VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis asked a group of Italian journalists to shun fake news and a love of scandal, including when covering the Catholic Church and the upcoming assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

This is the official logo for the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Originally scheduled for 2022, the synod will take place in October 2023 to allow for broader consultation at the diocesan, national and regional levels. (CNS photo/courtesy Synod of Bishops)

“Help me to narrate this process for what it really is, leaving behind the logic of slogans and pre-packaged stories,” he asked the group Aug. 26 as he accepted the “È Giornalismo” prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions to journalism.

Pope Francis told the group he realizes how “speaking of a ‘synod on synodality’ may seem something abstruse, self-referential, excessively technical, of little interest to the general public,” but the whole process, which began in 2021 with listening sessions on the local, national and regional levels “is something truly important for the church.”

At a moment in history “when there is much talk and little listening, and when the sense of the common good is in danger of weakening,” he said, “the church as a whole has embarked on a journey to rediscover the word ‘together.'”

All the baptized must “walk together, question together, take responsibility together for communal discernment, which for us is prayer, as it was for the first apostles: this is synodality,” the pope told the group.

The synod assembly Oct. 4-29 at the Vatican, he said, will bring together bishops, priests, religious and laypeople from around the world with the purpose of “listening together, discerning together, praying together.”

With so much of the world experiencing a “culture of exclusion,” the pope said, the church can model a better way, one in which everyone finds a welcome and no one echoes the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke’s Gospel who says, “I thank you, Lord, because I am not like this, I am not like that” rather than thanking God for his gifts.

Pope Francis explained to the group that St. Paul VI reinstituted the Synod of Bishops at the end of the Second Vatican Council “because he realized that in the Western church synodality had disappeared, whereas in the Eastern church they still have this dimension.”

“Please, let us get used to listening to each other, to talking, not cutting someone’s head off over a word,” but rather learning “to listen, to discuss in a mature way.”

“This is a grace we all need in order to move forward. And it is something the church today offers the world, a world so often so incapable of making decisions, even when our very survival is at stake,” Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church, he said, is “trying to learn a new way of living relationships, listening to one another in order to hear and follow the voice of the Spirit.”

“We have opened our doors, we have offered everyone the opportunity to participate, we have taken into account everyone’s needs and suggestions,” he said. “We want to contribute together to building a church where everyone feels at home, where no one is excluded.”

The church is for everyone, he said. “There are no first-, second- or third-class Catholics, no. All together. Everyone. It is the Lord’s invitation.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In the eyes of the world it would appear “absurd” to begin helping the poor and struggling for justice by spending time in adoration before the Eucharist, Pope Francis said, but that is precisely what an Italy-based religious order has been doing for 100 years.

Pope Francis greets members of the Sister Disciples of Jesus in the Eucharist at the end of a meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Aug. 25, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

“In the face of immense needs and with almost no resources at their disposal, what sense did it have to tell the sisters to get on their knees in adoration and reparation,” the pope said Aug. 25 as he joined a celebration of the centenary of the Sister Disciples of Jesus in the Eucharist.

But the practice worked, Pope Francis told the sisters and their collaborators at the meeting in the Vatican audience hall.

The prayers and adoration of the early members of the congregation “generated a contagious force, which soon led them to undertake and promote works of material, cultural and spiritual redemption far exceeding all expectations,” he said.


August 29, 2023

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

Reverend Andrew Amankwaa, from Parochial Vicar, Most Holy Trinity Parish, Susquehanna and Saint Brigid Parish, Friendsville, to Administrator Pro Tem, Most Holy Trinity Parish, Susquehanna and Saint Brigid Parish, Friendsville, effective August 29, 2023.

Reverend Stephen Brenyah, from ministry in the Diocese of Sunyani, Ghana, to Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Anthony and Saint Rocco Parish, Dunmore, effective September 7, 2023.

Reverend Mark J. DeCelles, from Parochial Vicar, Saint Therese Parish, Shavertown, and Saint Frances X. Cabrini Parish, Carverton, to Parochial Vicar, Saint John Neumann Parish and Saint Paul of the Cross Parish, Scranton, effective September 7, 2023.  Father will continue to serve as Associate Director of the Permanent Diaconate.

Reverend Shawn M. Simchock, from Parochial Vicar, Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Kingston, and Holy Family Parish, Luzerne, to Administrator Pro Tem, Saint Ann Parish, Williamsport, effective September 7, 2023.

