Category: Diocese of Scranton News

SCRANTON – Christians from different churches came together on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, for a special Ecumenical Celebration of God’s Word at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

The annual prayer service, which took place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, invited Christians to pray that all followers of Jesus may grow closer together.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as the Leader of Prayer. Christian leaders from several different traditions also took part, showing that while churches may have differences, they share the same faith in Jesus Christ.
Among those participating this year were Rev. Craig Miller, Bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the Lutheran Church in America; Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Mikovsky, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church; Rev. Dr. Nora Foust, Regional Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ; Rev. Lory D. Ryan of the Presbyterian Church of Mountain Top; and Rev. Scott Sterowski, Diocesan Coordinator for Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs and pastor of Saint Carlo Acutis Parish.

The Ecumenical Prayer Service was based on worship materials prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.

The gathering began with the Lord’s Prayer. Those present prayed together using the words Christians have shared for centuries: “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

An invocation followed, asking God to guide all Christians toward unity. The congregation then sang “Arise, Your Light Has Come.”

Throughout the service, prayers and readings focused on Jesus as the true Light of the world. While the parts of the prayer service may have been led by leaders from different churches, the gathering was meant to highlight that Christians all share one Lord.

In her homily, Rev. Dr. Foust reminded those gathered that unity is not something people create on their own. She said it is a gift from God.

“We are not the origin of the light,” she said. “Any light we have or give begins with Christ.”

The theme for the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was “There is One Body and One Spirit, Just as You are Called to the One Hope of Your Calling” (Ephesians 4:4).

In her remarks, Rev. Dr. Foust focused on living with humility, patience, gentleness, and love – the virtues named by Saint Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians.

“We are not here today because the Church has suddenly solved all its divisions. Indeed, we are living in a time of deep turmoil among Christian peoples,” she added. “We are here because, in Christ, our unity is deeper than our differences.”

The service continued with a responsorial psalm, a hymn, and the profession of the Nicene Creed – words that Christians across the world proclaim together: “Light from Light, true God from true God.”

The Ecumenical Prayer Service ended with closing prayers asking God to help Christians reflect Christ’s light in the world – especially in places of darkness and division.

“Shine the light of your righteousness and wisdom on all your creatures,” Bishop Bambera prayed. “Make us children of light and children of the day, so that we may always live our lives reverently, and become for all the world, worthy lampstands for your life-giving light.”

DALTON – Many of the 100 women who attended the Diocese of Scranton’s recent ‘Bold and Beloved’ retreat had one thing in common: they knew little, if anything, about Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

By the end of the weekend experience, that had changed.

“I had never heard of Saint Hildegard before this,” Mary Daley of Epiphany Parish in Sayre said. “But reading the things that she wrote, it’s like you’re reading someone from today talking about the Catholic Church and the issues we’re facing.”

Held Jan. 31-Feb. 1, the third annual ‘Bold and Beloved’ women’s retreat centered on the life and teaching of Saint Hildegard, a 12th-century Benedictine abbess, mystic, composer, and Doctor of the Church.

Through prayer, study and fellowship, women of all ages explored her vision of faith, womanhood, and discipleship – many encountering her story for the first time.

The retreat was led by Annette Bergeon, CEO of Endow, a women’s apostolate devoted to intellectual and spiritual formation. Endow is one of the only women’s organizations that has a study specifically on Saint Hildegard.

“She was a doctor, a writer and author – and I can relate to a lot of that,” Hannah Halliday of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Peckville, a third-year retreat participant, said. “It taught me so much about her and about her life.”

Participants took part in four large-group talks, followed by structured small-group discussions. The weekend retreat also included daily Mass, the Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, opportunities for Reconciliation, and time for rest and fellowship.

The retreat was open to women over the age of eighteen, and many mother-daughter pairs participated.

“I’ve always loved coming to retreats and once I learned about this one, I was really excited and immediately messaged my mom and said, do you want to do this with me, and here we are,” Concetta Cooney of Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Pittston said.

