VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The ministry of a Catholic bishop must reflect the Catholic Church’s commitment to Christian unity and must give ecumenical engagement the same kind of attention as work for justice and peace, said a new Vatican document.

“The bishop cannot consider the promotion of the ecumenical cause as one more task in his varied ministry, one that could and should be deferred in view of other, apparently more important priorities,” said the document, “The Bishop and Christian Unity: An Ecumenical Vademecum.”   “El Obispo Y La Unidad De Los Cristianos: Vademécum Ecuménico”

Prepared by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the 52-page document was released Dec. 4 after its publication was approved by Pope Francis.

The text reminds each Catholic bishop of his personal responsibility as a minister of unity, not only among the Catholics of his diocese, but also with other Christians.

As a “vademecum,” or guidebook, it provides lists of practical steps the bishop can and should take to fulfill that responsibility in every aspect of his ministry, from inviting other Christian leaders to important diocesan celebrations to highlighting ecumenical activities on the diocesan website.

And, as the chief teacher in his diocese, he must ensure that the content of conferences, religious education programs and homilies at the diocesan and parish level promote Christian unity and accurately reflect the teachings of the church’s partners in dialogue.

Demonstrating the importance of the document, the online news conference to present it featured not one, but four top Vatican officials: Cardinals Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; and Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

With its explanations and its concrete suggestions, Cardinal Ouellet said, the booklet provides the tools for realizing “the ecumenical conversion of bishops and every disciple of Christ who wishes to better incarnate the joy of the Gospel in our time.”

Cardinal Tagle said the vademecum reminds bishops in missionary lands that they must not import Christian divisions to new parts of the world and asks Catholics to understand just how much the divisions within Christianity turn off people who “are looking for meaning in life, for salvation.”

“The non-Christians are scandalized, really scandalized, when we Christians claim to be followers of Christ and then they see how we are fighting one another,” he said.

But ecumenism is not seeking a truce or “compromise as if unity should be achieved at the expense of truth,” the document explained.

Catholic doctrine insists there is a “hierarchy of truths,” a prioritizing of essential beliefs based “on their relation to the saving mysteries of the Trinity and salvation in Christ, the source of all Christian doctrines.”

In conversations with other Christians, the document said, “by weighing truths rather than simply enumerating them, Catholics gain a more accurate understanding of the unity that exists among Christians.”

That unity, based first on baptism into Christ and his church, is the foundation on which Christian unity is built step by step, the document said. The steps include: common prayer; joint action to alleviate suffering and promote justice; theological dialogue to clarify commonalities and differences; and a willingness to recognize the way God has worked in another community and to learn from it.

The document also treated the question of sharing the Eucharist, an issue that has long been a thorny one in ecumenical dialogue as well as within the Catholic Church itself, as demonstrated by recent Vatican efforts to caution the bishops of Germany about issuing broad invitations for Lutherans married to Catholics to receive Communion.

Catholics cannot share the Eucharist with other Christians just to be “polite,” but there are pastoral situations in which individual bishops may decide when “exceptional sacramental sharing is appropriate,” the document said.

When discerning possibilities for sharing the sacraments, it said, bishops must keep two principles in mind at all times, even when those principles create tension: a sacrament, especially the Eucharist, is a “witness to the unity of the church,” and a sacrament is a “sharing of the means of grace.”

So, it said, “in general, participation in the sacraments of the Eucharist, reconciliation and anointing is limited to those in full communion.”

However, the document noted, the Vatican’s 1993 “Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism” also stated that “by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other churches and ecclesial communities.”

“‘Communicatio in sacris’ (sharing in sacramental life) is therefore permitted for the care of souls within certain circumstances,” the text said, “and when this is the case it is to be recognized as both desirable and commendable.”

Cardinal Koch, responding to a question, said the relationship between the sacraments and the full unity of the churches is the “basic” principle, meaning that in most cases eucharistic sharing will not be possible until the churches are fully united.

