Category: Diocese of Scranton News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Pope Francis said the new president’s threat to begin a massive deportation of immigrants would be a “disgrace.”

In an interview on Italian television Jan. 19, the pope said that if Trump carries out his threat “it will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill” for problems in the United States.

“This won’t do! You don’t resolve things this way,” the pope told the interviewer, Fabio Fazio, host of a popular Sunday night talk show.

Much of the interview focused on stories Pope Francis told in “Hope: The Autobiography,” a book he wrote with Italian editor Carlo Musso. The book was released Jan. 14.

When speaking about immigration, Pope Francis did not focus on the United States alone.

“Italy now has a median age of 46 years. Think about that. They don’t have children,” the pope said. The population is declining and there are fewer workers paying the taxes needed to cover health care and pensions for the elderly.

“If you aren’t having children, let migrants in,” the pope said.

Fazio also asked Pope Francis about his appointment of Consolata Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman prefect of a Vatican dicastery and about the role of women in the church in the future.

While the process of women being given leadership roles in the Roman Curia “is something that has gone slowly,” the pope said it is going well, and he announced that in March Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, secretary-general of the office governing Vatican City State, will become president of the office. She will succeed Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, who will turn 80 March 1.

Fazio asked Pope Francis what his first thought was when it became clear that the world’s cardinals were about to elect him pope during the conclave in March 2013.

“They’re crazy! But God’s will be done,” he responded.

In the book, “Hope: The Autobiography,” Pope Francis wrote that as soon as he had dressed in his new white soutane, he went out to greet Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias and stumbled.

“It’s true! It was the pope’s first stumble,” he told Fazio. “I went to greet Cardinal Dias who was in a wheelchair and I didn’t see the step and I tripped. The ‘infallible’ pope started with a fall,” he said, using air quotes when he said, “infallible.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – By donating to the U.S. bishops’ national Collection for the Church in Latin America, U.S. Catholics can support the church’s mission in countries affected by poverty, political instability and natural disasters.

Most dioceses will take this offering up in their parishes at Masses the weekend of Jan. 25-26, though some have different dates. The online giving site #iGiveCatholicTogether also accepts funds for the collection.

The collection was founded in 1965 as a way for Catholics in the United States to express their unity and solidarity with Catholics in Central and South America and the islands of the Caribbean.

“Inspired by the Second Vatican Council, it recognizes spiritual bonds rooted in shared faith and history,” said a news release about the collection issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Last year the collection provided $6.2 million for more than 250 ministries in places where the Catholic Church cannot support itself without outside assistance. More than half the money supported pastoral needs, nearly 28% provided disaster relief and about 20% subsidized vocations and the formation of clergy and religious. Initiatives funded by the collection included:

— In Haiti, where there is severe soil depletion, 330 lay leaders integrated Catholic social teaching on ecology and care for creation with practical instruction on improving their soil and water and on planting trees to prevent erosion.

— In the Diocese of Choluteca, Honduras, the collection aided migrants who have settled there from other Latin American nations and from as far as Asia and Africa. This is part of a wider diocesan social outreach that includes evangelizing the poor “with respect and social sensitivity.”

— In the Dominican Republic, 18 young women who entered the religious community of the Order of St. Clare are receiving support “as they discover new approaches to praying for the world from their cloistered convent.”

— In Ecuador, the collection helped subsidize the September 2024 International Eucharistic Congress, which drew participants from 40 nations.

In the USCCB news release and in a reflection provided to OSV News, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on National Collections, Bishop Daniel H. Mueggenborg of Reno, Nevada, recalled the heroic martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma priest fatally shot in Guatemala in 1981 “because some powerful people perceived his care for the poor as a threat to their own interests.”

“He is the first martyr from the United States and was beatified by Pope Francis in 2017,” he said.

In 1981, Bishop Mueggenborg recalled, he was the altar server for a Mass celebrated by “a priest from my hometown who was briefly back home in Oklahoma from Guatemala, where he ministered to a village of the indigenous Tz’utujil people.”

“I didn’t know his name,” the bishop said, recalling Father Rother was that priest. In a nation where the church “was suppressed,” Bishop Mueggenborg said, “he had worked with local translators to produce a Bible to catechize villagers in their own language and had labored with his own hands to improve the health and living conditions of desperately poor people. But his aura of holy joy inspired me to pursue priesthood.”

Father Rother “soon returned to Guatemala in the face of great danger and was martyred,” Bishop Mueggenborg added.