“Women are created as social beings. We are extremely communal,” Marianne Guarnieri, Director of Discipleship for the Diocesan Office for Parish Life, explained. “This is a weekend that is designed to create fellowship. It is a wonderful time.”

For younger participants like Stephanie Kucharski, a first-year college student from Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Duryea, the retreat offered both renewal and connection.

“It’s nice to just take a break and relax and get away for a weekend from the workload,” she said. “It has been very interesting and cool to see like-minded people here for the same reason which is exploring their faith together.”

Others described the retreat as deeply affirming.

“In the real world, it’s not always easy to be Catholic,” Daley added. “It is so refreshing to be here with other Catholic women, sharing the same beliefs, and helping to strengthen those beliefs. I really appreciate it. It’s like water in the desert.”

As the retreat concluded, many participants say they’re already looking forward to next year.

“It’s an amazing opportunity and I encourage anybody that is even thinking about coming on it to take that step,” Halliday said.

SCRANTON – When Camilla Edwards moved to northeastern Pennsylvania from Michigan a little more than four months ago, she knew that she wanted to find a faith community she could call home.

“I’ve been trying different churches here and there,” she said. “My huge goal has been to get involved in a faith community and just start building a network of like-minded, Catholic people to surround myself with.”

That search led her, on a cold January afternoon, to the slopes of Montage Mountain – and to an event aptly named “Faith Moves Mountains.”

On Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, young adults from across the Diocese of Scranton were invited to come together at Montage Mountain for a ski-in, ski-out Bible study and fellowship experience organized by the Diocesan Office for Parish Life.

For Edwards, the event offered something she had been hoping for since her move.

“How do we find like-minded people? How do we start those connections?” she asked. “You don’t wear a badge on your forehead that says ‘Catholic.’ This is the perfect opportunity – I just know that everyone here is on the same page as me and it was a fun activity. I’m really glad I came.”

The winter meet-up was coordinated by Bridget Maille, Program Coordinator for Family Life in the Diocesan Office for Parish Life. Maille said the event was designed to take faith beyond church walls and into everyday life.

“Last year, our winter meet-up was a New Year’s retreat. But this year, we decided to take our faith out into the world,” Maille explained.

The theme, “Faith Moves Mountains,” was inspired by Christ’s teaching that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.

“As young adults, it gives us a chance to realize that we’re not alone in our faith and that faith doesn’t just happen on Sundays,” Maille added. “By establishing relationships, we build community and deepen our faith.”

Throughout the afternoon, participants prayed the Rosary, took part in a Bible study, and shared togetherness in an informal, welcoming way over a warm fire pit.

Deacon Michaelangelo Colaneri, who serves the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Immaculate Conception Parish in Scranton, took part in the gathering and said it embodied the Church’s call to bring Christ into the world.

“It gives us a chance to bring Christ outside of our Cathedrals and churches,” he said. “Christ doesn’t belong just in the church– we are the Church. As we come out and are with one another and enjoy each other’s fellowship, you start to see the true idea that Christ had for His Church start to blossom and flourish.”

He noted the simplicity of the afternoon is what made it enjoyable.

“We all sat around a fire. It is something so basic, so easy, so simple, but the experiences and sharing that came from it, you could feel Christ in our midst,” Deacon Colaneri added.

After collecting phone numbers for all the people in attendance, with the plan to start a group text message to continue sharing their interests and faith, Edwards said the Scranton area is starting to feel a little more like home.

“I’m very grateful for the experience and I’m looking forward to the next event,” she said.

TOWANDA – Across the Diocese of Scranton, Catholic Schools Week looked a little different this year.

A big snowstorm in late January, icy roads, and frigid temperatures forced delays, closures, and schedule changes in many places, stretching what is traditionally a single week of celebration into something longer and more flexible in many communities.

Yet even as calendars shifted, the foundation behind Catholic Schools Week remained the same: faith, learning, and service to others.

