ROME (OSV News) – Pope Francis is one of the strongest advocates championing those forced to flee their homelands due to conflict, persecution and other adversities as he repeatedly urges “to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate” refugees and migrants, so they can live in peace and dignity.

The practical aspects of this call are carried out by the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, created in 2016.

Halime Adam Moussa, a Sudanese refugee who is seeking refuge in Chad for a second time, waits with other refugees to receive a food portion from World Food Programme (WFP), near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad, May 9, 2023. (OSV News photo/Zohra Bensemra, Reuters)

“We assist those who care for migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking as well as the internally displaced and climate displaced,” Scalabrinian Father Fabio Baggio told OSV News regarding the many local churches, pastors, parish priests, bishops, and Catholic organizations and individuals the dicastery helps as it provides pastoral and practical care to the most vulnerable worldwide.

The dicastery asks a simple question of “how can we assist those in making their pastoral care effective, adequate to the real challenges posed,” said Father Baggio, who is the dicastery’s undersecretary for refugee, migrant and human trafficking concerns.

Father Baggio is a priest of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, commonly known as the Scalabrinian Fathers, founded in 1887 with a particular mission to aid migrants and refugees. The congregation works in 33 countries.

“As a missionary, residing in several countries and being exposed to different realities changed my life and my way of seeing and understanding my problems compared with the problems of many brothers and sisters who are just trying to survive, to ensure the minimum necessary for themselves and their families,” the Italian priest explained.

“This kind of openness can be understood by Christians and Catholics to see others as brothers and sisters, who are, unfortunately, victims of different situations. And we have to rescue and save them exactly as a lost brother with everything we can give,” he said, underscoring the papal call.

“On the other hand, I can say that this provides us with the picture of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 25, where he says: ‘I was naked, I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a foreigner,’” he continued. “Pope Francis recalls this many times and asks: ‘Is it really Jesus Christ who is knocking on my door?’ It’s an invitation to help those in need.”

“In the past year, we have been collecting all the information available from all around the world and reflecting on this scientifically and theologically. We have also developed manuals (pastoral orientations) for the local Churches aimed at providing clear criteria on how to shape the action and programs to help migrants, refugees, internally displaced people and victims of human trafficking,” Father Baggio said, commenting on the dicastery’s work.

“As soon as we started, we immediately had to face the massive migrations flows from Syria and Venezuela,” Father Baggio added.

In the case of Syrian refugees, the dicastery coordinated closely with several Catholic relief organizations, particularly with Caritas Internationalis and International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), working in Jordan and Lebanon, where millions of Syrian refugees fled. It also assisted the bishop’ conferences of South American countries to develop programs to accompany Venezuelan migrants and refugees seeking safety, especially along the routes to Chile and Argentina.

Catholics in Canada, the United States and Australia have sought advice from the dicastery on how to engage in sponsorship programs for refugees. The dicastery also has assisted Catholic organizations aiding refugees and migrants, such as Caritas Italy and the Rome-based Sant’Egidio Community, in organizing humanitarian corridors for the most vulnerable.

Most recently, various Catholic organizations, including Caritas Internationalis, ICMC and the Jesuit Refugee Service, approached the dicastery to create joint action and resource sharing to address the crisis in Ukraine, aiding those displaced inside the war-ravaged country and the millions of refugees outside.

As a fruit of these dialogues, the Catholic Response for Ukraine was established. “It is a very good model that has been developed, which can also be replicated for new humanitarian crises,” Father Baggio said.

The organizations are involved in advocacy on behalf of the vulnerable, providing them with humanitarian assistance and pastoral care as well as spiritual formation, especially for the youth. Giving accurate and updated information to the media also is key.

Father Baggio emphasizes that social assistance and humanitarian aid are provided by the Catholic Church to all migrants and refugees, without distinction of nationality and religion.

“This is the expression of the spirituality of giving. It’s providing aid in the name of Jesus Christ. It is not out of philanthropy. It’s part of the mission of the church,” he said.

“Pope Francis has repeatedly urged the Catholic Church to be like a hospital just going out into the field and healing people,” he said. “Pope Francis is asking us to build bridges and overcome barriers. It is important to leave our comfort zone and reach out to others. I would like to encourage all those who have the possibility to go and see and touch directly the human tragedies that are just around the corner.”

Father Baggio and other humanitarians are calling for a global governance to aid those people who are on the move, whether due to conflict, climate or economics. The sudden eruption of war in Sudan, where many have already been displaced is yet another incident pointing to the need for global governance, he said.