The Catholic Church, he said, does not see the sharing of the sacraments as “a step on the way,” as some Christian communities do. However, “for one person, a single person, there can be an opportunity for sharing this grace in different cases” as long as the person meets the requirement of canon law, which says a non-Catholic must request the Eucharist of his or her own accord, “manifest Catholic faith” in the sacrament and be “properly disposed.”

The Catholic Church recognizes the full validity of the Eucharist celebrated by the Orthodox Church and, with many fewer restrictions, allows Orthodox Christians to request and receive the sacraments from a Catholic minister.

Cardinal Sandri, speaking at the news conference, said the document “is a further affirmation that it is no longer legitimate for us to be ignorant of the Christian East, nor can we pretend to have forgotten the brothers and sisters of those venerable churches that, together with us, constitute the family of believers in the God of Jesus Christ.”

 

Shown at the AllOne Charities check presentation to the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center, from left: Ryan Smith, CYC Program Officer; John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Foundation & Charities; Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Jim Bebla, Diocesan Secretary for Development. (Photos/Dan Gallagher)

A $15,000 grant from AllOne Charities will support the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center’s Respite Care Program, which offers a much-needed break to caregivers for children ages 5-13 who are actively receiving mental-health services.

The program is run in partnership with Luzerne County Mental Health & Developmental Services and its System of Care and has seen greatly increasing client numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Wilkes-Barre CYC is on the front lines of providing excellent, compassionate and quality care for those with special needs and for those who care for them,” said John Cosgrove, executive director of AllOne Foundation & Charities. “AllOne Charities is pleased to support their invaluable work.”

The program serves newfound caregivers who lack child-care resources or natural supports as well as the children themselves. Many of the caregivers are grandparents or great-grandparents raising grandchildren or great-grandchildren, so they welcome the opportunity for supervised recreational, athletic and social activity, along with overnight care, especially when they are feeling most stressed and exhausted from their new responsibilities.

The Respite Care program offers sanctuary for children and solace for caregivers needing time to rest, restore energy and provide self-care. It serves more than 50 children and has a growing waiting/referral list that now includes 95 more children.

“Given the numbers we are seeing during the pandemic, we are incredibly grateful to AllOne Charities for helping us accept new families into this valuable program,” said Ryan Smith, program executive at the CYC. “Mental-health struggles have been another unfortunate result of the COVID-19
crisis, so we are especially appreciative of such assistance as we continue to prioritize programs that foster emotional health and psychological well-being.”

Healthy meals are an important component of the Respite Care program as well. The CYC has become the main provider of daily nutrition to the children it serves. Overall, the CYC serves 11,100 meals per month during the school year and 23,100 meals per month during summers. Of those
meals, at least 80 per month during the school year and 260 per month during summers are offered to children in the Respite Care Program.

“Emotionally caring for children, feeding them and now helping them one-on-one with their virtual schooling are now core and critical to what we do at the CYC,” Smith said. “Many of the children we serve, in addition to needing socialization and recreation opportunities, also need our assistance
now more than ever with their schooling, so having these children come to us throughthe Respite Care Program ensures that we are not leaving students behind and that we are
meeting their full range of needs.”

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12, 2020
Zechariah 2:14-17; Luke 1:39-47

Brothers and sisters, how blest we are to celebrate this great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  …  How blest we are to gather in this Church.  …  Yet, the vast majority of us would undoubtedly agree that today’s feast is unlike any other that we have ever celebrated.

A number of our friends and family members are not with us today – out of concern for their own well-being and that of others.  …  Many of us are confused about how best to live and act in the midst of this pandemic that has enveloped the world.  …  Some of us have lost our jobs.  …  Some of us have been physically sick or burdened with the grief that comes from the loss of someone we love.  …  And all of us have wondered where to turn and what to do to stay safe and to protect the lives that God has given to our care.

Nine months ago, when the first wave of the pandemic was at its peak and our churches were closed, I was celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in front of television cameras and an empty cathedral when something occurred that I will never forget.    As I began the Eucharistic prayer, as if from nowhere, I saw two faithful souls through the glass windows of the central doors of the cathedral.  As I prayed the words of consecration and lifted up the sacred host and the chalice bearing the blood of Christ, they both knelt on the granite deck, where they remained through the praying of the Lord’s Prayer and the Communion Rite.  They blessed themselves at the end of Mass and then seemed to disappear.