Reverend Paul Yeboah, from ministry in the Diocese of Sunyani, Ghana, to Parochial Vicar, Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Kingston, and Holy Family Parish, Luzerne, effective September 7, 2023.

DEACON 

Deacon Paul Jennings, to Diaconal Ministry, Saint Lucy Parish, Scranton, effective September 6, 2023.  Deacon Jennings will continue to serve in Diaconal Ministry at Saint Patrick Parish, Scranton.

HARRISBURG – Shortly after the budget was signed last week, the Shapiro Administration announced it would end Pennsylvania’s 30-year contractual relationship with Real Alternatives, an award-winning Pennsylvania Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program. Presently, 83 centers throughout the Commonwealth provide compassionate support services to 13,500 women a year, from the moment they find out they are pregnant through 12 months after the birth of the baby. 

Approximately 60% of the women who come to Real Alternatives considering abortion choose to bring their baby to term.  Also, 84% of women that have been pressured to abort choose to bring their baby to term. Terminating this program will result in an increase in abortions throughout the Commonwealth.

Even though the Shapiro Administration ended the Real Alternatives contract, the legislature must still pass “code bills” which will decide where to spend approximately $1 billion dollars. Those code bills could pass the Senate as early as next week. 

You are asked to contact Senate leadership today and stress that funding for Real Alternatives and the families they serve must be restored. Below are the names and emails of PA Senate Republican leaders and a sample message you can send. 

 

President Pro Tempore Kim Ward

kward@pasen.gov

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman

jpittman@pasen.gov

Senate Majority Appropriations Chairman Scott Martin

smartin@pasen.gov

You can also contact Governor Josh Shapiro’s Office at the following website:

governor.pa.gov/contact

 

SAMPLE EMAIL TO SEND

(You can also add any wording you would like)

In conjunction with the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, I ask that you do whatever you can to help restore full funding to Real Alternatives.

This critical program has served close to 350,000 women through 1.9 million office visits over the past 30 years in Pennsylvania. As a social service program, Real Alternatives DOES NOT – and was never intended to –  provide medical services. Their hundreds of counselors throughout the state instead REFER clients to health services. 

In fact, based on calculations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the program last year benefitted the Commonwealth with $140 million in health cost savings. That was because their clients’ children’s immunizations were up to date. Additionally, $247 million in health costs were saved because their clients received proper prenatal care.

Full funding for this critical program must be maintained. 

Thank you for your help.

 

 

 

SCRANTON – As the Hawaii island of Maui begins to recover from the devastation caused by the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century, Bishop Bambera has invited parishes in the Diocese of Scranton to take up an emergency special collection to address the immediate needs of the affected communities while also planning for long-term recovery efforts. 

A charred boat lies in the scorched waterfront Aug. 9, 2023, after wildfires fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane devastated Lahaina, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. (OSV News photo/Mason Jarvi, handout via Reuters)

The bishop is allowing each pastor to choose an upcoming weekend that works best for parishioners, but has suggested either the weekend of Sept. 2/3 (Labor Day weekend) or Sept. 9/10.

Funds from the emergency collection will be transmitted to the USCCB’s Emergency Disaster Fund and will go directly to help the people of Maui rebuild.

Bishop Bambera shared the words of Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva, who recently said to the Catholic faithful in Hawaii and beyond, “As a community of faith, we are called to come together and provide unwavering support to those who are suffering. It is in times like these that our collective love, faith, and compassion can make a tremendous difference.”

The Boston Archdiocese, the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, are among other U.S. dioceses holding special collections at weekend Masses through August and into early September.

A burned car is seen at the Ho’onanea condominium complex, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2023. Lahaina’s Maria Lanakila Catholic Church was spared from the flames that wiped out most of the surrounding community on the island of Maui, Aug. 8 and 9. (OSV News photo/Jorge Garcia, Reuters)

As of Aug. 22, the Honolulu Star Advertiser confirmed the death toll in Maui had reached at least 115 “as authorities continue working to identify the remains of those killed in Lahaina.”

The Associated Press has reported that the tally of those still unaccounted for varies “widely.” “Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Sunday (Aug. 20) that more than 1,000 remained unaccounted for. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a pre-recorded video on Instagram that the number was 850. And during President Joe Biden’s tour of the devastation (Aug. 21), White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall put it between 500 and 800.”

In his remarks in Lahaina, Biden told the people of Maui, “You’ve shown such absolute, incredible courage, and that’s not hyperbole. I want you to know, on behalf of the United States of America and all the nation, the American people stand with you.”