“It is a crisis, and it challenges us today. And we should expect more migrants, more displaced people in the forthcoming years. We need to be prepared. We cannot always be on an emergency footing,” Father Baggio said.

“It’s also a question of long-sided programs that should be enacted today in line with the global governance which comes as a must from everyone’s commitment to care for the common home and the common family.”

ROME (CNS) – Pope Francis has returned to the Vatican after a nine-day hospital stay and intends to go ahead with his planned trips abroad in August and September, according to his chief surgeon.

“The pope is fine. He’s better than before,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the chief surgeon who operated on the pope June 7 to repair a hernia; he also operated on the pope in 2021.

Pope Francis smiles and waves to people as he leaves Rome’s Gemelli hospital early June 16, 2023, nine days after undergoing abdominal surgery. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“The pope has confirmed all his trips,” the doctor told reporters outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital June 16, right after the pope was released. The pope was scheduled to attend World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 2-6, and to go to Mongolia Aug. 31-Sept. 4.

“As a matter of fact,” Alfieri said, according to Vatican News, “he will be able to embark on them better than before because now he will no longer have the discomfort of his previous ailments. He will be a stronger pope.”

When asked about the pope’s “convalescence” to fully heal from abdominal surgery, Alfieri said, “he doesn’t convalesce; he has already started working.”

“We asked him to do some convalescence (and) this time I’m sure he will listen to us a little bit more because he has important events ahead of him and he has already said personally that he will go through with all of them, including his trips,” Alfieri said.

When the pope emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair the morning of June 16, he greeted well-wishers and journalists who asked him how he was. “I’m still alive,” he said, smiling.

He also expressed his sorrow for the recent deaths of migrants who drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea near Greece.

He was accompanied to an awaiting white Fiat car by his aides and Alfieri, and then, with the front passenger-side window open, waved to others lining the road as he left.

Before returning to the Vatican, he stopped to pray at the icon of Mary, “Salus Populi Romani,” in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a stop he makes before and after every trip abroad and a stop he also made in July 2021 after undergoing colon surgery at the Gemelli.

Then the pope “stopped for a brief private visit to the sisters of the Institute of the Most Holy Child Mary, gathered for their general chapter,” the Vatican press office said. The pope also greeted police outside one of the side entrances into the Vatican to “thank them for their service.”

The Vatican press office said the pope’s Angelus address and prayer with visitors in St. Peter’s Square June 18 was confirmed as well as individual audiences in the coming days.

His general audience June 21 was canceled, however, “to safeguard the Holy Father’s postoperative recovery,” it said in a communique June 16.

Pope Francis underwent a three-hour surgery to repair a hernia June 7. The procedure, under general anesthesia, was performed using a surgical mesh to strengthen the repair and prevent the recurrence of a hernia. Surgeons also removed several adhesions or bands of scar tissue that had formed after previous surgeries decades ago, Alfieri told reporters after the operation.

Alfieri had explained that the pope’s immediate recovery required avoiding undue stress or strain so as not to tear the prosthetic mesh used to reinforce the abdominal wall.

The pope had spent seven days in the hospital in July 2021 after undergoing colon surgery to treat diverticulitis, inflammation of bulges in the intestine. He was also hospitalized for three nights for a respiratory infection in late March.

SCRANTON – The Cathedral of Saint Peter will be the setting on Saturday, June 24, 2023, as Reverend Mr. Michael J. Boris is ordained to the Order of the Priesthood for service in the Diocese of Scranton.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will serve as ordaining prelate for the Mass that will be celebrated at 10 a.m.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the Ordination Mass.

CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton will broadcast the Mass live and provide livestreaming on the Diocese of Scranton’s website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.

Boris, a native of Dallas, was ordained a transitional deacon in 2022 and is now ready to take his final steps toward priestly ordination.

“I’m very excited, a little nervous, of course, but that is natural,” Boris said. “I feel a lot of peace about my discernment and all of the great work that the Diocese has done for me.”

Boris, 27, is the son of Joseph and Susan Boris. He is a graduate of Holy Redeemer High School and King’s College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Philosophy. Boris entered Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in the fall of 2018 and completed his studies this May.

“Saint Mary’s is a wonderful place. They helped me to pray and discern what God is calling me to do,” Boris explained.