Reflecting upon that experience over the past months, it occurred to me that what I was privileged to witness was a powerful sign of the presence of God sustaining his suffering people through their faith.

Brothers and sisters, more than ever, we all face struggles, disappointments and fear, don’t we?  …  We all want to protect our children, our families and those we love.  …  And our presence here today, as we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is a reminder to us that with faith in God, all things are possible.

Our families and our lives are like every other human family and person – in need of love, healing, and hope – in need of a power bigger than ourselves – the power that we call God.  This means that at our core, we’re no different than the family of Elizabeth, Zachariah and John – and Mary, Joseph and Jesus.  And while we know very little about the lives of Elizabeth and her husband, Zachariah or even Saint Joseph, Mary’s words give us powerful insight into her life and that of her family.

Her words emerge from a world filled with suffering and pain – a world of hardship, abuse, struggle and grief – a world in many ways no different than our own.  Yet, her praise of God and her willingness to say “yes” to God’s plan to bring salvation to his people are rooted in a faith so strong that it serves as the blueprint for authentic discipleship down through the ages, even to our own day.

Sometimes we take the depth of Mary’s faith for granted.  Remember, however, that when the angel announced to her that she would be the mother of God, she was not informed that her son would suffer, be put to death and then rise from the dead.  She didn’t know any of this.  She simply trusted that the God who called her would care for her, regardless of how her life unfolded.

Perhaps, then, we can begin to understand why God looked to Nazareth, a poor, hostile, outback area of Palestine, in order to find a family in which his son could be born.  While the world looks elsewhere, God sees greatness in hearts that are humble enough to trust, to acknowledge their need for God’s mercy and to extend that mercy to others.

This simple reality of God’s plan for creation affirms that God continues to work in my life and yours – if we but open our hearts to God’s presence.  Like he did with Mary, God looks into my family and yours and calls us to holiness – calls us to be his saints – and calls us to be his presence in the midst of a world that hardly reflects his will and his way.

Take a look around you.  Look at the faces that you see – not just the faces of family members and friends, but faces wounded by pain and grief – faces that are longing to be healed – faces that are grateful for God’s abiding presence in their lives.  This gathering reminds us that we are loved and cared for by God.

This gathering also reminds us that God accomplishes his great work in the small, quiet and ordinary moments of life – in the simplest and least likely of individuals who open their lives to his.

Finally, in this gathering, Mary reminds us of one more important thing about our journey of faith.  As followers of her son, Jesus, we are called not only to receive God’s mercy but also to extend it to our world.

Earlier this year, in reflecting upon Jesus suffering, death and resurrection, Pope Francis Pope Francis shared these thoughts:  “Why did all this take place? Once again, it was done for our sake, to serve us. So that when we have our back to the wall, when we find ourselves at a dead end, with no light and no way of escape, when it seems that God himself is not responding, we should remember that we are not alone. Jesus experienced total abandonment in a situation he had never before experienced in order to be one with us in everything.  …  Today, in the tragedy of a pandemic … Jesus says to each one of us: ‘Courage, open your heart to my love.’  …  The tragedy we are now experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those things that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if not used to serve others. Life is measured by love.”

May the love of God, poured forth into the life of Mary – Our Lady of Guadalupe – fill your hearts and give you peace in these most difficult days.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
December 12, 2020
Zechariah 2:14-17; Luke 1:39-47

Hermanos y hermanas, cuán bendecidos somos de celebrar esta gran fiesta en honor a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. … Cuán bendecidos somos de reunirnos en esta Iglesia. … Sin embargo, todos estamos de acuerdo que sin duda la celebración de hoy es diferente a cualquier otra celebración que hayamos tenido.

