Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will celebrate the Diocese of Scranton’s annual Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities Mass on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.
The liturgy prayerfully celebrates the many gifts those with developmental or intellectual disabilities bring to the Church and the community. The Mass will be sign-language interpreted for the hearing impaired.
The Mass will be open to the public following COVID-19 guidelines and will also be broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website and across all social media platforms.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In his 2022 Lenten message to the Church, Pope Francis invites us to reflect upon Saint Paul’s words in his letter to the Galatians: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:9-10).
The Holy Father challenges us to reflect upon the urgency of using the time that God has given to us in a productive manner by sowing goodness in our world with a view to a future harvest. And Lent, Pope Francis continues, is the opportune time for us to recollect our thoughts and to move forward with resolve, seeking to fulfill our baptismal promises by making the pattern of Jesus’ life our own through our authentic response to his call to discipleship.
Through his invitation to place our trust in the Lord as the surest means of responding to the apostle Paul’s appeal, Pope Francis provides us with some practical reminders of how we might achieve this noble end:
“Let us not grow tired of praying” … We need to pray because we need God.
“Let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives or of asking for forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance,” knowing that God never tires of forgiving us.
And “Let us not grow tired of doing good in active charity towards our neighbors,” the surest means of reflecting the life of Jesus in our own lives.
This year during our Lenten journey, we have all been given a unique opportunity to sow seeds of goodness in our Church to reap a bountiful harvest. The entire People of God, including our own local Church, have been invited to participate in the preparatory phase of the Synod of Bishops that is being convened by Pope Francis in October 2023, entitled a Synod on Synodality.
A “synodal” Church implies a way of being and of working that engages a more grassroots, collaborative effort among the members of the Christian faithful as we all seek to grow in awareness of the presence of God and engage the mission of evangelization. A “synodal” Church takes the time to discern the path forward that the Holy Spirit is calling us to embrace as together we seek to build a Church where all are welcome, valued and sent forth as ambassadors of Christ. A “synodal” Church highlights the fact that each member of the Body of Christ has been entrusted with gifts for the building up of the Church – “good” that we ought never tire of doing on behalf of one another.
I encourage you to participate in the synodal process through listening sessions in your parishes and through online opportunities that have been generously provided to all of you who desire to share your thoughts, your dreams and where you believe the Holy Spirit is calling the Church at this time in its history. The Diocese of Scranton’s online survey can be found on the “Synod on Synodality” page on the Diocese of Scranton website at dioceseofscranton.org.
As Pope Francis has reminded us, a “synodal Church” is above all a Church that listens: “It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. The lay faithful, the bishops, the pope: all listening to each other, all listening to the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17), in order to know what He is saying to the Church” and how best to move forward in faith.
Finally, one of the great gifts given to us by the Church to assist in our response to the Lord’s invitation to do “good” is found in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we have done for many years, all of the parishes of the Diocese of Scranton will participate in The Light Is On For You. Every Monday evening during the Lenten season, beginning on the first Monday of Lent, March 7, and continuing through Monday of the last full week of Lent, April 4, confessions will be heard in every parish from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
My friends, our resolve to deepen our faith and to do good on behalf of our brothers and sisters is needed today more than ever. May we open our hearts to this blessed season of Lent and all of the opportunities that we are given to deepen our trust in the ever-present grace of God, that alone can sustain us in our journey of faith as his disciples.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
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February 9, 2021
“I take this opportunity to congratulate Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., Ph.D., on being selected to serve as the 28th president of The University of Scranton. As we welcome him to northeastern Pennsylvania, I also ask everyone to join me in praying for God’s continued grace and health for Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who will conclude his remarkable second tenure as president.
“Father Marina brings a vast array of experience that will affirm the Catholic and Jesuit values upon which The University of Scranton has already been built. We are blessed that he has chosen to share his unique gifts and experiences with the students, faculty and staff of The University of Scranton.
“With a proven track record of being a knowledgeable and respected voice in higher education, Father Marina’s presence will serve The University of Scranton well as it continues to distinguish itself as an academically rigorous, socially responsible learning community where students become men and women for others.