During his priestly formation, Boris served a summer assignment in 2019 in the parish communities of Holy Cross Parish, Olyphant, and Blessed Sacrament Parish, Throop. He also served a pastoral year (2020-2021) in the parish communities of Saint Rose of Lima Parish and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, both in Carbondale.

Boris said he never seriously considered the priesthood until he was a senior in high school and Father Don Williams, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Scranton at the time, met with potential candidates recommended by teachers. Following that conversation, Boris began attending more discernment events, followed by a retreat and he ultimately made the decision to enter seminary.

As he prepares for this next step in his Christian journey, Boris has been thinking back to what one of his seminary professors said shortly before the end of classes.

“He said a lot of things are going to happen in the next few weeks and months, you’ll be ordained and it will be easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle,” Boris said. “But he said don’t forget the amazing gift and power of the priesthood and that you’re being ordained to serve Christ and His Church.”

Boris adds he is thankful to all those who have supported him on this journey.

“Thank you for your prayers and support over the years,” he explained.

ROME (CNS) – Pope Francis was scheduled to be released from Rome’s Gemelli hospital June 16 after having abdominal surgery June 7, the Vatican press office said.

His blood tests have been normal, and his recovery has continued smoothly, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters June 15. “The health care team that is following Pope Francis confirmed the Holy Father’s discharge” from the hospital was planned for the morning of June 16, he said in a written communique.

Pope Francis visits children, their parents and staff members of the pediatric oncology and neurosurgery ward located on the same floor as his room in Rome’s Gemelli hospital June 15, 2023. The Vatican said the pope was expected to be released from the hospital the next day. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The pope spent part of June 15 visiting children in the pediatric oncology and neurosurgery ward located on the same floor as the private suite of rooms set aside for the pope.

He greeted the young patients, who were among those who had sent him letters, drawings and gifts wishing him a speedy recovery, and he gave each of them a rosary and book, Bruni wrote.

Pope Francis witnessed first-hand “the pain of these children, who carry, together with their mothers and fathers, the suffering of the cross on their shoulders every day,” Bruni wrote.

The pope thanked the staff “for their professionalism and efforts to alleviate others’ suffering with tenderness and humanity as well as medication.”

Earlier in the day, he met with and thanked the medical staff and personnel involved with his surgery June 7 and met with hospital administrators, Bruni said.

The evening before, he added, the pope had dinner with “those who have been assisting him since the day of his hospitalization.”

Pope Francis underwent a three-hour surgery to repair a hernia June 7. The procedure, under general anesthesia, was performed using a surgical mesh to strengthen the repair and prevent the recurrence of a hernia. Surgeons also removed several adhesions or bands of scar tissue that had formed after previous surgeries decades ago, according to Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the chief surgeon operating on the pope.

Vatican News reported that the pope’s audiences have been canceled until June 18 as a “precaution.”

(OSV News) – Two archbishops and a cardinal are calling on Catholics in the U.S. to pray and make reparations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as a professional sports team plans to honor a group parodying women religious.

A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is seen in the Cathedral of St. Peter in Wilmington, Del., May 27, 2021. (CNS photo/Chaz Muth)

“We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16 (Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty; and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles in a joint statement issued June 12.

The three noted that this year’s solemnity coincides with a Los Angeles Dodgers’ “Pride Night” game at which that city’s branch of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be feted.

According to the group’s website, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence use “humor and irreverent wit,” often sexual in nature, “to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt.” Members don drag-style makeup, religious habits and names such as “Sister Jezabelle” and “Pope Dementia the Last.” The decentralized organization, founded in 1979 in San Francisco, counts an estimated 1,000 members globally, members of the Los Angeles chapter told OSV News.

The Dodgers’ invitation had been briefly withdrawn after protests, but was reinstated with a public apology to the group from the team. The team’s follow-up decision to host a July 30 Christian Faith and Family Day drew criticism from several Catholic leaders, including Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — previously an auxiliary bishop for the Los Angeles Archdiocese — who said in a May 26 tweet the move was “not enough.”

In their statement, Archbishops Broglio and Gomez and Cardinal Dolan said the Dodgers had “shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother and consecrated women cannot be overstated.”

“This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy,” they said.

However, the LA Sisters maintain they have been unfairly characterized. In an email to OSV News, Sister Dominia — who heads the Los Angeles branch of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as “a gay Catholic who went to Catholic school” and “loves and respects Catholic nuns” — said that community is “not mocking nuns or Catholics,” and that “most events detailed in the media that have shown offense were done by other, independent Sister houses, and we cannot speak for them.”