Buen número de nuestros amigos y familiares no están con nosotros hoy, porque muchos de ellos están preocupados por su bienestar y el bienestar de los demás. … Muchos de nosotros estamos confundidos de cómo vivir de la mejor manera y actuar en medio de esta pandemia que ha envuelto al mundo. … Algunos de nosotros hemos perdido nuestros trabajos. … Algunos hemos estado físicamente enfermos o agobiados por el dolor de la pérdida de un ser querido. … y todos hemos querido saber a dónde acudir y qué hacer para mantenernos a salvo y proteger las vidas que Dios nos ha dado a nuestro cuidado.

Hace nueve meses, cuando la primera ola de la pandemia estaba en su apogeo y nuestras iglesias estaban cerradas, estaba celebrando la misa del Domingo de Ramos frente a cámaras de televisión y una catedral vacía cuando ocurrió algo que nunca olvidaré. Cuando comencé la oración eucarística, como de la nada, vi a dos almas fieles a través de las ventanas de vidrio de las puertas centrales de la catedral. Mientras rezaba las palabras de consagración y levantaba la hostia sagrada y el cáliz que contenía la sangre de Cristo, ambos se arrodillaron sobre la plataforma de granito, donde permanecieron durante la oración del Padre Nuestro y el Rito de la Comunión. Se persignaron al final de la misa y luego desaparecieron.

Al reflexionar sobre esa experiencia en los últimos meses, me di cuenta que fui privilegiado de presenciar fue una señal poderosa de la presencia de Dios que sostiene a su pueblo sufriente a través de su fe.

Hermanos y hermanas, como nunca, todos enfrentamos luchas, decepciones y miedos, ¿no es así? … Todos queremos proteger a nuestros hijos, nuestras familias y aquellos a quienes amamos. … Y nuestra presencia aquí hoy, al celebrar la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, es un recordatorio para nosotros de que, con fe en Dios, todo es posible.

Nuestras familias y nuestras vidas son como cualquier otra familia y persona humana – necesitadas de amor, de sanación y de esperanza – necesitadas de un poder más grande que nosotros – el poder que llamamos Dios. Esto significa que, en el fondo, no somos diferentes a la familia de Isabel, Zacarías y Juan, y María, José y Jesús. Aunque sabemos muy poco sobre la vida de Isabel y su esposo, de Zacarías o incluso de San José, las palabras de María nos dan una visión poderosa de su vida y la de su familia.

Sus palabras emergen de un mundo lleno de sufrimiento y dolor, un mundo de privaciones, abusos, luchas y angustias, un mundo en muchos aspectos no diferente al nuestro. Sin embargo, su alabanza a Dios y su disposición a decir “sí” al plan de Dios para llevar la salvación a su pueblo están arraigadas en una fe tan fuerte que sirve como modelo para un discipulado auténtico a través de los siglos, incluso hasta nuestros días.

A veces damos por sentado la profundidad de la fe de María. Sin embargo, recuerden que cuando el ángel le anunció que ella sería la madre de Dios, no se le dijo que su hijo sufriría, sería ejecutado y que luego resucitaría de entre los muertos. Ella no sabía nada de esto. Ella simplemente confió en que, el Dios que la llamó se preocuparía por ella, independientemente de lo que el futuro la depararía.

Quizá, ahora, podamos comenzar a comprender por qué Dios se fijó en Nazaret, una zona pobre y hostil del interior de Palestina, para encontrar una familia en la que pudiera nacer su hijo. Mientras el mundo mira hacia otro lado, Dios ve grandeza en corazones que son lo suficientemente humildes para confiar, reconocer su necesidad de la misericordia de Dios y extender esa misericordia a otros.

Esta simple realidad del plan de Dios para la creación nos da la certeza que Dios continúa obrando en mi vida y tu vida, si abrimos nuestros corazones a la presencia de Dios. Como hizo con María, Dios mira a mi familia y a tu familia y nos llama a la santidad, nos llama a ser sus santos, y nos llama a ser su presencia en medio de un mundo que apenas refleja su voluntad y su camino.