“Rooted in Our Lord’s love and mercy, we ask God’s blessing on Father Marina, that he be filled with the strength, wisdom and courage needed to take on this new role.”
The chair of The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees announced Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Le Moyne College, will serve as Scranton’s 28th president beginning this summer.
The University of Scranton Names 28th President
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y., will serve as the 28th president of The University of Scranton. James M. Slattery ’86, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, made the announcement to the University community today. Father Marina, who will take office in the summer, will succeed Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., ’H15, whose second term as president ends at the close of the 2020-2021 academic year.
“Father Marina brings to Scranton his unique experience as teacher, pastor, scholar and school administrator with more than 20 years of experience in higher education,” said Slattery. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank the members of the presidential search committee for their careful work in leading us through the search process to its successful conclusion.”
“Father Marina has a special dedication to Catholic and Jesuit higher education, and a pastoral approach to leadership that is grounded in his faith, in Ignatian spirituality and in a call for justice. He will further Scranton’s commitment to provide a transformative education, rooted in the liberal arts, and will guide our students to become ‘men and women for and with others,’” said Father Pilarz.
“I am humbled and honored to be chosen as The University of Scranton’s next president and to succeed Father Pilarz who has with his colleagues on campus fostered such a strong foundation on which to build Scranton’s future success,” said Father Marina. “From day one as a Jesuit I have heard time and again how seriously Scranton takes its mission and identity. What strikes me most is how students excel with the help of the authentic commitment of faculty and staff. As we take this journey together beginning this summer, the wonderful truth remains that anything and everything we do at Scranton should be and will be done for our students first. Our shared focus is precisely where it belongs, on our students and their success.”
Father Marina was selected following a national search, which began in August with the appointment of a broadly representative search committee that included trustees and representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, alumni and administration. University Trustee Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ‘93, G’93, H’19, served as chair of the search committee.
“On behalf of the search committee, I want to say how pleased and excited we are that Father Marina has agreed to lead our beloved University,” said Dr. Sprows Cummings. “I am so very grateful to my colleagues on the committee for their thoughtfulness and dedication throughout the search process. Father Marina has our full and enthusiastic support as he prepares to begin his service this summer.”
Since 2016, Father Marina has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of education at Le Moyne College, where he oversees the Jesuit college’s three academic schools, honors program, library, campus life, student housing, conduct and Title IX compliance, diversity and inclusion programming, global education, student success and support services, disability services, and several other areas. Previously at Le Moyne, he held positions as associate provost, interim chair of the education department and special assistant to the president.
On Feb. 12, he will conclude just over two months serving as acting president at Le Moyne while Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D., president, is a Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Syracuse University.
“I commend The University of Scranton for selecting Father Marina as its next president,” said Dr. LeMura. “Joe has been a vital part of Le Moyne’s success over the past five years. Among his accomplishments as provost are the continued growth of graduate programs, including the launch of our first doctoral program in Educational Leadership, his work on our strategic plan Sempre Avanti, and the establishment of the Quantitative Reasoning Center and the Writing Center. On a personal level, he has been a confidant, friend and wonderful colleague. I wish him nothing but the best in his new role.”
His prior experience includes serving as the dean of the School of Continuing Education at Providence College, assistant dean for the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, and assistant dean for Metropolitan College at St. John’s University. In addition, he taught religious studies at Providence College and mathematics at St. John’s University. He served as pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City and as associate pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, also in New York City.
Father Marina is currently a trustee at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York, and Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, where he is chair of the board’s governance committee. He previously served on the boards of St. Thomas Aquinas College, Regis University, Canisius College, Xavier High School and Le Moyne College.
His research interests include leadership and organizational change, and, in the area of theology, scripture and the question of non-belief. His presentations include “Inner-city Healthcare and Higher Education: A Partnership in Catholic Social Teaching,” “Graduate and Continuing Education in the Jesuit Tradition” and “Educational Delivery System Options: Programs to Attract and Retain and Educate Adult Students.”