“Blessed Stanley Rother had returned to Guatemala, even in the face of death, because God had called him to love and care for Latin Americans in need,” the bishop said. “His heroic witness inspired not only my own priestly vocation, but helped inspire in me a deep love for the people of Latin America. This love is rooted in the love that God has for all people and in the love that Our Lady of Guadalupe showed for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.”

As chairman of the USCCB national collections committee, “I have the privilege of inviting Catholics to join me in supporting the special Collection for the Church in Latin America,” Bishop Mueggenborg said.

“The annual collection is an opportunity for all of us to continue the work of Blessed Stanley to share the merciful love of Jesus with Catholics in Guatemala and throughout Central and South America and the islands of the Caribbean,” he said. “It may not cost us our lives, but a financial sacrifice, even a small gift, will go a long way to impacting the lives of many.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – A new annual report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops identified what it called five areas of critical concern, defined as both threats and opportunities, for religious liberty.

“The State of Religious Liberty in the United States,” published Jan. 16, highlighted the targeting of faith-based immigration services, elevated levels of antisemitic incidents, in vitro fertilization coverage mandates, the “scaling back of gender ideology in law,” and promoting parental choice in education as areas of concern for the conference.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, noted in the report’s forward that the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year underway is “Pilgrims of Hope.”

“In calling for the celebration of this holy year, our Holy Father identifies two features of hope that must sustain us in our work to promote religious liberty: patience and stability,” he said.

In 2025, “we anticipate that long-standing concerns will continue to require our vigilance, while new concerns, and perhaps opportunities, will also present themselves,” Bishop Rhoades said.

Three days before the release of the report, the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case concerning Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to shut down El Paso’s Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants. The case is one of several instances of religious liberty challenges for Catholic ministries that serve migrants as part of their mission, especially those at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The USCCB report noted that immigration was a prominent issue in the 2024 presidential election, with President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign relying “heavily on messaging about immigration.”

“With the Republican Party finding electoral success with this kind of messaging, efforts to restrict the ability of Catholic ministries serving migrants will likely receive new momentum,” the report said, expressing concern about a news report that the Trump administration would consider rescinding a policy against performing immigration enforcement raids in “sensitive locations,” such as churches.

But threats to the church’s service to migrants, the report said, is not “limited to legislation and executive action,” and “the physical safety of staff, volunteers, and clients of Catholic ministries and institutions that serve newcomers may be jeopardized by extremists motivated by false and misleading claims made against the Church’s ministries.”

The report additionally notes that this year, “the role of Catholics in political life will continue to be a hotly debated subject in the national discourse.”

“Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has spoken openly about his conversion to the Catholic faith, and he has said that his views are motivated by Catholic social teaching,” the report stated. “In addition to the vice president, it appears there will be a significant Catholic presence in the Trump administration. Both supporters and opponents of the Trump administration can be expected to highlight the role of Catholicism in the administration, which may be a fresh source of partisan division among Catholics.”

On IVF, the report noted that in reaction to a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court found that frozen embryos qualify as children under the state law’s wrongful death law, bipartisan interest has grown for “legally enshrining rights or promoting access to IVF or assisted reproductive technologies (ART) more broadly.” Trump has pledged a nationwide IVF insurance coverage mandate.

IVF is a form of fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church on the grounds that it separates procreation from sexual intercourse and often involves the destruction of human embryos, among other concerns.

“It is unclear what kinds of exemptions for conscientious objectors the Trump administration will include in its plan,” the report said. “While much remains unknown, IVF mandates could pose religious liberty problems, as well as life and dignity problems, in 2025.”

Meanwhile, a still-pending ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti, the Biden administration’s challenge to a law in Tennessee restricting gender transition treatments, including puberty blockers, for minors, “could be catastrophic for religious liberty” if the court sides with the petitioners, the report said.

“Historically, in conflicts between religious liberty and gender ideology, religious liberty has generally had the advantage of being a right secured in the Constitution, whereas rights associated with the concept of gender identity have been creations of statute,” the report stated. “A ruling against Tennessee in ‘Skrmetti’ could upend that dynamic by establishing a constitutional presumption that the teachings of the Catholic Church on this issue are bigoted.”

“On the other hand, a favorable ruling could curtail some of the constant litigation religious groups have faced in recent years,” it said.

The report also pointed to efforts to combat antisemitism, stating that a threat to one faith is a threat to all.

“Religious freedom is not simply a matter of government policy. It is also a matter of culture,” the report said. “A political community does not have a culture of religious freedom when people are attacked for their faith.”

The USCCB published its first annual religious liberty report in 2024.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Taking up the spirit of the recently inaugurated Holy Year 2025, the Cuban government has announced the release of 553 people currently serving prison sentences.