Mira a tu alrededor. Fíjate en los rostros que ves, no solo de tus familiares y amigos, sino también esos rostros heridos por el dolor y el duelo, rostros que anhelan ser sanados, rostros agradecidos por la presencia permanente de Dios en sus vidas. Esta celebración nos recuerda que Dios nos ama y nos cuida.

Esta celebración también nos recuerda que Dios realiza su gran obra en los pequeños, silenciosos y ordinarios momentos de la vida, en los individuos más simples y menos probables que abren sus vidas a Dios.

Finalmente, en esta celebración, María nos recuerda una cosa importante más sobre nuestro camino de fe. Como seguidores de su hijo Jesús, estamos llamados no solo a recibir la misericordia de Dios, sino también a extenderla a nuestro mundo.

A principios de este año, al reflexionar sobre el sufrimiento, la muerte y la resurrección de Jesús, el Papa Francisco compartió estos pensamientos: “¿Por qué sucedió todo esto? Una vez más, sucedió por nuestro bien, para servirnos. De modo que cuando estamos frente a la pared, cuando nos encontramos en un callejón sin salida, sin luz y sin escape, cuando parece que Dios mismo no está respondiendo, debemos recordar que no estamos solos. Jesús experimentó un abandono total en una situación que nunca antes había experimentado para ser uno con nosotros en todo. … Hoy, en la tragedia de una pandemia … Jesús nos dice a cada uno de nosotros: “Ánimo, abre tu corazón a mi amor” … La tragedia que estamos viviendo ahora nos llama a tomar en serio las cosas que son serias, y no a quedar atrapado en aquellas cosas que menos importan; para redescubrir que la vida no sirve de nada si no se usa para servir a los demás. La vida se mide por el amor “.

Que el amor de Dios, derramado en la vida de María, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, llene sus corazones y les dé paz en estos días tan difíciles.

 

Shown at the AllOne Charities check presentation to Catholic schools, from left: Kristen Donohue, Superintendent of Catholic Schools; Jason Morrison, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Chief Executive Officer; John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Foundation & Charities; Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Sandra Snyder, Diocesan Grant Writer.

Thanks to a $22,000 grant from AllOne Charities, Holy Cross High School and the NEPA Center for Independent Living have formed a pilot partnership to ensure that special-needs students get the best hands-on educational experience possible.

Four students in Holy Cross’s Individualized Instruction program will directly benefit from this grant by attending a specialized program at NEPA CIL that will help them develop the critical life and practical skills that will best position them for post-graduation success in the workplace. These students suffer from various health-related conditions and challenges.

“AllOne Charities is pleased to serve as a partner in the innovative and collaborative work between Holy Cross High School and the NEPA Center for Independent Living,” said John Cosgrove, executive director of AllOne Foundation & Charities. “There is so much more we can achieve together in improving the access to quality programming for our friends and neighbors with special needs.”

Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education Jason Morrison recognized AllOne Charities’ commitment for enhancing access to special-needs programs for Catholic school students.

“We are grateful to AllOne Charities for the generous support of our students with exceptionalities,” he said. “This gift achieves our goal of ensuring that all students achieve their God-given potential and are prepared for life beyond the classroom.”

Diocesan Catholic schools currently offer four separate Individualized Instruction programs for students with special needs. At the elementary level, these students can attend Good Shepherd Academy in Kingston or All Saints Academy in Scranton, and at the secondary level they can attend Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre or Holy Cross High School in Dunmore.

Partnerships such as these supplement the personal attention and support students are able to receive and ensure that those attending Catholic schools are receiving a complete range of services tailored to their unique needs.

“By holding students to high expectations, individuals acquire the academic, functional, and social skills necessary to live as active members of society and stewards of God’s creation,” said Doreen Dougherty, principal of Holy Redeemer High School. “Families gain an invaluable support system in close relationships formed with other families. Students grow to respect and appreciate the gifts God has given each of us.”

 

Multiple Diocese of Scranton organizations received grants for important programs thanks to the generosity of several local and national charitable foundations. Among the most recent awards were:

  • The Robert H. Spitz Foundation, administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, supported Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton with a $20,000 grant for a project titled “Reviving a Core Model for Self-Sufficiency: A Return To Evidence-Based Relief Assistance.”