“We are devoted to charity work and we raise much needed funds for local nonprofit charities,” said Sister Dominia.

In an email to OSV News, a member who goes by the name Sister Unity claimed “a number” of the LA Sisters “are practicing Catholics.”

The bishops and cardinal said in their June 12 statement that “it has been heartening to see so many faithful Catholics and others of good will stand up to say that what this group does is wrong, and it is wrong to honor them.”

June is traditionally recognized by Catholics as “the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” a time during which “we call to mind Christ’s love for us, which is visible in a special way in the image of His pierced heart,” they said. “We pray that our own hearts might be conformed to His, calling us to love and respect all His people.”

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which traces its origins to the writings of medieval mystics, became popular after St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th-century French Visitandine nun, disclosed to her confessor a series of private revelations she had received from Jesus Christ.

In the visions, Christ told her he wished his heart to be revered with reparation for sin, frequent reception of holy Communion and Eucharistic adoration. In 1856, Pope Pius IX added the solemnity, celebrated on the third Friday after Pentecost, to the church’s liturgical calendar.

SCRANTON – This past weekend, the Church celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi – a day that calls each of us to reflect upon the gift of God given to us in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

It also marked the beginning of the second year of the National Eucharistic Revival, a year focused on parish renewal, which is expected to increase the Eucharist’s visibility in many communities through Eucharistic processions.

Parishioners of Saint Gregory Parish in Clarks Green take Christ to the streets of Lackawanna County during a Eucharistic Procession on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, celebrated an Opening Mass for the Parish Phase of the National Eucharistic Revival at the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

“We have been given the opportunity to contemplate and proclaim with a deeper resolve the doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, a belief that has sustained countless numbers of Catholic Christians for two millennia,” Bishop Bambera said during his homily.

Recalling the words of Saint Augustine, the Bishop urged the faithful to “Become the mystery you celebrate.”

Bishop Bambera urged the faithful to not only “receive Christ” but to “become Christ” for one another.

The faithful of Saint Ann Basilica Parish in West Scranton hold a Eucharistic Procession on the grounds of the Monastery on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

“Become Christ for your husband or your wife. Become Christ for your mother, your father, your son or daughter. Become Christ for your neighbor and for the stranger,” Bishop Bambera said. “Become Christ for the unborn child. Become Christ for the hungry and poor. Become Christ for those whom we have relegated to the margins of our world because of our own self-righteousness. Become Christ for the immigrant. Become Christ for the forgotten. Become the Christ whom you adore and whom you worship.”

Following Communion, the faithful attending Mass participated in a Eucharistic Procession that left the Cathedral and proceeded down Wyoming Avenue to the steps of the Cathedral rectory where Eucharistic Benediction took place.

Just before the Eucharistic Blessing, Bishop Bambera prayed, “Lord our God, in this great sacrament we come into the presence of Jesus Christ, your Son, born of the Virgin Mary and crucified for our salvation. May we who declare our faith in this fountain of love and mercy drink from it the water of everlasting life.”

During the Eucharistic procession and Benediction, several people driving along Wyoming Avenue or walking on the sidewalk took notice of what was taking place outside the Cathedral.

“Processions have been a very public witness and display of faith,” Joel Stepanek, the National Eucharistic Revival’s chief mission officer, said.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL’S SECOND YEAR

Launched as an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops in June 2022, the National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year movement that aims to deepen Catholics’ love for Jesus through encountering him in the Eucharist. The revival’s second year leads up to a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

Parishioners of Saint Ann Parish in Williamsport hold a Eucharistic Procession on the streets of Lycoming County following the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

The revival’s first year was titled “The Year of Diocesan Revival,” and efforts focused on formation for diocesan leadership and diocesan-wide events. The revival’s second year, “The Year of Parish Revival,” aims to reach Catholics in their parishes through renewed attention to the “art” of the Mass, Eucharistic devotions, and small-group faith sharing and formation.

Eucharistic processions put together by parishes will also take place in the coming year.

Processions have been visible signs of the National Eucharistic Revival, organizers say, with dioceses introducing new events or expanding long-standing ones.

Among them was a two-hour Eucharistic procession in New York City, which on Pentecost May 28 brought more than 4,000 Catholics to Times Square and ended with Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

“Processions are a really unique opportunity for neighbors, for people who maybe don’t know anything about the faith to say, ‘Wow, what’s going on? Who is that passing by?’” David Spesia, executive director of the Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said.