Cuba said it would gradually release the prisoners “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of the year 2025 declared by His Holiness” following a “thorough analysis” of the legal and humanitarian avenues to enact their release, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement Jan. 14.

The statement did not specify who would be among the 553 prisoners designated to be released.

That same day, the White House announced that it will no longer designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and that it would eliminate some restrictions on Cuba.

The White House said the actions were steps “to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihoods of Cubans.”

“We take these steps in appreciation of the Catholic Church’s efforts to facilitate Cuba to take its own, constructive measures to restore liberty to its citizens and enable conditions that improve the livelihood of Cubans,” the White House statement said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said Cuba’s announcement “is a sign of great hope at the beginning of this Jubilee,” Vatican News reported Jan. 15, and he said, “It is significant that the authorities in Havana linked this decision directly to Pope Francis’ appeal.”

The cardinal said other promising signs for the Jubilee Year include U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of dozens of federal inmates and the abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe in 2024.

“We hope that 2025 will continue in this direction and that good news will multiply, especially with a truce for the many ongoing conflicts,” he said.

Following the announcement, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, retired archbishop of Boston, said that for the last several years he had carried messages from Pope Francis to the presidents of the United States and Cuba “seeking the release of prisoners in Cuba and improved relationships between the two countries for the good of the Cuban people.”

In the spirit of the Jubilee, which invites all people to foster forgiveness, reconciliation and various expressions of compassion, “I commend and welcome the decisions of the government of the United States and the government of Cuba to take steps that for years have seemed impossible,” the cardinal said Jan. 14 in a blog post.

The statement from Cuba’s foreign ministry made no mention of the United States’ measures, but noted discussions between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban foreign minister and Pope Francis on international issues “with emphasis on the unjust nature and nefarious effect of the U.S.-Cuba policy.”

“His Holiness has given unequivocal proofs of his empathy and love for the Cuban people,” it added.

In his bull of indiction formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis called on governments to implement “forms of amnesty or pardon” as well as “programs of reintegration” for prisoners. After inaugurating the Holy Year 2025 at the Vatican, the pope opened a Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia prison Dec. 26 as a symbol of hope for all incarcerated people.

The last major event of the Holy Year will be the “Jubilee of Prisoners” scheduled to take place in December 2025, during which prisoners will make a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass with the pope.

(OSV News) – Dialogue, listening and the power of prayer are key to forging Christian unity, Catholic experts told OSV News.

Christians throughout the world will mark the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25, with the theme for 2025 taken from John 11:17-27 — specifically Jesus, having declared he is the resurrection and the life, asking Martha, “Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:26).

The annual observance, formally instituted in 1968 by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches, traces its roots to the 18th century, with Pentecostal, Anglican and Catholic clergy all promoting prayers over the intervening decades to restore bonds among believers.

Among Catholics, Pope Leo XIII; Father Paul Wattson, who founded the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement; Dominican Father Yves Congar, a theologian; and Pope John XXIII were prominent advocates of ecumenism.?? The word is derived from the Greek word “oikoumene,” or “the whole inhabited world.”

In its Decree on Ecumenism (“Unitatis Redintegratio”), the Second Vatican Council declared “the restoration of unity among all Christians” was “one of (its) principal concerns.”

The council itself “really propelled us into this arena in a very, very important way,” while building on “the prayer of Jesus … offered at the Last Supper” for oneness among his believers (Jn 17:20-23), said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

And just as Vatican II sought in many respects to rediscover the fundamentals of Christianity – what Father Congar called a “re-centering upon Christ in his Paschal Mystery” – the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, celebrated this year, provides an added impetus to the work of Christian unity, Bishop Bambera said.

The commemoration of the ecumenical council – the first of the Christian church, held in 325 in what is now Turkey – offers a chance “to simply go back to our roots, to a moment when we truly walked together,” he told OSV News.

At the same time, Bishop Bambera stressed that “one of the principles we ought never forget with the work of ecumenism … is that authentic ecumenical work never, ever diminishes the reality of who we are and what we believe to develop some false or trivial sense of unity with one another.

“That serves us no purpose,” said Bishop Bambera.

Part of ecumenism “is not to be afraid to say, ‘This is what I believe as a Catholic,'” said Msgr. Gregory Fairbanks, an ecumenical expert and dean of the diaconal formation school at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Yet having done so, the next step is “to listen to what other Christians say and what they believe, and to not be threatened by it, but to enter into a respectful dialogue about it,” Msgr. Fairbanks said.