The grant is helping Catholic Social Services provide relief assistance in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in a manner that has measurable impact on recipients’ lives. Clients who receive relief assistance, for example, are tracked in their progress toward achieving individualized goals, such as maintaining stable housing, obtaining or retaining employment or repairing family finances through better credit management.

Relief assistance, especially via case management, has always been a hallmark of Catholic Social Services’ work.

  • Shown at the AllOne Charities check presentation to Catholic schools, from left: Kristen Donohue, Superintendent of Catholic Schools; Jason Morrison, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Chief Executive Officer; John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Foundation & Charities; Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Sandra Snyder, Diocesan Grant Writer.

    AllOne Charities supported Holy Cross High School with a $22,000 grant to form a pilot partnership with the NEPA Center for Independent Living to ensure that special-needs students get the best hands-on educational experience possible.

“AllOne Charities is pleased to serve as a partner in the innovative and collaborative work between Holy Cross High School and the NEPA Center for Independent Living,” John Cosgrove, executive director of AllOne Foundation & Charities, said. “There is so much more we can achieve together in improving the access to quality programming for our friends and neighbors with special needs.”

Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education Jason Morrison recognized AllOne Charities’ commitment for enhancing access to special-needs programs for Catholic school students.

“We are grateful to AllOne Charities for the generous support of our students with exceptionalities,” he said. “This gift achieves our goal of ensuring that all students achieve their God-given potential and are prepared for life beyond the classroom.”

  • AllOne Charities also supported the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center’s Respite Care Program, which offers a much-needed break to caregivers for children ages 5-13 who are actively receiving mental-health services.
Shown at the AllOne Charities check presentation to the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center, from left: Ryan Smith, CYC Program Officer; John Cosgrove, Executive Director, AllOne Foundation & Charities; Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Jim Bebla, Diocesan Secretary for Development. (Photos/Dan Gallagher)

The program, run in partnership with Luzerne County Mental Health & Developmental Services and its System of Care, has seen greatly increasing client numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It serves newfound caregivers and the children for whom they are responsible. These caregivers lack child-care resources or natural supports to help them in their new roles.

“Wilkes-Barre CYC is on the front lines of providing excellent, compassionate and quality care for those with special needs and for those who care for them,” Cosgrove said. “AllOne Charities is pleased to support their invaluable work.”

  • The Margaret Briggs Foundation supported Catholic Social Services’ Food Pantry in Carbondale with a $10,000 grant to continue providing food amid rapidly increasing demand during the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the Carbondale pantry saw a record 1,154 households served, representing a 106 percent month-over-month increase and an unprecedented turn of events that has continued late into fall.
  • The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., also supported Catholic Social Services’ Carbondale Food Pantry with a $15,000 grant. This was the first grant Catholic Social Services has received from the Pulte Foundation.
  • The Luzerne Foundation, in conjunction with the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, awarded $5,870 to the Catholic Youth Center to take the initial steps toward creating a new meal kit and recipe program for Wyoming Valley families living in poverty. The program is on track to launch early in 2021.
  • The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation also awarded a $25,000 discretionary grant to support Catholic Social Services’ COVID relief efforts.
  • The Luzerne County COVID relief grant program, made possible by the CARES Act, awarded the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center $11,845 and Catholic Social Services $8,730 to support COVID relief efforts.
  • Finally, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office for Safe Schools’ Targeted Grants Program awarded a total of $471,671 to Diocesan Catholic elementary and secondary schools to upgrade security systems.

“The Diocese of Scranton is incredibly appreciative of the work all of these supporters do locally, in our country and in our world,” Jim Bebla, Diocesan Secretary of Development, said. “Their grantmaking makes a notable impact on all who are served by our various nonprofit entities, and we thank them for their partnership, especially during these turbulent times.”