Eucharistic processions also will be a key part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, four routes pilgrims will travel with the Eucharist across the United States culminating in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress, July 17-21, 2024.

Organizers expect the Congress to draw 80,000 people.

More than 100 parishioners and liturgical ministers from Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pocono Pines held a Eucharistic Procession on the streets of Monroe County on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

In contrast to the magnitude of the national event, revival organizers are encouraging parishes to organize small groups for formation and faith sharing, and are preparing online study resources to aid them.

While organizers expect “getting people back into the pews” to be a “fruit” of the revival, “the goal is really this encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, and to understand that, when he promised he was with us always, the most unique and precious way that happens is with the gift of the Eucharist and the celebration of the Mass,” Spesia said.

Devotions and acts of popular piety such as Eucharistic processions and Eucharistic adoration do not compete with the Mass, but rather continue its celebration, he added.

“We all know that the celebration of the Sunday Mass is the key experience of the church, worshipping the Father, with the Son, through the Holy Spirit,” he said.

“Those devotions – that time of adoration – is the continuation of that celebration, that presence that comes from the sacrifice of the Mass. The Eucharistic processions flow from the Mass, and they’re designed to lead people back to the Sunday liturgy.”

SCRANTON – Less than one year after making a pastoral visit to the Diocese of Sunyani in Ghana, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, is planning to return to the African nation.

This time, the trip came about simply by coincidence.

“It was not my expectation that I would be traveling back to Ghana in 12 months from my original trip there last August,” Bishop Bambera said. “As providence would have it, the Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue, which I’m very fortunate to co-chair, is being hosted this year by the Pentecostals. This year, the Pentecostals are inviting us to Accra, the capital of Ghana.”

Bishop Bambera, left, visits a church under construction in Tain, Ghana, on Aug. 16, 2022, as part of a pastoral visit to the Diocese of Sunyani. Bishop Bambera will be returning to Ghana this July.

The primary goal of the International Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue is to foster mutual respect and understanding between the Catholic Church and Classical Pentecostal leaders and churches in light of the prayer of Jesus that all may be one (Jn 17:21). Last year, the Dialogue, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary, was hosted by the Catholics in Rome.

Because Bishop Bambera will already be in Ghana to participate in the International Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue from July 13-19, 2023, the Bishop of the Diocese of Sunyani has invited him to return to their diocese one week earlier (July 5-12) for a very special reason.

“When it was made known to the priests of the Diocese of Sunyani that the Dialogue would take place in Ghana, their bishop, Bishop Matthew, asked me if I would honor them by celebrating the Ordination Rite for 14 men who are being ordained to the priesthood for their 50th anniversary year as a diocese,” Bishop Bambera explained.

Bishop Bambera said it was an honor to be asked to celebrate the Ordination Mass.
“I’m happily returning to Ghana both for ecumenical work and also to once again connect with the Diocese of Sunyani that has been so generous in providing for the needs of our people here in the United States,” Bishop Bambera said.

When Bishop Bambera last visited Ghana, Aug. 10-19, 2022, he celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with more than 15,000 people, while also visiting a seminary, schools, parishes and health care facilities.

On that trip, Father Gerald Shantillo and Father Brian J.T. Clarke joined him, but this time, two seminarians from the Diocese of Scranton will accompany Bishop Bambera.

“On many occasions, the Bishop of Sunyani, Bishop Matthew, invited me to send seminarians over just to experience their country and the background from which many of the priests who are serving in our land come from,” he said. “I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to invite our seminarians.”

Thomas Dzwonczyk and Andrew McCarroll have agreed to accompany the Bishop to Ghana.

“I’m really thrilled to be able to have them, not only to travel with, but more importantly to experience the Diocese of Sunyani and the African people,” Bishop Bambera noted. “I will be with them half the time. I will leave Sunyani after about a week and then travel to Accra for the Dialogue and while I’m in Accra, the seminarians will be hosted by the priests of Sunyani and the Bishop as well.”

SCRANTON – A sold-out, energized crowd of 400 women filled Nazareth Hall on the campus of Marywood University June 10 for the 2023 “Refresh Your Faith” Catholic Women’s Conference.

Gathering under the theme of “With the Holy Spirit,” attendees participated in Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary meditations and more.

A sold-out crowd of 400 women attended the 2023 Catholic Women’s Conference which was held June 10 at Marywood University.