Throughout the 19 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Scranton students participated in outreach projects that extended beyond school walls and into the wider community.

One such example came from Saint Agnes Elementary School in Towanda, where students collected socks to benefit the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post.

The socks will be distributed to men, women, and children throughout the local area and the state – providing warmth and comfort during the cold winter months.

The service project was organized by the school’s 5th Grade Kindness Club, which took responsibility for collecting and counting donations from every grade level.

From Pre-K 3 through sixth grade, students were encouraged to bring in socks, turning a friendly competition into a shared mission.

“We were bringing socks and we would count them up and give them to people who need them,” fifth grader Killian Smith said.

When asked how it felt knowing the socks were going to the VFW, Smith’s answer was simple and sincere: “Good.”

His classmate, Will Eberlin, was struck by the number of donations.

“There were a lot of socks,” he said. “It will help a lot of people, and it will keep people warm.”

In the end more than 360 pairs of socks were collected, with second graders leading the way by donating 96 pairs.

Several students spoke about how meaningful it was to help others during a week already filled with celebration.

“Catholic Schools Week is really fun because you get to play games and think of the people you’re giving to,” fifth grader Sofia Lrozzo stated.

For Max Bride, the combination of learning, fun, and service is what makes Catholic Schools Week special.

“I think it’s nice to help people,” Bride said.

Through projects like the sock collection, students at Saint Agnes School learned to live the Gospel in tangible ways and that even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.

WILLIAMSPORT – Saint John Neumann Regional Academy students, faculty, and administrators celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an in-person learning day on Jan. 19, 2026, filled with faith, service, and fun.

“It’s a basic tenet of Christianity – and a deep part of Catholicism – that we’re called to meet Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless and the stranger,” Father Glenn McCreary, pastor of Saint Boniface and Saint Ann Parishes, said. “Our day of service reflected MLK’s life mission as well as the Church’s mission to the world.”

This was the first year Saint John Neumann Regional Academy held a student school day on MLK Day since it became a national holiday.

“This has been a goal of mine for many years. It is important that students learn about and share their time and talents with others on this day,” explained Principal Alisia McNamee. “Martin Luther King Day is more than a celebration of his importance to civil rights and peaceful protest. We wanted our students to show how important MLK’s message about service resonates throughout our lives and within our Catholic beliefs.”

Dr. Chad Greevy, Assistant Principal and Curriculum Director added, “We had over 200 students participating in morning Mass, and every SJNRA student provided service at our local food bank; provided the collection of products, assimilation, and distribution of hygiene-care packages to local soup kitchens; helped with projects around Saint Boniface Parish; or wrote thank you cards to community service heroes for our Catholic Schools Week project.”

CATHOLIC FIRST

Students gathered before the normal start time of their school day, to join Saint Boniface parishioners for daily Mass followed by a message from Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter.

The 8:00 a.m. Mass was attended by parishioners, SJNRA parents and family members, community leaders, and SJNRA PreK-3 through Grade 12 students.

During his homily, Father McCreary spoke about the importance of Dr. King’s message of equality and service and how it helped to shape our nation’s pathway.

However, he also explained how King and others like him “stood on the shoulders of others before him … including many black Catholic saints.”

Father McCreary referenced saints like St. Martin de Porres, St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Benedict the Moor. He also spoke about six African Americans who are on the path to sainthood, including Servant of God Julia Greeley and Venerable Mother Henriette Delille.

“Thea Bowman, as an educator and musician, used her voice to highlight the beauty of African American church music and to speak about justice to the American Bishops,” Father McCreary said.

Following Mass, Mayor Slaughter, spoke to those in attendance about the needs of the community and the necessity for giving back.

Slaughter shared how volunteerism can be impactful to a community and emphasized how St. John Neumann’s Day-of-Service “is a day we serve those less fortunate than us.”

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS VOLUNTEER LOCALLY

Following Mass, students in grades 9-12 headed to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to begin their service to the community.

However, students and teachers were not the only ones sacrificing their time and day off to work at the food bank.