That process is known as “receptive ecumenism,” explained Bishop Bambera.

“It means I need to listen to what you have to share with me,” he said. “I need to be open to the good things that I can bring from your experience, rather than coming from the perspective that I need you to come to me.”

Along with becoming “a very important dimension” of current ecumenical work, that approach “reflects very, very clearly the notion of synodality that the Holy Father has been promoting,” said Bishop Bambera.

In fact, “with regard to the recent synod the Holy Father concluded, the work of Christian unity could not be more significant,” Bishop Bambera said. “At the heart of synodality, we have an invitation to dialogue, an invitation to listen with care — to respect the perspectives of one another, both within our own church, and certainly in our relationships with other Christian communities.”

Both Bishop Bambera and Msgr. Fairbanks said that even amid real theological differences among Christians – whose global denominations now total some 47,000, according to the Center for the Global Study of Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary – there are grounds for hope.

“From a perspective of theological ecumenism, we have miles to go,” said Bishop Bambera. “From the perspective of an ecumenism of life and love, we are further along than I think we might imagine.”

Currently, “it’s not like 50 or 100 years ago, where people didn’t even think other (Christians) were really valid Christians,” said Msgr. Fairbanks. “I think we’re past that. There is a sense the differences are there; they are real. They need to be overcome. … But we share our faith in Jesus Christ. We share the same Scriptures. We share the same belief in salvation.”

Moreover, said Msgr. Fairbanks, “The Nicene-Constantinople Creed is the creed that virtually every Christian can profess.”

Both he and Bishop Bambera urged the faithful not to underestimate the power of prayer in bringing about Christian unity.

“Believe and trust that in the Lord’s time and in the Lord’s will and way, we will walk together again,” said Bishop Bambera.

SCRANTON – As we witness the ongoing devastation caused by the wildfires that are ravaging parts of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, all parishes in the Diocese of Scranton are being asked to hold a special second collection to support our brothers and sisters who are in need of assistance.

Father Gerald W. Shantillo, Vicar General of the Diocese of Scranton, sent a message to all pastors on Jan. 14, asking them to take up the special collection. He noted that in the past, parishioners have been very generous with prayers, outreach, and donations in other disaster situations.

“The funds raised will be donated directly to Catholic Charities USA – the official domestic relief agency of the Catholic Church in the United States. As usual, 100-percent of funds raised will go directly to local agencies in the affected areas who are offering emergency and long-term relief to those who have been displaced, or are suffering as a result of the wildfires,” Father Shantillo wrote.

He continued, “As Catholics, we are called to show mercy and compassion in times of suffering. This is an opportunity for us to unite in prayer and action, offering not only our financial assistance, but also our thoughts and prayers for all those affected.”

SCRANTON – Faithful throughout the Diocese of Scranton will join with members of various Christian congregations of northeastern Pennsylvania for an Ecumenical Celebration of God’s Word on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, at 12:10 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

All people of goodwill are invited to participate in the celebration highlighting the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which takes place from Jan. 18-25, 2025.

The observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity carries added significance this year, because 2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in Turkey.

The council, which began meeting in May 325 AD, gave birth to the Nicene Creed, affirmed the full divinity of Christ, and set a formula for determining the date of Easter.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will serve as leader of prayer for the traditional ecumenical prayer service at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. Bishop Bambera is once again serving as Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Homilist for this year’s prayer service is Father Scott P. Sterowski, Diocesan Coordinator for Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, who took over that role on Sept. 1, 2024. Father Sterowski also serves as Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Throop, and Holy Cross Parish, Olyphant.

The Ecumenical prayer service will be broadcast live at 12:10 p.m. on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton. It will also be made available on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel, and across all diocesan social media platforms.

The theme of the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is based on a text from the Gospel of John: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). The theme takes its cue from the dialogue between Jesus and Martha when Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany following the death of their brother Lazarus.

Using this year’s theme, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians.

Prayers and reflections for the week have been prepared by the brothers and sisters of the monastic community of Bose in northern Italy. Using information jointly prepared and published by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, additional information on this importance of this year is highlighted below.

THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA

Convoked by the Emperor Constantine, the Council of Nicaea was attended, according to tradition, by 318 Fathers, mostly from the East. The Church, having just emerged from hiding and persecution, was beginning to experience how difficult it was to share the same faith in the different cultural and political contexts of the time.

Agreement on the text of the Creed was a matter of defining the essential common foundations on which to build local communities that recognized each other as sister churches, each respecting the diversity of the other.