“From stories of grief, we’ve seen so many stories of hope and heroism, of the aloha spirit. Every emergency responder put their lives on the line for — to save others. Everyday heroes, neighbors helping neighbors, Native Hawaiian leaders offering solace and strength,” he added.

After his remarks, he spent about two hours meeting face-to-face with attendees, according to news reports. The Bidens had paused their summer vacation at Lake Tahoe in Nevada to visit Maui for about six hours.

Biden was criticized by some Maui residents who stood with signs on the motorcade route he took to tour the devastation telling him to go home and demanding more federal disaster relief.

WILKES-BARRE – Faculty, administrators, students and Catholic school families are fondly remembering Mrs. Doreen Dougherty, the principal of Holy Redeemer High School, who passed away on Aug. 20, 2023.

“On behalf of the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System, I wish to extend my sincerest condolences to Dougherty family and to all members of our Holy Redeemer School Family,” Kristen Donohue, Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education/Superintendent of Schools, said in a release sent to school families. ” Doreen had a lasting, positive impact on our Catholic schools and on all who knew her. I ask you to join me in praying for the Dougherty family and friends to find peace and strength during this time of incredible sadness.”

Dougherty, 54, of Shavertown, became principal of Holy Redeemer High School in 2019. She had also served as principal of All Saints Academy in Scranton.

Due to the passing of Mrs. Dougherty, the start of the Holy Redeemer High School academic year is being postponed by one week. 

The first day of school for freshmen will now be Tuesday, Sept. 5. The first full day of school for all students will now be Wednesday, Sept. 6. 

“We are all navigating this tumultuous time in different ways, but together, in God’s grace, we will move forward as one Royal community,” Holy Redeemer Vice Principal Cody Opalka said.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Viewing: Thursday, August 24, 2023

4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Holy Redeemer High School Auditorium

159 S. Pennsylvania Blvd.

Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

Funeral: Friday, August 25, 2023

Second Viewing: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish

116 Hughes Street

Swoyersville, PA 18704

 

Full Obituary for Mrs. Doreen Dougherty

Doreen Suzanne Dougherty, 54, of Shavertown, passed away peacefully Sunday morning, Aug. 20, 2023, at home, surrounded by her loving family.

Born April 15, 1969, in Kingston, Doreen was the daughter of Joseph Lipinski and Elaine Repak Lipinski. She was the valedictorian of Bishop O’Reilly High School, Class of 1987. Doreen continued her education at Marywood College and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a minor in marketing. After graduating, Doreen held multiple positions at WBRE, including programming director.

Following her motto, “Ohana,” meaning “family,” Doreen decided to leave her career to take on her biggest and most fulfilling role: raising her beautiful children. Being heavily involved as a volunteer at her children’s school led her to discover her passion for education. Doreen worked as an instructional aide at Regis Elementary and then Good Shepherd Academy while attending King’s College to earn her teaching certifications. She was later placed at All Saints Academy and continued to develop their Individualized Instruction Program, which always held a special place in her heart.

Always wanting to advance her career in education, Doreen returned to Marywood for her Master of Science degree in school leadership. Her unwavering dedication to Catholic education drove her to become the building principal of All Saints Academy. In the fall of 2019, Doreen was proud to be named the principal of Holy Redeemer High School. Both All Saints Academy and Holy Redeemer High School served as her second homes.

Doreen’s Catholic identity was evident to everyone she met. She was an active member of Holy Trinity Parish, Swoyersville, now consolidated into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. During her youth, she was a church organist and a member of the choir. Doreen became a member of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers and enjoyed attending their Christmas parties and Mother’s Day Teas with her mom, gramma and family. Also, she loved volunteering her time to the church bazaar each summer by running the theme basket stand.

Anyone who knew Doreen, knows family was everything to her. Doreen’s true love is her husband, Robert, with whom she would have celebrated 30 wonderful years of marriage in October. Together they built a beautiful family with four children. Her daughter, Shaina, was her best friend, shopping partner and biggest fan. Doreen inspired Shaina to work in the field of education and to also become a principal. Her sons, Robert and Devin emanate her compassionate nature as they both enter health care professions, ensuring their patients feel the same care and support Doreen radiated. Collin embodies Doreen’s infectious smile and her creative nature. She was proud of his pursuit toward a career in architecture and Collin currently attends Marywood University, like his mother.

