newly created secretariat at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, pledged to support the work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the USCCB’s domestic anti-poverty initiative, after some expressed concern about the future of that project following some staff layoffs.

Rauh oversees the work of the new Secretariat of Justice and Peace, announced Aug. 6. The new office will serve four bishops’ committees to advance the social mission of the church through formation, policy analysis, advocacy and outreach.

In an interview, Rauh told OSV News that the secretariat will continue “advocating for just policies so that we can promote human dignity and flourishing.”

In late June, the USCCB laid off an unspecified number of employees as part of a reorganization of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, a key department tasked with promoting awareness of and advocacy for Catholic social teaching in the U.S. and abroad. The conference did not specify the number of employees impacted, although some estimates were about a dozen people, who included employees working for CCHD, which was part of that department.

Founded in 1969 as the National Catholic Crusade Against Poverty, CCHD has been moved to the USCCB’s Office of National Collections, but the Secretariat of Justice and Peace will continue to collaborate with the anti-poverty initiative, Rauh said.

“One thing that I am happy to share is that the secretariat will continue to work with our colleagues in the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to support their essential work to address poverty,” she told OSV News. “We will collaborate with them. We will continue to receive instruction from the staff and committee of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. CCHD is an important way for Catholics to live out their faith and to engage in their communities.”

Before her new appointment, Rauh was director of education and outreach for the Department of Justice and Peace, from 2017 to 2024.

The Secretariat of Justice and Peace will serve the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, the Committee on International Justice and Peace, the Committee for Religious Liberty and the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.

At the U.S. bishops’ fall general assembly in 2023, the bishops voted to replace the USCCB’s current strategic planning cycle with a mission planning process intended to streamline, reduce spending and remove silos at the USCCB, although concerns were raised at the time about where new resources would come from.

Rauh said that “what we are doing moving forward is, instead of having a separate office, those staff who focus on education, formation, communication, of social mission, are infused into the other offices,” with their cooperation intended to evoke “the connections between our faith, the call of Scripture, our church’s social mission, and the action to advocate, to work to address poverty.”

“Sometimes there can be a misunderstanding that we’re either about the prayer or the action, but as people of faith, we’re about both of those,” she said of the secretariat’s aim. “We’re about a united approach, that the work that we do is striving to change those unjust structures to work for justice. It is grounded in our identity as Catholics and as people of faith who have encountered the living Christ who cares for and accompanies the poor” and to “make sure that we aren’t siloed in our approach.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Mary is not a “motionless wax statue,” but a disciple who wants to share the good news of Jesus with everyone and reaches out to help and comfort them, Pope Francis said.

Reciting the Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter’s Square Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption, the pope entrusted to Mary’s care the people around the world experiencing war.

“To Mary, queen of peace, whom we contemplate today in the glory of paradise, I would like once again to entrust the anxieties and sorrows of the people in so many parts of the world who suffer from social tensions and wars. I am thinking particularly of the tormented Ukraine, the Middle East, Palestine, Israel, Sudan and Myanmar.”

“May our heavenly mother obtain for all consolation and a future of serenity and concord,” the pope said.

As the pope was reciting the prayer, the Vatican press office issued a statement saying that Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the pope’s envoy for peace in Ukraine, had a telephone conversation Aug. 14 with Li Hui, the Chinese government’s special representative for Eurasian affairs. The two had met in person in Beijing last September to discuss ways China could contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine.

“During the phone call, great concern was expressed about the situation and the need to foster dialogue between the parties, with appropriate international guarantees for a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican statement said. The call took place as Ukraine said its troops were continuing the incursion into Russia, which began Aug. 6.

Writing Aug. 15 in Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, Cardinal Zuppi said, “There are some signs of peace, solidarity and willingness to dialogue here and there.” He pointed to efforts to help children in Ukraine, to free the Hamas hostages in Gaza and the recent exchange of prisoners between the United States and Russia.

But there are also small signs of peace shared whenever one person helps another, he said. “These gestures admittedly are as small as seeds that put down roots that cannot be seen, but they grow.”

Pope Francis also told those gathered at the Vatican for the midday prayer that he continues “to follow with concern the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza,” and he called again “for a cease-fire on all fronts, for the release of hostages and for aid to the exhausted population. I encourage everyone to make every effort to ensure that the conflict does not widen and to pursue the avenues of negotiation so that this tragedy ends soon! Let’s not forget: War is defeat.”

HARRISBURG – Thousands of pro-life advocates are expected in Harrisburg next month for the 2024 Pennsylvania March for Life.

The event will take place on Monday, Sept. 23 directly outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.

The Diocese of Scranton is once again inviting all people of good will to participate in the Pennsylvania March for Life.

The Diocese will be sponsoring a bus that will have pick-up locations in Scranton (8:30 a.m.) and Wilkes-Barre (9:15 a.m.) on the morning of the rally. The bus is expected to arrive in Harrisburg around 11 a.m., which is when the March for Life Rally begins. The actual March itself kicks off around noon.

Following the March for Life, participants who travel to Harrisburg on the Diocesan bus will also be invited to celebrate Mass at 1:30 p.m. at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Harrisburg and the bus will depart for home at the conclusion of Mass.

