SCRANTON – The funeral arrangements for the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, who died on Sunday, April 9, 2023, have been finalized.

In making this announcement, the Diocese of Scranton acknowledges the sensitive circumstances of planning this funeral, which must balance Bishop Timlin’s full life of service to the church with a clear understanding of imperfect judgments related to clergy sexual abuse. We pray for all sexual abuse survivors and hope they find healing and peace.

In planning this funeral, the Diocese feels it important and prudent to highlight and emphasize two important guiding principles for all funeral rites.

First, every member of the Christian faithful has a right to a funeral Mass. This right is established in baptism and the promise of God’s merciful salvation won for us in Jesus Christ.

Second, funeral rites of the Church ask spiritual assistance for the departed, honor their bodies as former temples of the Holy Spirit, and are meant to bring solace to the living.

At Bishop Timlin’s request, a private viewing for family members and the celebration of Vespers will take place on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Public visitation for the Most Reverend James C. Timlin will be held on Tuesday, April 18, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, 315 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, Pa., from 9 a.m. until 1:45 p.m.

The funeral Mass for Bishop Timlin will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint Peter immediately following at 2 p.m. The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, will preside at the funeral Mass. The funeral Mass will be broadcast live on Catholic Television for those unable to attend in person.

Bishop Timlin will be interred in Cathedral Cemetery following the funeral Mass.

Memorials may be made to Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton or the Diocese of Scranton Catholic Schools Scholarship Foundation.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The women disciples, who were the first to meet the risen Jesus, offer a lesson to all Christians: “We encounter Jesus by giving witness to him,” Pope Francis said.

The entire city of Jerusalem had seen Jesus crucified on the cross, yet the women who find his tomb empty, run to share the good news that he is alive, the pope said before reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 10, Easter Monday, a public holiday in Rome.

The experience of the women disciples is a reminder, the pope said, that “when one encounters Jesus, no obstacle can prevent us from proclaiming him.”

Pope Francis leads the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer from the window of his studio in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Easter Monday, April 10, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“If instead we keep his joy for ourselves,” he said, “perhaps it is because we have not yet truly encountered him.”

Pope Francis also used the midday appointment to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended some 30 years of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

“With a grateful spirit, I pray to the God of peace that what was achieved in that historic passage may be consolidated for the benefit of all men and women of the island of Ireland,” the pope said.

Pope Francis began his main talk, a commentary on the day’s Gospel reading, by asking people to think about why the risen Jesus appeared to the women disciples first.

It is simple, he said, the women were the first to go to Jesus’ tomb.

Even though they were mourning like all the disciples and frightened as well, “they do not stay home paralyzed by sadness and fear,” the pope said. They go to the tomb to anoint his body and “that gesture of love prevails over everything.”

The Gospel of Matthew says an angel tells the women that Christ has risen and, as the women are running to tell the disciples the news, “Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.”

Too often, the pope said, Christians seem to think they will keep Jesus closer to them if they don’t tell anyone about him. Or, at least, they will not have to face judgment, criticism or questions they don’t know how to answer.

But “this won’t do,” the pope said. Good news is meant to be shared.

Thinking of the women disciples, Pope Francis asked people in the square, “When was the last time you witnessed to Jesus?” and he prayed that Mary would “help us be joyful proclaimers of the Gospel.”

 

The Most Reverend James C. Timlin, D.D., eighth Bishop of Scranton, died on Easter Sunday morning, April 9, 2023, at Marywood Heights in Scranton. He was 95.

The native son of Scranton was ordained a Bishop on Sept. 21, 1976, and on June 7, 1984, became the first man born within the Diocese of Scranton to serve as its shepherd.

Timlin was born in the High Works section of Scranton on Aug. 5, 1927, son of the late James C. and Helen Norton Timlin, members of Holy Rosary Parish in the Providence section of Scranton.

Bishop Timlin received his early education at Saint John the Evangelist Elementary School in South Scranton and graduated from Holy Rosary High School, North Scranton. He began his studies for the priesthood at Saint Charles College, Catonsville, Md., and Saint Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, before enrolling in the North American College in Rome.

Bishop Timlin was ordained to the priesthood in Rome by Scranton native Archbishop Martin J. O’Connor, then-rector of North American College, on July 16, 1951. Following his ordination, he continued his studies in theology in Rome before returning to his home Diocese, at which time he was appointed assistant pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Pittston, in 1952.