Employee Ryan Watts, Volunteer Projects Coordinator, was the lone employee that morning. He came in on his “day off” to serve alongside the Neumann High School students and faculty. Watts shared that “roughly 430 groups a year volunteer” at the food bank.

“The kids did great. I feel that it’s important to encourage the younger generations to do good things for their community,” Watts said.

Watts related that this was the first time a group had come in on MLK Day to volunteer, and he has already invited Saint John Neumann back for its Day-of-Service on the same holiday next year.

“Saint John Neumann tries to volunteer there three or four times a year with groups of students. I think today changed the perception for some of our kids. A few were hesitant to attend not knowing what to expect, but after an hour and a half and four pallets of packed food boxes for veterans later, we showed Neumann’s passion for care and our energy to help others,” Dr. Greevy shared.

MIDDLE SCHOOL INVITES SPEAKER, SERVES OTHERS

Middle School students began their morning of service with an interactive lecture and applied activity with Melodie Shaw.

Shaw, the Former Executive Director of the Campbell Street Family & Youth Center at the Williamsport Community Center from 2006-2010, spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sacrifice for today’s society and how his actions and words helped to inspire students and adults alike.

Jennifer McPherson, Director of Guidance, related that Shaw shared with students about “how to respond to adversity peacefully.”

She cited the March for Civil Rights that MLK led as well as other events.

“Martin Luther King sacrificed himself for people of all ages, cultures, and genders,” eighth grader Quillen McPherson said.

Quillen made the connection that “Jesus and even some Catholic saints” made similiar sacrifices.

“We heard that we have to learn about our ancestors’ mistakes. Without learning from each other, we will make the same mistakes. Doing what people like MLK did helps us understand their sacrifices better,” the Neumann middle schooler explained.

Ann Wilson, Saint John Neumann High School Secretary and 1983 Neumann alumna commented, “From my observation, even the hardest to engage students were one hundred percent on board with the projects they were assigned, and I witnessed some great camaraderie in the hallways between High School and Junior High students.

GRADES 3-5 ASSIST WITH ST. BONIFACE PROJECTS

The upper elementary students wrote their own prayers for their Peace Tree and helped Father McCreary organize, clean, and assemble thousands of plastic Easter eggs used for parish and community Easter egg hunts.

“Our students took on a bigger task than expected putting together Easter eggs for Saint Boniface and helped in organizing areas of the church campus,” Arianna Scutt, fourth grade teacher, said.

Fifth graders studied the “I Have a Dream” speech and discussed its importance.
They also learned that Dr. King spoke locally at Lycoming College, adjacent to the Saint Boniface campus, in April 1958.

“Our students did multiple activities during the week. We were busy, but it was good busy. We helped the church, learned about Dr. King’s message, and made connections between his message of service and how simple services can make big impacts,” added third grade teacher Sara Meixel.

YOUNGEST STUDENTS WRITE LETTERS TO HEROES

SJNRA Primary students also discussed the legacy of MLK Jr. and his teachings. Teachers developed a curriculum that taught students that a “legacy” is the impression of what you or someone else leaves behind.

“It’s what people will remember you for. We had the honor of bringing action to this legacy, which made them very excited, by making cards for our local heroes. This paired with the lesson they had on community helpers,” Shayna McNamee, Pre-K 3 teacher, explained. “We centered our learning around MLK’s quote that ‘Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.’”

She added, “Jesus came up multiple times in our conversations. When learning about MLK and the kindness he shared, a Pre-K student even said, ‘like Jesus.’ It was perfect.”

The letters, cards and pictures were delivered along with ‘Thank You Baskets’ during Catholic Schools Week to local fire companies, police departments, nurses, and the local armory. Provisions for the baskets were donated by SJNRA families as part of MLK Day and Catholic School Week.