“It is wonderful to be in the presence of so many women who have such great faith. It encourages me to grow,” Lois Rinaldi of Archbald, a parishioner of Queen of Angels Parish in Jessup, said.

Evie Rafalko McNulty of Scranton, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish, first attended the Catholic Women’s Conference last year, and had been looking forward to returning this year.

“I need to be reinvigorated and just reminded about how much I depend on my faith to get me through the difficult times and the struggles of daily life,” Rafalko McNulty explained.

Johnnette Benkovic Williams, founder and president of Women of Grace, a Catholic apostolate for women, and founder and president of Living His Life Abundantly International, Inc., served as the main conference speaker. Due to illness, the keynote speaker, Kathleen McCarthy, was unable to attend.

Johnnette Benkovic Williams delivers one of her speeches during the 2023 Catholic Women’s Conference.

Gladly accepting conference organizers invitation to speak for extra time, Williams told the conference attendees that each one of them is essential to God’s plan.

“I want you to know how important you are to God’s plan. There is nothing that God will not take and use for the good when we surrender it and give it to Him,” she said.

As she ended the daylong conference, Williams had just as much energy and excitement as when the day began, raising her voice in praise to God, calling each woman to mission. The crowd responded by standing in boisterous applause.

“You have such a marvelous future as the daughters of the Most High God. He is calling us into this great and glorious mission. He is suiting us up with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and setting us on fire, sending us into the highways and byways of life to bring the word of God to everybody,” Williams said to constant applause.

“Johnnette is an energizing speaker. I don’t know if I’ve seen such a dynamic speaker before and it’s been incredible to sit here and listen to her. I don’t think I’ve ever been so engaged listening to a speaker before,” Maura Kettel, a parishioner of Saint Gregory Parish in Clarks Green, said.

Geri Featherby of Covington Township prays during Mass.

The conference began with the celebration of Mass with the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, who focused on the theme of “With the Holy Spirit” during his homily.

“The real miracle of the Spirit’s presence within our Church is that in spite of the brokenness of its members, the Church has always been blessed by the presence of God within it – not because we are righteous and have earned that presence – but because God is rich in mercy and faithful to His covenant,” Bishop Bambera said.

Dara Dirhan, a native of Luzerne County who now lives in the West Chester area, returned home for the conference so that she could be filled by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

“This is a testimony to women of great faith. We need to support one another as women and uplift one another in our faith,” Dirhan said. “We are all walking different journeys at this point in our lives and it is so valuable to share with one another our stories of faith and continue together on this faith-filled journey.”

As the day concluded, women were encouraged to save the date for next year’s Catholic Women’s Conference, which will be June 8, 2024, when the theme will center on the ongoing Eucharistic Revival and the Real Presence of Jesus.

A Mass for Priest Jubilarians was held on June 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. Pictured after the Mass, front row, from left: Rev. Jackson Pinhero, O.S.J. (25 years); Rev. Mariusz Beczek, O.S.J. (25 years) Rev. Andrew Mensah Amankwaa (25 years); Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton; Rev. Thomas V. Banick (60 years); Rev. Paul M. Mullen (50 years); Msgr. John A. Esseff (70 years); and Rev. Anthony M. Urban (50 years). Second row, from left: Rev. Gerald W. Stantillo, V.G., S.T.L., Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia; Rev. John V. Polednak, V.E., Episcopal Vicar for Clergy; and Rev. James J. Walsh (50 years).

 

SCRANTON – Fourteen priests – who have provided a total of 665 years of service to the priesthood – were honored during the 2023 Mass for Priest Jubilarians on Thursday, June 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

“I’m excited. It’s a great feeling,” Father Jackson Pinhero, O.S.J., Assistant Pastor of Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Joseph Marello Parishes in Pittston, said just before the liturgy began. “I came to this country in 2007 so it has been almost 16 years that I have been here working in the Diocese of Scranton. I also worked for nine years in India.”

Father Pinhero, who is an Oblate of Saint Joseph priest, was ordained on April 15, 1998. The Cathedral Mass is actually the third celebration he has taken part in this year.

“I had a beautiful celebration in my parishes in Pittston, and then I recently went home to India for my vacation so I also had another celebration with my family and friends in India, in my hometown parish where I was ordained a priest,” he said.
As he reflected on the service of his fellow Jubilarians, he joked that he is actually the “young guy.”