On June 12, 1953, the future Bishop was assigned to the Cathedral Parish of Saint Peter, Scranton, where he served as assistant pastor until Sept. 12, 1966, when he was named assistant chancellor of the Diocese and secretary to the Most Rev. J. Carroll McCormick, sixth bishop of Scranton.

Bishop Timlin was elevated to the rank of Monsignor when he was named a Prelate of His Holiness by Pope Paul VI on April 23, 1972.

He served as chairman of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and the Priests’ Education Committee, as well as librarian and secretary at Saint Pius X Seminary in Dalton. On July 26, 1972, he was appointed to the Diocesan Board of Consultors, and on May 30, 1975, was elected president of the Board of Directors of The Catholic Light diocesan newspaper.

Named Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton on Aug. 3, 1976, Bishop Timlin received his episcopal ordination in the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Sept. 21, 1976, when he also began his duties as Vicar General of the Diocese. He would serve a five-year term as Episcopal Moderator of the National Association of Holy Name Societies and, as Auxiliary Bishop, was appointed as pastor of Nativity of Our Lord Parish, South Scranton, on Sept. 4, 1979.

Bishop John J. O’Connor, seventh bishop of Scranton and future Cardinal Archbishop of New York, appointed Bishop Timlin chairman of the Saint Pius X Seminary Board of Advisors and chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Diocesan Synod on July 28, 1983.

Upon Bishop O’Connor’s transfer to the Archdiocese of New York in March of 1984, Bishop Timlin was elected Apostolic Administrator by the Diocesan Board of Consultors. He was appointed eighth bishop of Scranton by His Holiness, Pope Saint John Paul II, on April 24, 1984, and was installed on June 7 of that year.

Bishop Timlin’s 19-year episcopacy as Shepherd of the Scranton See — the second-longest thus far in Diocesan history — saw the Scranton native son preside over the grand celebrations commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Diocese of Scranton in 1993.

Bishop Timlin has served as a member of the National Advisory Council and the Administrative Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Chairman of Region III of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also served a five-year term as President of the Institute for Religious Life, and was appointed by Pope Saint John Paul II to the Synod of Bishops on Consecrated Life in 1994.

Bishop Timlin served a ten-year term as Episcopal Liaison to the Civil Aviation Apostolate, and as a consultant to the Bishop’s Committee on Migration. He also served as Chairman of the Roman Catholic-Polish National Catholic Dialogue and as a consultant to the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

With his 75th birthday looming on the horizon in 2002, Bishop Timlin, as required by Canon Law, submitted his resignation to the Holy See. Publication of the acceptance of the resignation by the Holy Father occurred on July 25, 2002, and five days later, the Diocesan Board of Consultors elected the Bishop as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese.

He would fulfill the administrative duties until Sept. 30, 2003, the day before his successor, Bishop Joseph F. Martino, was installed as the ninth bishop of Scranton in the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

While holding the title of Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Timlin was appointed administrator of Saint Joseph Church in Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 4, 2004, and on July 6, 2004, he assumed new duties as rector of Villa Saint Joseph, the home for retired priests of the Diocese in Dunmore.

In addition to his parents, Bishop Timlin was preceded in death by his sisters, Patricia Timlin Duffy and Eleanor Timlin; aunts Margaret Timlin McAndrew, Frances Timlin Walsh Langan and Catherine Timlin Jenkins; a niece, Mary Catherine Duffy Bell Lucker; and several cousins. Surviving are several great-nieces, great-nephews and cousins.

At Bishop Timlin’s request, a private viewing for family members and the celebration of Vespers will take place on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Public visitation for Bishop Timlin will be held on Tuesday, April 18, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, 315 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, Pa., from 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. A Pontifical Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, directly following at 2 p.m.

Interment will be in Cathedral Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton or the Diocese of Scranton Catholic Schools Scholarship Foundation.

In response to learning of the passing of Bishop Timlin, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, said the following:

“On behalf of the priests, deacons, religious and laity of the Diocese of Scranton, I extend my sympathy, condolences and prayers to Bishop Timlin’s family and friends,” Bishop Bambera said. “Bishop Timlin was a prayerful man devoted to serving the faithful of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania as a priest and bishop for more than 70 years. May God grant Bishop Timlin the gift of eternal life and give consolation to all those who loved and respected him.”

The Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia, also released a statement regarding the death of Bishop Timlin:

“I was saddened to learn of the death of Most Reverend James C. Timlin, D.D., Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, on Easter Sunday. In the name of the Church of Philadelphia, I extend prayerful condolences to Bishop Timlin’s family and friends as well as the priests, religious, and lay faithful of the Diocese of Scranton. May God grant Bishop Timlin the gift of eternal life and give peace and consolation to all those who mourn his passing.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Easter is the time “to roll away the stone of the tombs in which we often imprison our hope and to look with confidence to the future, for Christ is risen and has changed the direction of history,” Pope Francis said as he celebrated the Easter Vigil Mass.

“The power of Easter summons you to roll away every stone of disappointment and mistrust,’ the pope said in his homily at the Mass April 8. “The Lord is an expert in rolling back the stones of sin and fear.”

Pope Francis inscribes a cross on the Paschal candle at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 8, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

The liturgy began in the back of St. Peter’s Basilica, rather than in the atrium as usual, with the blessing of the fire and the lighting of the Easter candle.

As the procession further into the darkened basilica and candles were lighted from the Paschal candle, Deacon Zane Langenbrunner chanted, “Lumen Christi” (“the light of Christ”) three times. The deacon, a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College, is preparing for ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.

Despite the glow of cellphone screens, the basilica became increasingly brighter as the 8,000 people in the congregation lighted their candles as well.

Once Pope Francis in his wheelchair, all the concelebrants, the altar servers and two Swiss Guards were in place, Deacon Langenbrunner chanted the solemn Easter proclamation, the Exsultet.

During the Mass, Pope Francis baptized eight people: three people from Albania, two from the United States – Auriea Harvey and Francis X. Phi – and one each from Nigeria, Italy and Venezuela.

Pope Francis baptizes Auriea Harvey, a woman from the United States, during the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 8, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Two deacons carried the baptismal font to the pope and held it in front of him during the rite so that he could baptize the men and women without having to walk or stand, something he does with difficulty.

Pope Francis also confirmed the eight adults and gave them their first Communion during the Easter Vigil.

While Pope Francis presided over the two-and-a-half-hour Mass, Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was the main concelebrant at the altar.

In his homily, the pope focused on the Gospel story of the women going to Jesus’ tomb, “bewildered and dismayed, their hearts overwhelmed with grief at the death that took away their beloved.”

In the life of faith, he said, “sometimes we too may think that the joy of our encounter with Jesus is something belonging to the past, whereas the present consists mostly of sealed tombs: tombs of disappointment, bitterness and distrust” or of thinking “things will never change.”

People get weary or feel helpless when confronted with evil, or they see relationships torn apart, injustice or corruption go unchecked, he said. “Then too, we may have come face to face with death, because it robbed us of the presence of our loved ones or because we brushed up against it in illness or a serious setback.”

“In these or similar situations, our paths come to a halt before a row of tombs, and we stand there, filled with sorrow and regret, alone and powerless, repeating the question, ‘Why?'” the pope said.

But the Gospel says Jesus’ women disciples did not stand frozen before the tomb. Rather, he said, they run to the disciples “to proclaim a change of course: Jesus is risen and awaits them in Galilee.”

Pope Francis often speaks of the post-Resurrection call to go to Galilee. At the Easter Vigil, he said it is a call to leave the “upper room” where the disciples were hiding in fear and to set out on a mission.

But, he said, it is also a call back to the origins of their relationship with Jesus because they met him in Galilee and began following him there.

The call to go back to Galilee, he said, “asks us to relive that moment, that situation, that experience in which we met the Lord, experienced his love and received a radiantly new way of seeing ourselves, the world around us and the mystery of life itself.”

For each person, he said, Galilee “is the ‘place’ where you came to know Jesus personally, where he stopped being just another personage from a distant past, but a living person: not some distant God but the God who is at your side, who more than anyone else knows you and loves you.”

As an Easter exercise, Pope Francis asked people to think back to a time when they experienced the love of Jesus, when they heard God’s word speak directly to them or when they felt “the great joy” of forgiveness after going to confession.

“Each of us knows the place of his or her interior resurrection, that beginning and foundation, the place where things changed,” the pope said. “We cannot leave this in the past; the Risen Lord invites us to return there to celebrate Easter. Remember your Galilee. Remind yourself.”

“Remember the emotions and sensations,” he suggested; “see the colors and savor the taste of it.”

Rolling away “every stone of disappointment and mistrust,” the pope said, “let each of us return to his or her own Galilee, to the place where we first encountered him. Let us rise to new life.”