Father Marina holds a Doctor of Philosophy in administration and supervision from Fordham University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Boston College and a Master of Science in Secondary Education from St. John’s University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences, with a theology minor, from St. John’s University.
Father Marina entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012.
Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., Provincial of the East Coast Province of the Society of Jesus remarked, “I will be delighted to mission Fr. Marina to Scranton. He will bring a wealth of experience as an academic administrator and a pastor. He has a tremendous ability to articulate the Jesuit education vision, and he has the requisite management skills to make that vision a reality.”
Founded in 1888, The University of Scranton is a Catholic and Jesuit institution located in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Northeast with an enrollment of nearly 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Scranton consistently ranks among the nation’s best colleges and universities in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Princeton Review and others. Scranton is known for the outstanding success of its graduates.
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Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre received a $25,306 grant from the AllOne Charities Collaborative Philanthropy Fund. The John and Josephine Thomas Foundation contributed $12,653 that was matched by AllOne Charities to help meet the continuing need for food during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating in the check presentation, left to right: John W. Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Charities; Mike Cianciotta, Director, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen and John Graham, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen Advisory Board Member.
February 4, 2021
Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre has been awarded a $25,306 grant from the AllOne Charities Collaborative Philanthropy Fund. The John and Josephine Thomas Foundation contributed$12,653 that was matched by AllOne Charities to help meet the continuing need for food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant will be used to continue offering hot, nutritious meals to individuals and families in need in the greater Wilkes-Barre area on a daily basis. Throughout the pandemic, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen has continued to meet the needs of its community, transitioning its traditional sit-down meals to meals served to-go in order to adhere to physical distancing and safety protocols.
“The Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is on the front-lines of providing consistent and nutritious meals to those of our neighbors who find themselves most in need. As importantly, the kitchen and their volunteers directly represent the compassionate concern of our entire community in service to others. AllOne Charities is pleased to support their invaluable work,” John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Charities, said.
During the 2020 calendar year, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen served more than 56,000 meals to the less fortunate of the Wyoming Valley. In addition to providing warm meals daily, kitchen staff has also provided extra food, vegetables and desserts for clients to take home as well. In addition, the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry assisted more than 4,100 households during the pandemic.
“The grant from AllOne Charities and the John and Josephine Thomas Foundation will have a tremendous impact on making sure all of our neighbors and friends continue to receive a nutritious meal each day,” Mike Cianciotta, Director of Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen, said. “During the pandemic, we have seen many new people looking for help, whether they lost jobs, had their hours reduced or have struggled to get unemployment assistance.”
Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is a part of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton. Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen operates every day of the year and is traditionally staffed almost entirely by volunteers. During the pandemic, dedicated staff members have filled all the necessary roles to make sure all meals are prepared and served with dignity and respect.
“Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen is one of the cornerstones of the mission of Catholic Social Services. The kitchen responds compassionately to the needs of our community on a daily basis. Most importantly in the midst of the pandemic, we have been able to replace despair with hope for many people,” Mary Theresa Malandro, Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Human Services & Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Social Services, said.
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Lazarus is depicted in stained-glass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn, N.Y., Nov. 30, 2006. In a decree published Feb. 2, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said Pope Francis has approved adding the memorial of Martha, Mary and Lazarus to the General Roman Calendar. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Recognizing their welcome of and witness to Christ, Pope Francis has approved changing the liturgical feast of St. Martha to include her sister and brother, Mary and Lazarus, on the church’s universal calendar of feast days.
The names of Mary and Lazarus will be added to the July 29 feast on the General Roman Calendar, the universal schedule of holy days and feast days for the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
The Vatican Feb. 2 published the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments’ decree ordering the change in calendars.
Signed by Cardinal Robert Sarah, the congregation’s prefect, the decree said Pope Francis approved the memorial for Martha, Mary and Lazarus after “considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, (and) in believing that he is the resurrection and the life.”
“In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them,” it said. “Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the one who humiliated death.”