Doreen never met a challenge she couldn’t overcome, and her competitiveness shone through in all that she did. She was an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers and enjoyed football Sundays and pizza nights at her parents’ house. Doreen relished in rousing games of Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, Taboo, Parcheesi and more. She didn’t shy away from scaling a rock climbing wall at All Saints Academy or playing dodgeball with the girls’ basketball team at Holy Redeemer. As a former cheerleader, Doreen knew well how to motivate others, tirelessly supporting both her family and school communities academically and athletically. Doreen loved cheering on her All Saints Academy Knights and Holy Redeemer Royals, whether it was a sporting event, musical, award ceremony or talent show. She was driven to ensure every student can reach his or her fullest potential, just as if they were her own children.

She proudly shared a birthday with her father. She looked forward to yearly family vacations at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, where she could be seen reading quietly near the water, collecting shells on the shore, playing soccer tennis on the beach or playing volleyball in the pool with all of her children, nieces and nephews. Doreen loved Christmas and considered it “the most wonderful time of the year.” She filled the Christmas season with many wonderful traditions including baking, decorating the tree, bayberry candles, matching pajamas and making Christmas day dinner for all of her family. She looked forward to curling up on the couch with her puppy, Bandit, to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with a bowl of popcorn.

Doreen was preceded in death by her grandparents, Michael and Margaret Repak; and Joseph and Eleanor Lipinski; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Joseph and Theresa Dougherty.

Left to cherish Doreen’s memory are her husband, Robert, Shavertown; daughter, Shaina Aquilina and her husband, John Patrick, Swoyersville; sons, Robert Dougherty and his wife, Alexis, Drums; Devin Dougherty and Collin Dougherty, both of Shavertown; her parents, Joseph and Elaine Lipinski, Swoyersville; sister, Leane DelBalso and her husband, Pat, and their three children, Patrick, Jillian and Brandon, all of Plains Twp.; brother, Joseph and his wife, Janicemarie and their three children, Joey, Nicholas and Hazel, Swoyersville; uncle, Michael Repak and his wife, Ann Marie, Larksville; Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Kathy, Dublin, Ohio, and their children, Meghan, Joseph and Kyle; John Dougherty and his wife, Kathleen, Kingston, and their children, Kylene, Brianne and John Anthony; Dennis Dougherty, Lake Ariel, and his children, Connor, Dana, and Ian; and Kevin Dougherty, Edwardsville.

Along with numerous great-nieces and great-nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends, Doreen’s constant companion and loyal cuddle buddy, Bandit, will miss her infectious smile and loving presence.

Doreen’s family would like to extend all of our love and heartfelt gratitude to the many doctors, nurses, hospital staff and home health nurses who lovingly cared for her.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Doreen’s viewing which will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Holy Redeemer High School Auditorium, 159 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre.

Funeral services for Doreen will begin with an additional viewing from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 116 Hughes St., Swoyersville, followed by a con-celebrated Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. The Rev. Joseph J. Pisaneschi, her pastor, will be the main celebrant; Monsignor David L. Tressler will serve as homilist; and the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, will convey the Rite of Final Commendation.

Interment with the Rite of Committal will follow in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Swoyersville.

Funeral arrangements for the Dougherty family have been entrusted to the care of Wroblewski Funeral Home Inc., 1442 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort.

To share a message of condolence with Doreen’s family, you may visit the funeral home’s website, www.wroblewskifuneralhome.com, or Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, Doreen’s family asks that you consider making a donation which will be used toward a memorial scholarship fund in her honor. Donations can be made by visiting https://www.luzfdn.org/types-of-funds/ and clicking on the Doreen S. Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Fund or mail your donation to: The Doreen S. Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o The Luzerne Foundation, 34 S. River St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Acknowledging Ukraine’s celebration of Independence Day Aug. 24, Pope Francis pleaded with thousands of visitors at his weekly general audience to keep praying for peace in the country.

Noting that Aug. 24 also is the feast of St. Bartholomew, the apostle, the pope entrusted to him “dear Ukraine, so harshly tried by the war.”

A Ukrainian flag waves in the crowd gathered as Pope Francis recites the rosary with young people who are ill at the Chapel of Apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal, Aug. 5, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

But then departing from his prepared text and looking directly at the crowd in the Vatican audience hall, he said: “Brothers and sisters, let’s pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are suffering so much. The war is cruel. So many children disappeared, so many people dead.”

According to the Ukrainian government’s “Children of War” website, 503 children had been killed as of Aug. 23 and more than 19,500 children have been forcibly taken to Russia.

“Please,” the pope said, “pray. Do not forget tormented Ukraine.”

Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The country had declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

In his weekly video message, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, said that while Ukrainians “give thanks to the Lord God for the precious gift of freedom,” in the context of war “we are gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of freedom, of what it entails to be free individuals, and recognizing that in order to guarantee the right of existence for the Ukrainian people, it is essential to have our own state.”

“The main pillars for building this state include respect for human dignity and the preservation of freedom,” the archbishop said.

“Freedom is a spiritual category. Being free is not limited only to escaping oppression or foreign domination,” he said. “True freedom involves being free for something. We recognize that the highest form of freedom is manifested in love, in the act of sacrificing oneself for God and neighbor.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians must stand firm in their faith but that is not the same as being rigid and unwilling to bend out of compassion for another, Pope Francis said.

God is love and “the one who loves does not remain rigid. Yes, they stand firm, but not rigid; they do not remain rigid in their own positions, but allow themselves to be moved and touched,” the pope said Aug. 20 before reciting the midday Angelus prayer with an estimated 10,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis greets visitors in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican to pray the Angelus Aug. 20, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Among the crowd were 29 seminarians who had just arrived to begin their studies at the Pontifical North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome. Pope Francis gave them a shoutout and wished them “a good formation journey.”

In his main talk, Pope Francis commented on the day’s Gospel reading, Mt 15:21-28, which tells the story of the Canaanite woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter. At first, Jesus brushes her off since she is not Jewish. But he sees her persistent faith and grants her request.

“Later,” the pope said, “the Holy Spirit would push the church to the ends of the world,” but at that point Jesus was preaching to the Jews.

“Faced with her concrete case, he becomes even more sympathetic and compassionate,” the pope said. “This is what God is like: he is love, and the one who loves does not remain rigid.”

“Love is creative,” he said. “And we Christians who want to imitate Christ, we are invited to be open to change.”

In the life of faith and in relationships with others, the pope said, people need to pay attention and to be willing “to soften up in the name of compassion and the good of others, like Jesus did with the Canaanite woman.”

Of course, he said, another aspect of the story is the woman’s strong and insistent faith that Jesus could heal her daughter.

The woman “probably had little or no awareness of the laws and religious precepts” of Judaism, but she draws near to Jesus, prostrates herself and has a “frank dialogue” with him, the pope said.

“This is the concreteness of faith, which is not a religious label but is a personal relationship with the Lord,” he said.

Pope Francis asked people to consider whether they show the compassion and flexibility of Jesus and the bold faith of the Canaanite woman.

“Do I know how to be understanding and do I know how to be compassionate, or do I remain rigid in my position?” he suggested they ask. “Is there some rigidity in my heart, which is not firmness? Rigidity is bad, but firmness is good.”

“Do I know how to dialogue with the Lord? Do I know how to insist with him? Or am I content to recite beautiful formulas?” he continued.

Pope Francis also drew attention to the ongoing conflict in Niger where a military coup overthrew the president in late July and where the bishops have opposed the idea of other countries in the region using their military to restore democracy.

“I join the bishops’ appeal in favor of peace in the country and for stability in the Sahel region,” the pope said. “I accompany with my prayers the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution as soon as possible for everyone’s benefit.”

“Let us pray for the dear people of Niger and let us also pray for peace for all populations wounded by war and violence,” he said. “Let us especially pray for Ukraine, which has been suffering for some time.”

(OSV News) – Suicide, it is sometimes said, is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. But for at least 49,449 Americans during 2022, feelings of distress were so acute they took their own lives.

As CNN recently reported with the release of provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the suicide rate spiked in 2021, reversing two years of decline. And with the continued increase in 2022, rates surpassed the previous record from 2018.”

A suicide prevention sign is pictured on a protective fence on the walkway of the George Washington Bridge between in New York City Jan. 12, 2022. The U.S. is not facing a “suicide epidemic,” as some might term it, but a recent spike in the suicide rate after a decrease for a number of years is alarming and “cause for concern,” say experts. (OSV News photo/Mike Segar, Reuters)

According to the CDC, suicide rates rose 37% between 2000-2018 and decreased 5% between 2018-2020. However, rates nearly returned to their peak in 2021.

“There is no suicide epidemic, as that term is used within epidemiology,” explained David Jobes, a psychology professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, and director of its Suicide Prevention Lab. “Cause for concern? To be sure!”

A story more frequently overlooked, Jobes thinks, is the high number of those who contemplate suicide. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that 2021 survey data indicates for every individual suicide death, about 265 people seriously considered suicide in the previous 12 months.