ROME (CNS) – Jesus never abandons anyone; he has come to save, serve and accompany everyone, Pope Francis told young inmates.

“If we listened to these (lessons) from Jesus, life would be so wonderful because we would rush to help one another instead of ripping off each other, taking advantage of each other like wise guys teach us,” he said in his homily during Mass at Rome’s Casal del Marmo prison for minors.

Helping others and lending a hand are “human, universal gestures, but they come from a noble heart. And Jesus today with this celebration wants to teach us this: nobility of the heart,” he said during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper April 6.

Pope Francis washes the foot of an inmate during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Rome’s Casal del Marmo prison for minors, April 6, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Less than one week after he was discharged from the hospital for a respiratory infection, Pope Francis presided over the Mass and washed the feet of 12 young people of different nationalities, ethnicities and faiths, including a Muslim and two women, who are housed at the juvenile detention facility.

He entered and exited the chapel in a wheelchair and the pope’s master of liturgical ceremonies, Msgr. Diego Giovanni Ravelli, was the main celebrant at the altar.

However, during the rite of the foot washing, the pope stood and moved before the 12 inmates who were seated on a raised platform, like other years, so the pope did not have to kneel or stoop to gently wash, dry and kiss each foot.

The ceremony of washing another’s feet “is not something folkloric,” he said, explaining the ritual. It is a gesture that shows “how we are to be with one another.”

The pope talked about the worry or fear of not being worthy of such a gesture since “each of us can say, ‘But if the pope knew the things I have inside me…’. But Jesus knows about it, and he loves us as we are, and he washes the feet of each one of us.”

“Jesus is never frightened by our weaknesses, he is never frightened because he has already paid (for our sins),” Pope Francis said. “He only wants to accompany us, he wants to take us by the hand so that life will not be so hard for us.”

It is hard to see so many people in the world taking advantage of others, to see how many people are trapped in a situation with no way out, to see so many injustices and broken families, he said.

If anyone has avoided serious hardship, it is not because they are better than others, he said, “it’s because of God’s grace!”

“Every one of us can slip, each one of us. And this awareness, this certainty that each one of us can slip is what gives us the ‘dignity’ — listen to this word — the ‘dignity’ of being sinners,” the pope told the inmates. “And Jesus wants us that way and that’s why he wanted to wash our feet an say, ‘I have come to save you, to serve you.'”

Held in the prison’s small chapel, the Mass was the second of two Holy Thursday liturgies over which the pope presided, the first being a morning chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Casal del Marmo prison for minors was the same facility the pope visited 10 years ago, just 15 days after his election, when he broke with a papal Holy Week tradition of celebrating the evening Mass at a Rome basilica. The prison holds inmates who are between the ages of 15 and 25, although all were minors at the time of their sentencing.

Since becoming pope, he has chosen other prisons and different places for the ritual, like a rehabilitation center for people with severe physical disabilities and a center for migrants and refugees.

After the Mass, the pope blessed a plaque for the chapel that was dedicated to Blessed Pino Puglisi, an outspoken anti-Mafia priest in Palermo, Sicily, who was assassinated in 1993.

The pope greeted a number of young inmates who also gave him several gifts made in the prison: a wooden cross, cookies and pasta. The pope also distributed rosaries and chocolate eggs to some of the nearly 100 people at the Mass, including inmates, corrections officers and prison staff.


Dear Friends,

“Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.”

These words from Saint Matthew’s gospel proclaimed during the great Vigil of Easter, confronted the first followers of Jesus on the day of His resurrection and boldly affirmed God’s promise to save his people.

Despite such powerful words of faith that we read in the scriptures and proclaim whenever we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist, the reality of life at times can consume us with grief, pain and fear. These days are no exception.

Mary Magdalene is depicted with the resurrected Christ in this icon at the Haifa Melkite Cathedral in Israel. Easter, the chief feast in the liturgical calendars of all Christian churches, commemorates Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Easter is celebrated April 9 this year. (OSV News artwork/Haifa Melkite Cathedral, Bridgeman Images)

From devastating earthquakes in Syria and Ecuador – to tornadoes that ravaged parts of Mississippi, Arkansas and far too many areas of our land – to once unimaginable school shootings that continue to shatter the security and peace that every child should enjoy – to a senseless war in Ukraine that has raged on for more than a year, leaving death, destruction and shattered dreams in its wake – to our own stories of loss – the scope of suffering and pain that has enveloped our world and our lives is difficult to comprehend.