Disagreements had arisen among Christians in the previous decades, which sometimes degenerated into serious conflicts. These disputes were on matters as diverse as: the nature of Christ in relation to the Father; the question of a single date to celebrate Easter and its relationship with the Jewish Passover; opposition to theological opinions considered heretical; and how to re-integrate believers who had abandoned the faith during the persecutions in earlier years.

FROM 325 to 2025

Although the Council of Nicaea decreed how the date of Easter should be calculated, subsequent divergences of interpretation led to the feast frequently being marked on different dates in the East and West. Though we are still awaiting the day when we will have a common celebration of Easter annually, by coincidence, in this anniversary year of 2025, the great Easter feast will be celebrated on the same date by the Eastern and Western churches.

The meaning of the saving events which all Christians will celebrate on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, has not changed with the passage of seventeen centuries.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an opportunity for Christians to explore afresh this living heritage and re-appropriate it in ways that are in keeping with contemporary cultures, which are even more diverse today than those of the Christian world at the time of the Council of Nicaea.

SCRANTON – After nearly two years of consultative work and thoughtful listening, the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System has released its Strategic Growth Plan entitled “Our Faith. Our Students. Our Future.”

On Jan. 8, 2025, all Catholic school families received a copy of the plan, which Diocesan leadership hopes will help to “strengthen and enrich the educational experience” of all Catholic school students.

The Strategic Growth Plan is broken down into seven key areas: Catholic Mission & Identity; Academic Excellence; Governance & Leadership; Enrollment Management; Development; Infrastructure; and Financial Stability. Each section contains high-level goals as well as action steps that can be taken to meet those goals.

“Our Catholic School System has much to celebrate, with enrollment this year reaching its highest level in seven years, which is a testament to the dedication of our educators, administrators, staff, and supportive community,” the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, and Kristen Donohue, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Superintendent, wrote in a joint letter to families. “With a clear vision and collective commitment, we know that we can build on our successes and strategically navigate the path forward to ensure our Catholic School System continues to thrive and serve future generations.”

The Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System launched its Strategic Growth Planning Process on March 31, 2023. Over the last 21 months, a comprehensive study of community and parish demographics, school finances, enrollment history and patterns, and facility assessments all took place.

Nearly 1,500 Catholic school parents, teachers, priests and even parish religious education families took part in surveys to share their thoughts on the strength and areas for growth within Catholic schools.

“We are filled with hope for what lies ahead,” Bishop Bambera and Donohue noted.

Some of the high-level goals included in the plan include increasing collaboration between Catholic schools and parishes to form disciples of Christ, establishing a Diocesan school board to support the mission and vision of the Bishop and the Catholic Schools Office, and developing a balanced operating budget to ensure long-term viability.

The Strategic Growth Plan now moves into the implementation phase. An Implementation Leadership Team will be established to provide oversight and direction to ensure that progress is made on the goals and action steps contained in the plan.

To read the “Our Faith. Our Students. Our Future.” Strategic Plan, visit dioceseofscranton.org.

CLARKS SUMMIT – The Clarks Summit Deanery Inter-parish Mental Health Ministry Team is inviting everyone in the entire diocese to participate in several upcoming events.

The first is a Sanctuary Course for Catholics, which is being offered via Zoom and at two Clarks Summit locations beginning this month.

The eight-week course is for anyone 18 years and older who wants to learn about the intersection of faith and mental health. It requires no previous training or expertise.

The small group course will explore the realities of mental health and illness and will spur faith-based conversations about these topics. The sessions will include short films, presentations, discussion and prayer.

The next courses will be:

-Wednesday mornings at the Church of Saint Gregory, Clarks Green, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. These sessions will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and conclude on March 12.

– Thursday evenings at Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. These sessions will begin on Thursday, Jan. 23, and conclude on March 13.

-Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The two courses will run in tandem so that if an individual has an occasional conflict, they could attend the week’s other in-person session or participate via Zoom.

To register, visit catholicmhm.org/csdeanery-mhm by Jan. 20.

The second event is free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training, which will take place on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Saint Gregory Parish.

Youth Mental Health First Aid aims to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring adults how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.

The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.

This training is a combination of in-person instruction by a certified YMHFA instructor and two hours online preliminary work. The in-person day includes a light breakfast and lunch.

Although training and materials ordinarily cost over $100, this course is free for participants; expenses are covered by a grant from the Social Justice Trust Fund of the Diocese of Scranton which is supported by the Catholic Ministries Appeal.

People who are interested in participating are asked to register by Jan. 22. For more information, email mhmclarkssummit@gmail.com.