“I witnessed some great camaraderie in the hallways. I feel that this day was completely beneficial to our students allowing them to learn in a hands-on way, what service to your community can be,” Wilson said. “We showed our students many different ways to serve that day, and our Neumann Knights approached all tasks with greatness. I believe that our Academy had another moment of excellence that day. May there be many more!”

For more information about Saint John Neumann Regional Academy or to inquire about Admissions and Enrollment contact: admissions@sjnra.org or call (570) 323-9953.

For more information about the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, located at 3301 Yahoo Drive, Williamsport, call (570) 321-8023, or to contact Volunteer Projects Coordinator Ryan Watts, call (570) 980-9079 or email him at rwatts@centralpafoodbank.org.

ROME (OSV News) – On Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to ask the Lord for “the gift of true conversion” at the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.

Speaking to English-speaking pilgrims at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 18, the pope encouraged people to approach Lent as a time of “conversion of heart” so that “we may better respond to his love for us and share that love with those around us.”

“At the beginning of Lent, I urge you to live this liturgical season with an intense spirit of prayer so that you may arrive, inwardly renewed, at the celebration of the great mystery of Christ’s Resurrection, the supreme revelation of God’s merciful love,” Pope Leo added in Italian at the close of the audience on a sunny winter day in Rome.

Before the audience, the pope greeted pilgrims from the popemobile, frequently stopping to bless babies as he made his way through the square.

Continuing his weekly catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo offered a reflection on “Lumen Gentium,” the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which he explained “presents the Church as both a sign and an instrument of this plan of salvation.”

He said the Church is a sign “because the Church community makes the unity established by Christ through his Cross and Resurrection visible to the world today” and an instrument as
“It is through the Church that God achieves the aim of bringing people to him and uniting them with one another.”

“As we journey through a world still marked by division, let us ask the Lord to continue to guide his Church in the mission of sanctification and reconciliation,” he said.

In his message for Lent this year, Pope Leo encouraged the faithful to embrace the “ancient ascetic practice” of fasting, as well as “refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

Lent is a liturgical season of penance stretching from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, during which Christians are encouraged to undertake voluntary acts of self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, along with charitable and missionary works.

On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Leo will lead a solemn procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill from the Benedictine Basilica of Sant’Anselmo to the Dominican Basilica of Santa Sabina, retracing a papal procession route that dates back centuries.

The procession will culminate with the pope offering Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina, one of the oldest surviving Christian basilicas in Rome. Built in 422 A.D., the ancient church is the first stop in the Lenten Station Church pilgrimage, a tradition rooted in the early practice of the Bishop of Rome celebrating the liturgies of the church year at various churches throughout the city. By the latter half of the fifth century, a fairly fixed calendar had developed, with Mass held at different churches throughout Rome each day of the Lenten season.

The station church tradition has experienced something of an Anglophonic revival in recent decades, spearheaded by the Pontifical North American College, which has offered a 7 a.m. English-language Mass at the station churches each day of Lent in recent years.

On Feb. 18, hundreds of people, including many American college students and seminarians, attended an English-language Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina organized by the seminary.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – As the U.S. prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has encouraged Catholics to participate in initiatives including a collective 250 Hours of Adoration and 250 Works of Mercy.

To celebrate the occasion, “America 250,” the initiatives encourage prayer for the unity and healing of the U.S., according to a resource guide the USCCB has published. The conference previously said the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June.

In his encyclical “Dilexit Nos,” Pope Francis “instructs us to ‘nourish our lives with the strength of the Eucharist’ in Holy Communion and Adoration, so that we might understand Christ’s love for all more deeply and live out this love ourselves,” the guide stated. “Our contemplation of the Sacred Heart leads us deeper into the mystery of our salvation and deeper into our love for Christ found in the faces of our sisters and brothers — especially those most in need.”

The guide said parishes can participate in 250 Hours of Adoration by offering a Holy Hour on a weekly or monthly basis leading up to the nation’s July 4 anniversary. It noted that this could include continuing current practices or inviting new people to join. It suggested similar efforts to carry out 250 Works of Mercy.