And so as we have done countless times before in the face of such heartbreak, these sacred days of Holy Week and Easter beckon us to turn to the only place that enables our broken world and lives to find forgiveness, healing, hope and peace: the Paschal Mystery – the Easter miracle – the promise won for us through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus!

But how does a mystery fraught with suffering and death provide us with hope?

In his recently published work, Touch the Wounds, the Czech theologian and priest Tomas Halik writes, “there is no other path or other gate to God than that which is opened by a wounded hand and pierced heart.” The author goes on to reflect upon the depth of Jesus’ love that led him to suffer and to bear the ills of us all, even unto his death on the cross. “Such love represents a force, the only force that survives death itself and overturns its gates with pierced hands.” Halik concludes that in resurrecting the doubting apostle Thomas’ faith by letting him touch his wounds, Jesus was telling him – and us – that “it is where you touch human suffering, and maybe only there, that you will realize that I am alive, that ‘it’s me.’ You will meet me wherever people suffer. Do not shy away from me in any of those meetings. Do not be afraid. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Brothers and sisters, for all that we have experienced throughout the journey of our lives – in joy and gladness, and yes, even in suffering, death and in the many wounds that we have endured – the grace of God does not disappoint! Jesus is risen and lives among us, lifting us from the burdens of this world and carrying us to new life!

As bishop of this great local church of the Diocese of Scranton, I am profoundly touched by the example of your lives. In the midst of all that life unfolds, you continue to live your faith and fulfill the promises of your Baptism. You continue to serve your brothers and sisters. You continue to derive hope from a living relationship with the risen Jesus.

During this Holy Week, I pray that we will all come to appreciate more deeply than ever the fact that we are indeed blessed in more ways than we might believe or imagine. May we hold in our hearts the catechumens and candidates from throughout the Diocese of Scranton who will be baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and presented for full communion in the Catholic Church. May we trust in God’s promise to sustain us and dispel our deepest fears. Moreover, may we open our hearts to the risen Jesus and allow him to fill them with his love and peace.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Faithfully yours in the Risen Christ,

Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, celebrates the Chrism Mass on April 4, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton with priests, deacons and laity from around the Diocese of Scranton. (Photos/Mike Melisky)

 

SCRANTON — A brilliant spring afternoon was matched by the radiant joy emanating from the Cathedral of Saint Peter for the celebration of the Diocese of Scranton’s Chrism Mass on April 4, 2023 – Tuesday of the holiest week of the Christian calendar year.

While the heavens provided a most comfortable day for the venerable gathering, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, as principal celebrant and homilist, warmly welcomed to the Mother Church of the Diocese the hundreds of worshippers of all ages who turned out for the annual Eucharistic liturgy concelebrated by the priests ministering in the 11-county local Church.

The traditional Holy Week observance and gathering of the priests of the Diocese — customarily the largest of its kind each year — celebrates their clerical brotherhood and shared divine vocation.

During the Mass, priests and deacons, along with lay representatives from Diocesan parishes, acknowledge the Bishop’s role as the unifying symbol for Church governance and pastoral guidance.

All of the priests also recommit themselves to their office by renewing the promises they made on the day of their ordination to the priesthood, including their vow of obedience to the Bishop.

Before saying the Prayer of Consecration of the Chrism Oil, Bishop Bambera breathes upon the opening of the vessel.

Father Paschal Mbagwu, who serves as administrator of Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pocono Pines, said prior to the liturgical celebration, “The Chrism Mass is so important since it shows the unity and communion in the Church. It is very symbolic of the oneness Christ prayed for under one shepherd — our Bishop.”

Holding to age-old tradition, the Mass is highlighted by the blessing of the Holy Oils used during the conferral of sacraments throughout the Church year. They include the Sacred Chrism, the Oil of the Sick, and the Oil of Catechumens, which are used in the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, the Anointing of the Sick, and the Rites of the Catechumenate.

As he joins Bishop Bambera in celebrating his 40th anniversary of ordination this year, Father Don Williams, pastor of Saint Matthew Parish, Stroudsburg, noted, “By being here today we bring everything together in this beautiful gathering of clergy, deacons, women and men religious, and laity.”

Father Williams continued by emphasizing the importance of the renewal of priestly vows that the Chrism Mass affords the concelebrants.