The decree explained that “the traditional uncertainty of the Latin church about the identity of Mary — the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven — which resulted in the inclusion of Martha alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times,” thus paving the way for celebrating the siblings in one memorial.
A separate congregation decree, also published Feb. 2, said the pope also approved the optional memorial of three doctors of the church: Sts. Gregory of Narek, a 10th-century Armenian monk; John of Avila, the famed 16th-century preacher, confessor and spiritual writer; and 12th-century German abbess Hildegard of Bingen.
Mary Magdalene is pictured in a stained-glass window in the Church of St. Waudru in Mons, Belgium. In a decree published Feb. 2, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said Pope Francis approved adding the memorial of Martha, Mary and Lazarus to General Roman Calendar, the universal schedule of holy days and feast days for the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. (CNS photo)
The saints, who hail from both the Eastern and Western church traditions, were declared doctors of the church for their important contributions to theology and spirituality.
In its decree, the congregation explained that those given the title of “doctor of the church” exemplify the “link between holiness and understanding things divine and also human.
“Indeed, the wisdom that characterizes these men and women is not solely theirs, since by becoming disciples of divine wisdom, they have themselves become teachers of wisdom for the entire ecclesial community,” it said. “It is in this light that the holy ‘doctors’ are inscribed in the General Roman Calendar.”
The optional memorial for St. Gregory of Narek will be celebrated Feb. 27, while those for Sts. John of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen will be celebrated May 10 and Sept. 17, respectively.
There are currently 36 doctors of the church, including Sts. John Chrysostom, Augustine, Catherine of Siena and Therese of Lisieux.
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EAST STROUDSBURG — Bundled up in jackets, hats and gloves, dozens of people took to the streets of Monroe County on Jan. 29 to call for an end to legalized abortion.
After youth groups from Saint Matthew Parish and Our Lady Queen of Peace determined they could not make their annual trip to Washington for the 2021 March for Life, they decided to co-organize a local “March for Life” throughout East Stroudsburg.
“I feel like it’s more powerful to do local things sometimes,” Kyli Ramsay, 17, a parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Brodheadsville, said.
Ramsay has made the trip to the March for Life in Washington five times. While she calls each of those experiences powerful, she admitted holding this year’s march locally would likely have a greater impact.
“It has been cool to see the different people that get involved across churches, the kids that I know from school,” Ramsay said. “Sometimes it’s not always people that you would expect.”
The local March for Life in East Stroudsburg lasted for more than an hour. Marchers started at Saint Matthew Parish and followed a pre-determined route that took them near the community’s hospital, university and other landmarks. Participants created signs and offered prayers along the way.
The March for Life in East Stroudsburg was the first big pro-life event for David Mierzwa, 16, a parishioner of Saint Matthew Parish. Even though temperatures for the walk were barely over 12 degrees, he marched in order to spread a pro-life message to his peers.
“God intended us to have new life and Jesus was a part of that. Mary was a virgin and God gave her the blessing to have Jesus. Jesus was a great example that all babies should have a chance,” Mierzwa said.
The cold weather also didn’t bother marcher Andrew Lafiura, 16, a parishioner from Our Lady of Queen of Peace Parish.
“It could be in the negatives (temperatures) and there would be the same amount of people,” the Effort teenager said. “I think it’s astonishing that people are doing this locally.”
Local marchers acknowledged that it has been 48 years since two Supreme Court decisions removed protections for the unborn.
On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that a fetus was not a person but a “potential life” without constitutional rights of its own, and limited state regulation of abortions according to each trimester. That same day, the court’s Doe v. Bolton decision prohibited state regulation of abortion during all trimesters if the procedure was sought for reasons of maternal health, including “physical, emotional, psychological, familial” factors or the woman’s age.
For teenagers, the abortion debate can be a sensitive subject and difficult to talk about.
“It is really hard. My generation very much advocates for pro-choice, a lot of them do and I think a lot fail to understand what they really mean when they say that,” Ramsay explained.
Lafiura agreed that discussing abortion is not a “light-hearted” topic, he says seeing so many people take part in the local march will help facilitate those talks.