It includes resources for Holy Hours for life, peace, marriage, religious liberty, vocations, an end to racism, as well as a Sacred Heart Holy Hour.

“Consider hosting a holy hour or series of holy hours at your parish using the templates provided. … You may have other ways to invite members of your community to spend some time in prayer for our country with Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament,” the guide said. “To prepare for the Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart, parishes can also incorporate the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus into their Holy Hour.”

As examples of works of mercy, the guide encouraged parishes to find ways to assist women who are facing a crisis pregnancy; donate to food pantries and clothing closets, and community beautification programs; raise money for an overseas development project; sponsor a refugee family; tutor children; or volunteer at homeless shelters.

“The seven Corporal Works of Mercy come to us directly from the Scriptures in the Gospel of Matthew,” the guide said. “Rooted in our lives of faith, the actions that Jesus calls us to in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead, and giving alms are central elements of our Catholic identity.”

It quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic exhortation “Dilexi Te,” which itself draws on Pope Francis’ “Dilexit Nos”: “As we contemplate Christ’s love, ‘we too are inspired to be more attentive to the sufferings and needs of others, and confirmed in our efforts to share in his work of liberation as instruments for the spread of his love.'”

OSTIA LIDO, Italy (CNS) – An authentic Christian community knows how to sincerely and joyfully welcome everyone: Catholics, non-Catholics and people of no faith at all, Pope Leo XIV said.

“A true parish” is where “we all learn to say ‘Welcome,’ not only with words, but with a spirit of hospitality, opening the door and welcoming everyone,” he said, speaking to members of the community during his first visit to a parish in his Diocese of Rome.

The pope also celebrated Mass during which he encouraged the faithful to cultivate humble and peaceful hearts that are open to Christ, because “the evil we see in the world has its roots precisely there, where the heart becomes cold, hard and lacking in mercy.”

The pope’s early evening visit Feb. 15 was to the Roman parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido — a seaside community 16 miles southwest of Rome.

Although it was his first visit to Ostia as pope, he had been to the area many times as an Augustinian friar because of the port town’s close connection to the story of St. Augustine and, especially, his mother, St. Monica, who died there in 387; her remains were moved to Rome in the 15th century.

Pope Leo emphasized the need to convert one’s heart for there to be peace in the world, in his homily during Mass inside the large 20th-century church of Santa Maria Regina Pacis.

The path to human fulfillment is fidelity to God based on respect and care for others, he said. But that has to be “cultivated first and foremost in the heart, even before in gestures and words.”

The heart is home to noble feelings and “painful profanations: closed-mindedness, envy, jealousy,” he said. “Those who think badly of their brother, harboring evil feelings toward him, are as if they were already killing him in their hearts.”

He recalled some of the difficulties facing residents in Ostia, including violence, substance abuse and criminal organizations.

He encouraged the parish community to continue its courageous efforts with other organizations “to spread the good seed of the Gospel in your streets and in your homes.”

“Do not resign yourselves to the culture of abuse and injustice. On the contrary, spread respect and harmony, beginning by disarming language and then investing energy and resources in education, especially for children and young people,” he said.

“Unfortunately, even today, many clouds still darken the world, with the spread of ideas contrary to the Gospel, which exalt the supremacy of the strongest, encourage arrogance, and fuel the seduction of victory at all costs, deaf to the cries of those who suffer and those who are defenseless,” the pope said.

“Let us oppose this tendency with the disarming power of meekness, continuing to ask for peace, and to welcome and cultivate its gift with tenacity and humility,” he said.

Pope Leo began the visit by greeting young people and families gathered behind the church. A clutch of gold mylar balloons — depicting a smiling lion and the numbers “one” and “four” — bopped and twisted in the strong breeze coming in off the Mediterranean Sea.

“You are the hope! And you must recognize that in your hearts, in your lives, in your youth, there is hope for today and tomorrow. Hope already begins here, because Jesus walks with us,” he told the small enthusiastic crowd outside.