“It is always very special how the blessed oils go out to the four corners of the Diocese with the priests, who are sent forth to return to their parishes for the Sacred Triduum and the celebration of Easter,” he added.

In addressing the faithful during his homily, Bishop Bambera implored all to heed Jesus’ words from Saint Luke’s Gospel that had just been proclaimed: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.”

“The good news for us, brothers and sisters, is that the same Spirit that set Jesus apart for mission during his inaugural address in the synagogue of Nazareth rests upon us as well,” the Bishop imparted. “We are not alone on this journey. Every experience, no matter how hopeful or challenging, is an opportunity for growth and a deepening of God’s life within us.”

Among the lay faithful in attendance was Jennifer Dunn, a member of Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish in Wilkes-Barre, who arrived early to participate in her first Chrism Mass.

“I am here to support the Diocese and our pastor, Father Richard Cirba, who has done so much for our parish and our community,” she said. “I’m honored to be here to support our Bishop. It is really humbling to be in the presence of all these great priests.”

Currently in his second year of formation for the Permanent Diaconate program, Frank Fanelli of Lackawaxen was invited, along with his wife Nancy, to be at their first Chrism Mass last year. “This Mass is just so impressive,” he said. “Even if we weren’t invited we would be coming back this year.”

Nancy added, “We’re just so honored and privileged to be here for such a great celebration, with all of the beautiful music.”

Sara Jenkins of Larksville and a parishioner at All Saints Parish, Plymouth, remarked, “It is really impressive to be able to see all the priests of the Diocese come together as one. It’s always great to experience the loud round of applause they receive on their way out of the Cathedral after Mass.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – During Lent this year, residents of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lives, decided to clean out their closets and give away things other people could use. “You can’t imagine how much stuff there was,” the pope said.

Leading his weekly general audience April 5, the pope said Holy Week is the perfect time to simplify one’s life and let go of things, especially of wounds, sin and past offenses that keep one from living in hope.

“Look at the wardrobe of your soul: How many useless things do you have, how many silly illusions?” he asked.

Pope Francis said that in his “other diocese,” Buenos Aires, when he would go around the city — “now I can’t do that because they won’t let me” — he would look at people’s faces and always was struck by how many seemed sad or completely distracted, “without peace, without hope.”

Pope Francis greets a young woman as he rides in the popemobile in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican during his weekly general audience April 5, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

So, he said, the sadness and disappointment of Jesus’ disciples after his arrest and death are completely understandable to most people.

People wonder, “Why is there so much evil in the world – look, there is evil in the world. Why do inequalities continue to increase and why is that long-awaited peace not arriving? Why are we so attached to war, to hurting one another?” the pope said. “And there is the feeling that times gone by were better and that in the world, perhaps even in the church, things are not going the way they once were.”

Such thoughts, he said, are signs that “hope sometimes seems to be sealed behind the stone of mistrust” just as Jesus was sealed behind the stone of his tomb.

For Jesus’ disciples, then and now, the cross is the key to restoring hope.

The cross, “the most terrible instrument of torture,” is the greatest sign of God’s love, he said. “Having become the tree of life, that wood of death reminds us that God’s beginnings often begin with our ends.”

“In the black holes of our disappointed expectations,” the pope said, God’s love fills believers with a hope that never disappoints.

With the hope born of the cross, he said, people can be “healed of the sadness with which we are sick, be healed of the bitterness with which we pollute the church and the world.”

Through Jesus’ wounds God heals sinful humanity, Pope Francis said.

“We, too, are wounded; who isn’t wounded in life?” he said. “Who does not bear the scars of past choices, of misunderstandings, of hurts that stay inside and that we struggle to overcome?”

“God does not hide from our eyes the wounds that have pierced his body and soul. He shows them to show us that a new passage can be opened at Easter: to make of one’s wounds holes of light,” the pope said, before imagining someone responding, “But, Your Holiness, don’t exaggerate.”

Pope Francis told the crowd it was not an exaggeration.

“I ask you, what do you do with your wounds, the ones that only you know? You can let them fester in resentment, in sadness, or I can unite them with Jesus’ wounds, so that my wounds also become bright,” he said.

“Yes, our wounds can become springs of hope when, instead of feeling sorry for ourselves or hiding them, we dry the tears shed by others,” the pope said.

The choice, he said, is either to “lick my own wounds” or to reach out “to heal, to help others.”

At the end of the audience, Pope Francis asked people to spend time in Holy Week praying for the conversion of those who foment war.