“To see so many people understanding each other for this huge topic is amazing,” he said.
In addition to people from the two parishes organizing the local March for Life taking part, parishioners and friends from many other parishes, including Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pocono Pines, Our Lady of Victory Parish in Tannersville and Saint Jude Parish in Mountain Top also participated.
Boiling his experience up in just a few words, Mierzwa said, “We want people to know that a life is a life and that
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A screen capture shows Pope Francis speaking during a Feb. 4, 2021, virtual meeting marking the International Day of Human Fraternity, a new effort to promote dialogue between cultures and religions. The pope was among several world and religious leaders who participated in the meeting. (CNS photo)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The world must begin to realize its shared humanity in order to live peacefully, otherwise it risks falling apart in endless conflicts, Pope Francis said.
“Today, there is no time for indifference,” the pope said Feb. 4 at a virtual event commemorating the first International Day of Human Fraternity.
“We cannot wash our hands of it, with distance, with disregard, with contempt. Either we are brothers and sisters or everything falls apart. It is the frontier, the frontier on which we have to build; it is the challenge of our century, it is the challenge of our time,” he said.
The pope was among several world and religious leaders who took part in the Feb. 4 virtual event, which was hosted in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince.
Among those taking part in the online global meeting were Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University, and António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations.
This is a promotional image for the Feb. 4 International Day of Human Fraternity. Pope Francis was among several world and religious leaders who participated in a virtual meeting Feb. 4 to mark the celebration, which has been established by the United Nations. (CNS photo/Vatican Newsm handout)
The date chosen for the event marks the day in 2019 that Pope Francis and Sheikh el-Tayeb signed a document on promoting dialogue and “human fraternity” during his apostolic visit to the United Arab Emirates.
The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity was established after the pope’s visit to implement concrete proposals toward fraternity, solidarity and mutual understanding proposed in the document.
The event also included a presentation of the committee’s Zayed Award for Human Fraternity to Guterres and to Moroccan-born Latifa Ibn Ziaten.
Accepting the award, Guterres thanked Sheikh el-Tayeb and Pope Francis for “pushing humankind to come together in unity, in dialogue to promote peace, to promote fraternity, to promote the unity that is necessary to address all the challenges to defeat hate and to make sure that human solidarity wins the battles we are facing.”
Ziaten was honored for her work in France in promoting peace and dialogue to young people who often fall prey to extremist ideology. Ziaten established the Imad Association for Youth and Peace, which she founded after her son, a French soldier, was murdered in 2012 by a Muslim extremist in Toulouse.
Congratulating her for the award, the pope said that despite the pain of losing a child, Ziaten risked her life to “dare to say, ‘We are brothers and
This is the logo for the Feb. 4 International Day of Human Fraternity, a new effort to promote dialogue between cultures and religions. Pope Francis was among several world and religious leaders who participated in a virtual meeting Feb. 4 to mark the celebration, which has been established by the United Nations. (CNS photo/Vatican News, handout)
sisters’ and to sow words of love.”
“Thank you being the mother of your son, of so many boys and girls; for being a mother of this humanity that is listening to you, learning from you the path of fraternity,” he said.
Thanking the pope and Sheikh el-Tayeb for the award, Ziaten said the recognition “will really help me in my fight, my work today.
“I lost a son, but today I reach out to many children. Today I’m a second mother to many children I saved in detention centers, in homes, in schools so they don’t fall into hatred,” she said.
In his address, the pope began by greeting participants as “sisters and brothers” and affectionately greeted Sheikh el-Tayeb as “my brother, my friend, my companion in challenges and risks in the struggle for fraternity.”
The pope thanked the grand imam “for his company on the path of reflection and the drafting” of the document on human fraternity.
“Your testimony helped me a lot because it was a courageous testimony. I know it was not an easy task. But with you we could do it together and help each other. The most beautiful thing of all is that first desire of fraternity turned into true fraternity. Thank you, brother; thank you,” he said.
The pope also thanked Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel Salam, secretary-general of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, calling him “l’enfant terrible” of the project, a French expression meaning a successful person who uses unorthodox or innovative methods to achieve their goals.