Inside a nearby gym, home of the local “Starfish” basketball team, the pope thanked the community for their warm welcome. “This is one of the many signs of an authentic Christian community, of a true parish,” he said, emphasizing the need to receive “anyone who comes: Catholic, non-Catholic, believer, non-believer.”

Speaking to the young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, Caritas volunteers and the people they serve, the pope told those gathered that “Everyone is part of this parish family, and everyone has something to say, something to give, something to share.”

“May you have the courage to say ‘yes’ to the Lord!” he said. “Each person’s life has great value: whether I am young, whether I am old, whether I have difficulties or not, human life is a gift from God.”

Speaking to members of the parish’s pastoral council, the pope thanked them for generously offering their time and talent, helping the local clergy, church and faithful. However, “I also encourage you to go out and seek others.”

“Do not remain inside the church and say, ‘It’s OK, those who come are enough.’ It is never enough. Invite, welcome, accompany,” Pope Leo said.

(OSV News) – After Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Jubilee Year of St. Francis from Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary also issued a decree granting a plenary indulgence to mark the 800th anniversary year of the popular saint’s death.

Listed among the “certain works” suggested to obtain the plenary indulgence is “a pious pilgrimage to Franciscan churches.”

But several Franciscans told OSV News they hope Catholics will do more than simply stop by — as much as they and their fellow friars would enjoy visitors.

They hope Catholics will also learn about the life and charism of their founder, and how St. Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226) remains a model blend of contemplation and activity for contemporary Catholics.

“It’s an exciting year; I don’t think any of us would have anticipated that Pope Leo would have declared this,” said Father Jonathan St. Andre, a Third Order Regular Franciscan friar and vice president for Franciscan Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. “We figured the pope would go to Assisi; there would be different events. But to make this a jubilee, and to offer an indulgence … is just remarkable.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that an indulgence “is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.”

Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, told Vatican News that the specific conditions to gain the Year of St. Francis indulgence include “sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, certain prayers according to the intentions of the Pope, interior detachment from sin, and the performance of certain works, such as a pious pilgrimage to Franciscan churches, participation in Jubilee celebrations, prayer and meditation in the Franciscan spirit, as well as daily acts of charity and humility that express the spirituality of St. Francis.”

The 13th-century Italian saint is known for renouncing his family’s wealth to embrace “Lady Poverty,” attracting followers who ultimately formed the first Franciscans, the Order of Friars Minor. His “spiritual sister” St. Clare of Assisi founded the likeminded Poor Clares.

Visitors to the 250-acre Franciscan University campus can see three Franciscan churches, including the newly renovated Christ the King Chapel. A fall academic conference — “Sister Death, Gate of Life” — will focus on St. Francis’ holistic vision of existence, the end of which he welcomed something like a cosmic relative by calling it “sister.” A Franciscan virtues series will be available to students, and the Transitus — an Oct. 3 remembrance of St. Francis’ death — will receive special attention.

All of it, Father St. Andre hopes, will get St. Francis out of the garden.

“Your typical person — and it’s not their fault — thinks of Francis as a bird bath. A lover of animals. And he was,” he said. “But I always try to bring people to the deeper vision of St. Francis; that even when it comes to the animals, he loved the animals because they were Christic — all things were created through the Father in (Jesus) Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

“St. Francis saw God’s presence imprinted on creation,” Father St. Andre continued. “That’s just one example, but I think this year will be an opportunity for people to come to a fuller, substantial, more authentic vision of St. Francis and the Franciscan tradition.”

The Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, is offering a full slate of programs that will assist in that aim, including retreats, conversations and a movie night.

Franciscan Father John Aherne is also hopeful that the faithful will focus on St. Francis’ spiritual heritage.

“Maybe even the larger question is what can the Year of St. Francis do for the world?” he asked. “You know, especially in a time when our world is so divided — politically and ideologically and economically — we can look to St. Francis as a guide in how we can come together.”