And, thinking of Mary standing at the foot of the cross, he prayed for “the mothers of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers who have fallen in the war. They are mothers of dead sons. Let us pray for these mothers.”

SCRANTON – The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, has announced that parishes may once again resume the practice of distributing the Precious Blood to the faithful at Masses beginning with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 6, 2023.

For the last three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the distribution of the Precious Blood at Mass had been suspended out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and safety of the faithful.

In making his announcement, Bishop Bambera stressed that resuming the practice of distributing the Precious Blood to the faithful is at the discretion of the pastor, administrator or parish life coordinator.

Altar wine is is seen in this 2019 file photo. (CNS photo/Philippe Vaillancourt, Presence)

Not every parish may be ready to immediately resume this practice and Communion from the chalice was optional even before the pandemic. Some parishes may feel it is better to reintroduce the Precious Blood from the chalice gradually or even wait until after flu season is completely over.

As always, it is the choice of each individual whether to receive under both forms or under one form only. Those who receive under only one species are not deprived in any way of the fullness of the Lord’s Presence.

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has also announced that its parishes may begin offering the Precious Blood at Masses beginning Holy Thursday as well.

Many other dioceses – including Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Youngstown, Ohio – have already lifted this restriction and have not seen any significant increases in viral transmission.

SCRANTON – Throughout the Diocese of Scranton’s 155-year history, teaching the Catholic faith to its young people has been one of its most fundamental missions.

To ensure Catholic school education will continue for decades to come, the Diocese of Scranton is launching “Our Faith. Our Students. Our Future.” – a new strategic growth planning process.

The process will build upon the many successes the 19 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Scranton have seen over the last few years and proactively address challenges along the way.

“As we examine our current state, we are poised and ready for this planning process and see it as an opportunity to make our extraordinary Catholic school education in the Diocese of Scranton available for generations to come,” Kristen Donohue, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said.

Over the last several years, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Scranton have distinguished themselves in several different ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students, families, educators, administrators and priests worked together to be innovative and became a benchmark for other schools to follow.

“In the safest learning environment possible, schools not only opened their doors for in-person education, but did so with compassion,” Donohue continued. “We continued to focus on allowing each student the opportunities to grow to his/her God-given potential. We continued to monitor academic growth through regular assessments, using this data to provide responsive and appropriately rigorous, differentiated instruction.”

It is from this position of strength that Diocesan Catholic schools will plan for the future.

“I am hopeful that when this process is complete, we won’t simply set goals and objectives for our 19 schools for the next five or 10 years,” the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to continue to make Catholic education affordable and accessible to a new generation of students who we will welcome into our schools.”

Bishop Bambera is hopeful the strategic growth planning process will give everyone a voice in shaping the future. Whether it is through surveys, interviews, working groups or simply praying for the planning process, the bishop is hopeful everyone will participate.

“I want to stress that we are not going into this process with some preconceived ideas or plans to change or to reorganize our system. We did that already,” Bishop Bambera added. “Instead, we need to assess the current reality, we need to define what our priorities are and we need to continue to do everything we can to develop a strong, financially sustainable vision for our Catholic schools allowing them to remain vibrant and strong.”

For the last two years, enrollment in many Catholic schools has increased, so one of the challenges ahead is examining best practices for recruitment and retention of students and school families in order to continue seeing increases in enrollment.

Likewise, overall financial stability, addressing aging infrastructure, and recruiting and retaining dedicated teachers and administrators will be critical.

“We need to face our challenges with the same strength, creativity and confidence seen throughout the past four years,” Donohue noted.

The areas of focus for the strategic growth planning process will align with the National Standards and Benchmarks of Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools: vibrant Catholic identity; academic excellence; governance, leadership and engagement; and operational vitality and financial stability.

The timeline for “Our Faith. Our Students. Our Future” will be divided into phases and take between one and two years to complete. The first phase involves data collection and analysis. The second phase focuses on the development of the strategic plan itself and the third phase involves implementation.

Bishop Bambera said the planning process will allow our Catholic schools an opportunity to grow, learn, change, improve, and move closer to the vision that God has for us.

“It’s important for us to look at where we are, to take this moment and be proactive, to reflect, to think, to pray and to plan for how we can be better – and how we can take where we are – and really carry it into the future,” he said.

Additional information and updates on “Our Faith. Our Students. Our Future” will be available on the Diocese of Scranton website as the process progresses.