The cost of the trip is $15/per adult/$10 per student. Space on the bus is limited. Those interested are encouraged to contact Shannon Kowalski at (570) 207-2238 or SKowalski@dioceseofscranton.org to reserve a spot.

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Pennsylvania State Legislature is now a critical battleground for protecting life.

By participating in the 2024 March for Life, you will be a voice for the voiceless – empowering women to choose life and defend the dignity of the unborn.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, opposing direct abortion as an act of violence that takes the life of the unborn child.

SCRANTON – Faith is most powerful when it is shared.

That is why the Diocesan Office for Parish Life is working to equip parishioners with the skills and confidence to share the Good News of Jesus Christ more effectively.

Between Aug. 8-10, 2024, more than 80 people participated in Genesis Mission workshops aimed at helping participants confidently evangelize in their everyday lives.

“It was an honor that we were able to get this type of program in our Diocese,” Enrique Olmedo, a parishioner at Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in South Scranton, said. “It was a very good opportunity that we got today.”

The workshops began on Aug. 8 at Saint Lawrence Parish in South Williamsport, followed by two more workshops Aug. 9 & 10 at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Scranton.

“I think today’s workshop met a very important need in the life of our Diocese,” Father Cyril Edwards, Pastor of Mary, Mother of God Parish in North Scranton, stated. “I hope it will give them more confidence and knowledge in how to approach people who maybe used to go to church, or people who have never had a church, but are in need of a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Genesis Mission’s international co-founders, Father Jon Bielawski and Michele Thompson, traveled to northeastern Pennsylvania to lead each workshop.

“One of the key things that we teach is that evangelization is about listening to the other person,” Father Bielawski said. “You have two ears and one mouth. You should be doing twice as much listening, and you do the listening first, and then you speak into what the other person said.”

During the workshops, participants learned simple, relational and loving ways to share the Gospel message.

“Even for the most sensitive or shyest of people, the Lord will use them to engage with others if they’re willing,” Thompson added. “We take them through a journey. It’s the work of the Holy Spirit.”

Those attending the local workshops included pastors, parish staff members, catechetical leaders and even parishioners.

“Every baptized person is a unique individual that can use their own uniqueness to share the Lord. It’s not about smart answers or eloquence – it’s about having a conviction of who Jesus is and being authentic.”

Regina Wright, who recently joined the Diocesan Office for Parish Life team as Manager of Parish Renewal, thinks the Genesis program will be able to help many people. She called the program “transformational” after seeing it work in the Syracuse area.

“This gives you the confidence that you can talk to people and share Jesus with them” Wright explained.

With the introductory workshops completed, participants will now have the opportunity to continue the Genesis Mission journey through a six-week course of study that will further equip them for mission.

“I think it’s very important that people can share the richness of the Catholic faith with each other and also listen to others,” she added.

Evangelization efforts conducted by the Diocesan Office for Parish Life are made possible with assistance from the Diocesan Annual Appeal that is conducted each year. For more information on other parish renewal activities, call (570) 207-2213.

CARBONDALE – With the start of school just a few days away, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton hosted a backpack and school supplies giveaway that benefited 102 children.

The event, held Aug. 9 in the basement of Saint Rose of Lima Church, was filled with excitement as families arrived to find an array of backpacks filled with essential supplies. From crayons and notebooks to pencils and folders, every item will help students start their academic year with confidence.

“We always try to look to see what we can do to help the community. We love this community and we’re invested in this community,” Jolette Lyons, Director of Relief Services for Catholic Social Services, said. “Every kid should be excited to go back to school and sometimes families struggle with getting supplies to go back.”

This is the first year that Catholic Social Services organized the back-to-school giveaway in Carbondale.

Staff members say it became a priority after listening to the parents that they serve in their local food pantry.

“One of the women that comes in has six children and she said she was going to have a really hard time getting school supplies this year and I think that is what really rushed us to do something this year,” Dominique Jordan, Catholic Social Services Carbondale Office Supervisor, explained.

Each backpack was tailored to the needs and grade level of the child. A total of 69 backpacks for young children, filled with a notebook, crayons, scissors, glue, ruler, pencils, and folder, were meticulously put together. More than 30 other backpacks, all for older students, contained three notebooks, three folders, pens, pencils, and highlighters.

The giveaway was made possible through the generous contributions of local churches and community members.

“Our Lady of the Rosary Parish did a collection for us through the month of July. Everyone who could brought in bookbags and all the supplies. They collected a good amount for us,” Jordan said.

“Lighthouse Christian Ministry and local families and volunteers also dropped items off. It has been great,” Lyons added.

The impact of the event extended far beyond just providing supplies. For many families, the giveaway offered a sense of relief and support as they prepare for the new school year. With the rising costs of education-related items, Catholic Social Services provided not only tangible help, but also a reminder of the strength and unity within the whole Carbondale community.

“Parents want their kids to be excited to go to school. They want to give their kids the best things, so if we can help them, we feel privileged to be able to do that,” Lyons said.

For more information on how to get involved with Catholic Social Services in Carbondale or to support future initiatives visit dioceseofscranton.org or contact their office at (570) 282-0460.