The pope thanked Salam for his efforts and lauded him as “hard-working, full of ideas” and one “who helped us to move forward.”
Fraternity, he continued, not only means respecting and listening to others “with an open heart,” it also means remaining firm in one’s own convictions; otherwise “there is no true fraternity if one’s own convictions are negotiated.”
“We are brothers and sisters, born of the same father; with different cultures and traditions, but all brothers and sisters. And while respecting our different cultures and traditions, our different citizenships, we must build this fraternity, not negotiate it,” the pope said.
Pope Francis said the International Day of Human Fraternity was a moment of listening, of sincere acceptance and “of certainty that a world without brothers and sisters is a world of enemies.”
“It not only takes a war to make enemies,” the pope said. “It is enough with that technique — it has become a technique — that attitude of looking the other way, of getting rid of the other as if he or she didn’t exist.”
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A Vatican stamp commemorates Pope Francis’ meeting with Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, at the main synagogue in Rome Jan. 17, 2016. (CNS photo/Vatican stamp and coin office)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ ongoing efforts to promote interreligious dialogue will be highlighted in a new series of Vatican stamps.
The series, which will be released in late February, feature photographs of some of the pope’s meetings over the past six years with leaders of other world religions.
At the end of his weekly general audience Feb. 3, Pope Francis praised the decision of the United Nations to mark an International Day of Human Fraternity Feb. 4.
“I am very pleased that the nations of the entire world are joining in this celebration aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue,” the pope said. The U.N. resolution establishing the day “recognizes ‘the contribution that dialogue among all religious groups can make toward an improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all humankind.’ May this be our prayer today and our commitment every day of the year.”
The Vatican Philatelic Office said the stamp series illustrates Pope Francis’ teaching in his encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” that, as the encyclical said, “the different religions, based on their respect for each human person as a creature called to be a child of God, contribute significantly to building fraternity and defending justice in society.”
A Vatican stamp commemorates Pope Francis’ meeting with Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong, supreme patriarch of Thailand’s Buddhist community, in Bangkok Nov. 21, 2019. (CNS photo/Vatican stamp and coin office)
“Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance. In the words of the bishops of India, ‘the goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love,'” the pope wrote in the encyclical.
The stamp series marks the beginning of the ninth year of Pope Francis’ pontificate, which begins March 13.
The four designs in the series show: The pope’s January 2016 meeting with Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome; his February 2019 meeting with Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of Egypt’s al-Azhar mosque and university; Pope Francis’ November 2019 meeting with Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong, supreme patriarch of Thailand’s Buddhist community; and his January 2015 meeting with Ndu-Kurukkal SivaSri T. Mahadeva, a Hindu leader, in Sri Lanka.
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While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our community, one of the realities that hasn’t changed is the fact that many people don’t have the resources to feed themselves or their families.
Fortunately the Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton remains able to alleviate this need. Since 1978, the Kitchen has been serving a free, hot, nutritious meal to approximately 250 men, women and children each day. In addition to the traditional daily midday meal, the Kitchen has also provided an evening meal on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5‑6 p.m.
In recent years the Mid-Valley Outreach Program was launched in conjunction with several parishes to offer weekly meals in Carbondale, Archbald and Olyphant. The Kitchen also operates the Saint Francis Client-Choice Food Pantry and the Saint Francis Free Clothing Store.
Volunteers prepare the meals in take-out containers.
The Kitchen has been able to do all of this via the dedicated service of staff and volunteers, and with financial support from the community – primarily through the annual Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign. The 2021 campaign is now underway.
The Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign seeks contributions of $100 or more. This helps the Kitchen provide the daily meal.
In effect, each contributor becomes a “host” for a day. Contributors may then select a date on which they, or someone they designate, will be recognized as the provider for that meal.
During the pandemic, the Kitchen has modified its program by providing the daily midday meal in Scranton in take-out containers. The evening meals were suspended for a time but resumed at the end of July, also as take-outs. The Mid-Valley Outreach Program also had to be suspended, but meals in Carbondale resumed in December. The food pantry and clothing store are open, with safety precautions in place.
Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen has launched its 2021 Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign, which is the primary means of financial support for the Kitchen’s mission to provide a free daily meal to area needy. Pictured are Kitchen Advisory Board member Michele Bannon, campaign chair; and Kitchen Executive Director Rob Williams.
“Naturally this has been a challenging time and we have made changes to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and volunteers,” said Rob Williams, the Kitchen’s executive director. “Throughout this period, however, we have provided a meal in some fashion every single day. We are truly blessed!”
Michele Bannon, a member of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board, is chairing the campaign and leading the effort with her fellow board members.
“The community has always supported this campaign in a wonderful way,” she said. “This year the need is greater than ever, and we are hopeful that our supporters will again join with us to sustain the mission of the Kitchen.”
This year’s Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign is being conducted with safety precautions in place. Traditionally the members of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board contact supporters they have sold tickets to over the years. This year the majority of the past contributors to the campaign are receiving an appeal directly from the Kitchen through the mail.
Throughout the pandemic the Kitchen has continued to feed its guests. They receive their daily meals in take-out containers outside the building.
Also, out of concern for the health and safety of benefactors and board members, the typical Appreciation Reception that concludes the campaign will not be held in a gathered way. Instead, the culmination of the campaign will be marked with a Virtual Celebration consisting of a pre-recorded program. The release date will be Wednesday, April 28, at 6 p.m. Information on how to view the program will be announced as details are finalized.
Anyone who does not receive an appeal through the mail can make a Host‑for‑a‑Day gift by calling the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556, or sending a check to Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton PA 18509. Donations can also be made online at: www.stfranciskitchen.org or facebook.com/stfranciskitchen
Those who would like to sponsor the Virtual Reception are asked to call the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556.
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Pope Francis greets people during an encounter with the elderly in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this Sept. 28, 2014, file photo. During his Jan. 31 Sunday Angelus, the pope announced the establishment of a World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis announced the establishment of a World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly as a reminder of the important role they play as a link between generations.
During his Sunday Angelus address Jan. 31, the pope said the day will be celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of July to coincide with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ grandparents. The first celebration of this day will be July 25.
“It is important for grandparents to meet their grandchildren and for grandchildren to meet their grandparents because — as the prophet Joel says — grandparents, before their grandchildren, will dream and have great desires, and young people — taking strength from their grandparents — will go forward and prophesy,” he said.
Highlighting the Feb. 2 feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the pope said the recognition of Christ as the Messiah by the elderly Simeon and Anna is a reminder that “the Holy Spirit still stirs up thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly today.”
“Their voice is precious because it sings the praises of God and safeguards the roots of peoples,” he said. “They remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.”
“Grandparents are often forgotten and we forget this wealth of preserving roots and passing on,” he added.
In a statement published shortly after the pope’s announcement, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, said the yearly event was “a gift to the whole church” that emphasizes the pastoral care of the elderly as “a priority that can no longer be postponed by any Christian community.”
“In the encyclical, ‘Fratelli Tutti,’ the Holy Father reminds us that no one is saved alone. With this in mind, we must treasure the spiritual and human wealth that has been handed down from generation to generation,” he said.
Cardinal Farrell added that “today, more than ever, we are committed to making every effort to dismantle the throwaway culture and to enhance the charisms of grandparents and the elderly.”
The dicastery said Pope Francis will mark the first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly July 25 with an evening Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. However, the Mass will be “subject to sanitary regulations in place at the time.”
“Closer to the world day, the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life will announce any further initiatives that will mark the event,” the statement said. “As of now, the dicastery is inviting parishes and dioceses around the world to celebrate this world day at the local level in ways that are suited to their pastoral context.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The local March for Life in East Stroudsburg lasted for more than an hour. Marchers started at Saint Matthew Parish and followed a pre-determined route that took them near the community’s hospital, university and other landmarks. Participants created signs and offered prayers along the way.