“I see most of the other guys celebrating 50 years or more. It’s only my silver jubilee,” Father Pinhero said with a smile and laugh.

The Mass celebrated the priestly ministry and service of Monsignor John A. Esseff, who has served the Church for 70 years; Father William D. Campbell, who has served for 65 years; Monsignor Thomas V. Banick and Fathers John P. Ryan and Eugene R. Carr, who have served for 60 years; Fathers William M. Petruska, Anthony M. Urban, Thomas R. Hudak, Paul M. Mullen and James J. Walsh, who have served for 50 years and Fathers Philip S. Rayappan, Jackson Pinhero, O.S.J., Mariusz Beczek, O.S.J., and Andrew Mensah Amankwaa, who have served the Church for 25 years.

Msgr. Esseff, who is celebrating 70 years of priestly service this year, is greeted by religious sisters and friends following the Jubilee Mass.

“God’s strength is still moving us and that is the joy,” Father Mullen said at the conclusion of Mass. “Every day is a blessing.”

Reflecting on 50 years, Father Mullen admitted he was scared by the priestly vocation he first assumed, but now has realized what a “wonderful gift” it has been.
“Looking back, I know God has always been with me,” he explained.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist at the Priest Jubilarian Mass. The bishop thanked each man for his service to the Church and to the Lord Jesus. By patterning their lives after the life and love of Jesus, he said the Jubilarians have brought countless people to a deeper sense of meaning, life and peace.

“I thank you for your commitment in joyful moments and in challenging times. I thank you for leading us through change and upheaval to harmony and peace,” Bishop Bambera said. “And I thank you for always reminding us of God’s presence in our lives – in the great gift of the Eucharist – in the Word proclaimed – and in the Church, the People of God from among whom every priest is called and with whom every priest is privileged to journey in faith.”

WILKES-BARRE – One year after Saint Dominic Church held its final Mass, the building is still serving the needs of the community, albeit in a different way.

“We were glad that we were able to turn this beautiful structure into something that still is ‘church,’ it is still outreach, it is still ministry,” Laura Rudloff, organizer of Treasures, a clothing closet ministry operated by volunteers of Saints Peter & Paul Parish in Plains, said.

The former Saint Dominic Church building in Wilkes-Barre has become the new home of ‘Treasures,’ a clothing closet ministry operated by volunteers of Saints Peter & Paul Parish in Plains. (Photos/Eric Deabill)

Last fall, the former church building became the new location of Treasures, which supports hundreds of people in the community by providing clothes each year.

“We’re excited to be here,” Rudloff stated. “Individuals in any type of need can come. The community that we serve is vast. It is not just this immediate area. We help individuals from social services, Children & Youth, fire victims and police officers contact us when they find out people are in need of something. We have long arms.”

All of the clothing items in Treasures clothing closet are free. The pieces are donated by members of the community and are passed on to those in need.

“It is all about helping the community by giving them things that they need – clothes, shoes, coats – to people that are having difficulty,” volunteer Kathy Pilconis said.

Pilconis says the new space has been such a blessing for volunteers and the people being served.

“It is so much more open. We have areas where things can be divided the way they should be – men, women, adults, children. Shoppers are finding it a lot easier to shop. They can look around. We have more space. We have space where we can put shoes out that we didn’t have before,” she added.

“We’re able to show the clothing in more of a boutique setting. People like it. They like to come and shop. They like the surroundings. It is a really beautiful space,” Rudloff said.

After operating at Saints Peter & Paul Church in Plains for its first two years in existence, in 2020, the clothing closet moved to the former rectory of Saint Dominic Church on Austin Avenue in Wilkes-Barre because it needed more space. The ministry program has proven to be so necessary and vital to the community it quickly ran out of room again to sort, organize and display all of the clothing items donated.

By now being able to utilize the former church building itself, there is much more space available.

“It makes me teary,” Pilconis admitted. “It just feels good in this space for some reason. This is just an extension of what we’re supposed to do.”

“We enjoy being in this space. It has brought a whole new life to the volunteers as well. It was a boost to all of us. Everyone loves our job and we’re excited to come to volunteer every week,” Rudloff said.

Treasures is currently open on Monday evenings from 5-7 p.m. and Friday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon. On average, at least 20 people visit the clothing closet each day that it is open.

“We’re looking to be open on Wednesdays as well. That is how much need there is. That is in the works for the future,” Rudloff said. “The word has gotten out and we work with a lot of other churches.”