A member of the Order of Friars Minor and pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, Father Aherne offered examples from St. Francis’ life and legends, including the tale of the friar reasoning with a ravenous wolf terrorizing an Italian town.

“He brokered peace between the people of Gubbio and the wolf of Gubbio in that famous story. He brokered peace between the people of Assisi and the mayor of Assisi in the famous ‘Canticle of Creation.’ St. Francis … was as comfortable with the leper as he was with the pope, and he brought them together,” said Father Aherne.

“So I think — in fact, I know — there is something in our Franciscan charism, by looking to the person of St. Francis of Assisi, that can help to heal some of the divisions that are in our world today,” he said.

Father Edgardo Jara — also a member of the Order of Friars Minor and pastor of Mission San Luis Rey Parish in Oceanside, California — agreed.

“The jubilee will be a tool to remind people what Francis showed us and told us 800 years ago — to incarnate God in our lives, and especially in our actions,” he said.

Father Jara and his fellow Franciscans shepherd a modern parish next door to Mission San Luis Rey, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1815 and the largest of the 21 California missions.

And like Father Aherne, Father Jara sees St. Francis as a force for unity — a saint capable of issuing a global reminder “that we all are brothers and sisters, especially in this time of division and conflicts that the world is living right now, (and) that we need to see each other as all daughters and sons of God.”

“It’s a good reminder,” he added, “that the Gospel is still something that we can live and practice.”

Banners proclaiming the Year of St. Francis festoon the Mission San Luis Rey campus, and special prayers, services and gatherings will punctuate the liturgical and social calendar — including a torch-lit procession on the Oct. 3 Transitus featuring an effigy of St. Francis.

Ultimately, said Father Jara, St. Francis’ spirituality is “something that we can live in our different ways — married or not, religious, priest, pope — everyone can prayerfully bring the Gospel to live this way of life.”

He added: “So I think this year is going to teach us to not only think of ourselves — but to see how we can love our neighbor, love God, and love creation as well.”

(OSV News) – The ancient practice of fasting from food during Lent can free us from complacency and lead us to “hunger” for God, Pope Leo XIV said in his 2026 Lenten message.

Ahead of Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the 40-day liturgical season of Lent, this year on Feb. 18, the pope encouraged people to embrace the “ancient ascetic practice” of abstaining from food, as well as “refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

Lent is a time to “place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life,” the pope said.

“Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion,” he wrote. “Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance.”

Fasting, he added, helps to identify and properly order our “appetites,” “keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency.”

In the message, titled “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion,” and released by the Vatican on Feb. 13, the pope drew on the fifth-century theologian St. Augustine to reflect on “custody of the heart” regarding “the tension between the present moment and future fulfillment.”

Quoting Augustine’s work “The Usefulness of Fasting,” Pope Leo cited the saint’s observation, “‘In the course of earthly life, it is incumbent upon men and women to hunger and thirst for justice, but to be satisfied belongs to the next life.’”

Pope Leo said that “understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good.”

He cautioned that fasting must be “lived in faith and humility” rather than pride and should be grounded in communion with the Lord.

“As a visible sign of our inner commitment to turn away from sin and evil with the help of grace, fasting must also include other forms of self-denial aimed at helping us to acquire a more sober lifestyle, since ‘austerity alone makes the Christian life strong and authentic,'” Leo said.

The pope also highlighted what he called “an unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

“Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves,” he said, urging Catholics to cultivate kindness “in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.”

Leo encouraged Catholics to make room in their lives to listen to the word of God at Mass and by reading Sacred Scripture, noting that fasting is a concrete way to prepare to hear the word of God.

“The Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ,” he said.

The pope also encouraged parishes, families and religious communities to “undertake a shared journey during Lent,” emphasizing “the communal aspect of listening to the word and fasting.”

On Ash Wednesday, Leo will preside over the traditional procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill from the Benedictine Monastery of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, where he will celebrate Mass.

“Dear friends, let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us,” he said.