 

 

Pope Francis uses incense as he celebrates Mass marking the feast of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this Jan. 1, 2017, file photo. Conflict, climate change and poverty are driving the demise of the tree that produces frankincense resin. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will celebrate the Vatican’s traditional Christmas “Mass during the Night” Dec. 24, but will begin the liturgy at 7:30 p.m. local time so that the few people invited to attend can get home in time to observe Italy’s 10 p.m. curfew.

The curfew is one of many measures the Italian government has employed in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

In addition to the early start time, the Vatican’s COVID-19 measures are still in force: only a small congregation will be allowed inside the basilica; people’s temperatures are checked as they arrive; masks are required for the congregation and servers; the seating is socially distanced.

While the nighttime Mass often is referred to as “Midnight Mass,” it has not been celebrated at midnight at the Vatican since 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI moved it to 10 p.m. Pope Francis moved it to 9:30 p.m. in 2013, his first Christmas as pope.

The pope’s Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) will be given, as usual, at noon Christmas Day from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Other liturgies announced by the Vatican Dec. 10 include:

— Dec. 31, 5 p.m., evening prayer and the singing of the “Te Deum” in St. Peter’s Basilica to thank God for the past year.

— Jan. 1, 10 a.m., Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day.

— Jan. 6, 10 a.m., Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of the Epiphany.

 

This 2016 file photo shows the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

MEXICO CITY (CNS) — With the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe closed for her feast to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Pope Francis said Catholics still can receive a plenary indulgence Dec. 11 and 12 for their Marian devotion if they follow certain conditions.

Mexico City Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes’ letter announcing the indulgence was accompanied by the formal proclamation by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience and with indulgences.

To receive an indulgence, a remission of the temporal punishment one deserves for one’s sins, the following conditions must be met. A person must:

— Prepare an altar or place of prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe at home.

— Watch a livestream or televised Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City Dec. 12, “actively participating … with devotion and with exclusive attention to the Eucharist.” It said Masses could be accessed at www.youtube.com/user/BasilicadeGuadalupe at midnight or 12 p.m. CST.

— Complete the usual conditions for an indulgence by praying for the pope’s intentions, being in a state of grace after confession, attending a full Mass and receiving Communion. The letter said the last three conditions “can be fulfilled when public health guidance allow.”

The indulgence would be for anyone in the world, but Cardinal Aguiar acknowledged that people in the United States and the Philippines have special devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast is Dec. 12.

In late November, Mexican church and civic officials canceled public feast celebrations for Mexico’s patroness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration normally attracts 10 million pilgrims to the basilica, the world’s most-visited Marian shrine.

Mexico’s health secretariat reports more than 100,000 COVID-19 deaths — fourth most of any country — and the numbers are increasing.

The Archdiocese of Mexico City organized a virtual pilgrimage and asked people to submit photos with their intentions and share images of their home altars and small celebrations closer to home.

At the news conference announcing the closure, Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López, president of the Mexican bishops’ conference, said, “We already know that the Virgin moves and moves to where her sons and daughters are, especially those who are grieving.”

 

 

Shown, from left: Munireh Sayed; Alley Sayed; Leana Pande, IAANEPA Youth Leader; Charmaine Johnson; Mona Pande, IAANEPA President and Mike Cianciotta, Director, Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen.

On Friday, December 4, 2020, representatives from IAANEPA (Indian American Association of Northeast PA) donated $500 in support of the work and mission of Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre.

Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen provides hot, nutritious meals to members of the community on a daily basis from 39 East Jackson Street, Wilkes-Barre.

 

 

 

Shown, from left: Rob Williams, Executive Director, Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen and Food and Clothing Pantry; Charmaine Johnson; Leana Pande, IAANEPA Youth Leader; Mona Pande, IAANEPA President and Munireh Sayed.

On Friday, December 4, 2020, representatives from IAANEPA (Indian American Association of Northeast PA) donated $500 in support of the work and mission of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton.

Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen provides hot, nutritious meals to members of the community on a daily basis from 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton.

 

His Excellency, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, announces the following appointments, effective as follows:

Deacon Donald J. Crane, from diaconal ministry, Saint Benedict Parish, Wilkes Barre, to diaconal ministry, Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Plains, effective December 9, 2020.