“If we were better at identifying people with serious ideation and treating them upstream,” said Jobes, “we’d have fewer of them going on to attempt and die by suicide.”

Suicide risk factors cited by the CDC include “racism and discrimination in our society, economic hardship, poverty, limited affordable housing, lack of educational opportunities, and barriers to physical and mental health care access.”

Other factors, the CDC adds, are “relationship problems or feeling a lack of connectedness to others, easy access to lethal means among people at risk, experiences of violence such as child abuse and neglect, adverse childhood experiences, bullying, and serious health conditions.”

Deacon Ed Shoener, president of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, said he wasn’t surprised by the latest CDC figures.

“There’s a misperception out there that people have a rational choice — like Hamlet, ‘To be, or not to be,'” said Deacon Shoener. “Shakespeare used suicide as a plot twist quite often — suggesting that it’s some sort of rational thing. There’s nothing rational about suicide.”

Public attention, emphasized Deacon Shoener, is critical.

“We haven’t placed enough resources into understanding the psychology of suicide — and the mental health issues that go along with it — to be able to get these rates back down,” he said.

“No one wants to die by suicide. I’ve talked to a number of people that have survived the attempt, and they all say — once they’re mentally and psychologically stable — ‘Thank God I didn’t die; I didn’t want to do this,'” Deacon Shoener recalled. “But somehow, their brain gets them to the point where they think it’s the best thing to do — in fact, they think it’s the only thing to do.”

For Deacon Shoener, the pain is personal. In 2016, he lost his own daughter, Katie, to suicide. “This life is not for me,” she wrote in a final note, before turning a gun on herself.

His loss launched Deacon Shoener on a ministry of mental health accompaniment — and his cumulative experience equipped him to suggest ways the Catholic Church can do the same.

Deacon Shoener and Phoenix Bishop John P. Dolan are co-editors of “When a Loved One Dies by Suicide” and its complementary film series, “Responding to Suicide: A Pastoral Handbook for Catholic Leaders” (Ave Maria Press).

“The church’s role in mental health, mental illness and even suicidality, is to reassure people Christ is with them in the midst of their struggles,” Deacon Shoener said. “Just like when someone’s living with cancer, or multiple sclerosis, we can’t make these physical illnesses go away. But what we can do is reassure people Christ is with them; that he understands their suffering.”

And the church can help dissolve the sting of stigma.

“The church can guide people, and reassure them it is a gift from God to go get mental healthcare. You’re not a bad Catholic if you go see a therapist or a counselor, or take psychiatric drugs,” Deacon Shoener stressed. “That’s a gift from God, too.”

Like Deacon Shoener, Marian Father Chris Alar, a provincial superior of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, has known the shock of a loved one suddenly taking their life.

“Using a small handgun that was kept in the house for protection, my grandmother shot herself in the bathroom and lay in a pool of blood for what authorities estimated to have been about two hours,” Father Alar wrote in the book he co-wrote with fellow Marian Father Jason Lewis, “After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and You” (Marian Press).

“The main reason Father Jason Lewis and I wrote the book was to educate and provide a pastoral aid for people who were despairing of their lost loved ones because they had always learned if you take your own life, you are automatically damned to hell,” Father Alar shared. “That is not church teaching — surprising to some — because the only way we lose our soul is to die in an unrepentant state of mortal sin.”

The Catholic Church teaches that for a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be present: grave matter; knowledge that an act is a sin; and free will.

While Father Alar is convinced most people know suicide is both a grave matter and a sin, “it is the third condition we have to look at — you must have complete free will, and want to choose it. Now my grandmother, in taking her life, I know for a fact did not have free will,” he reflected. “She didn’t want to take her life. She was struggling for years with the most intense pain and suffering that she fought, and fought, and fought. And I know God knows she tried to fight the pain and the suffering. She just couldn’t take it anymore.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of. … We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.”

Father Alar stressed God’s compassion is not a basis for presumption. Suicide, he emphasized, is “a very serious sin. It’s never the answer; we can never justify it. But we can have hope in the mercy of God that there is a way for them to still be saved.”

He also agrees with Deacon Shoener that more needs to be done.

“The church is finally learning mental health is a major influence on our spiritual life,” Father Alar observed. “We need to talk to our pastors…We need our people to go to their bishops and dioceses, and request support services for the grieving and for mental health,” said Father Alar. “This is something people need to ask their bishops for.”

Sister Kathryn J. Hermes — a Pauline nun and author of “Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach” (Pauline Books & Media) — suggests that an immersive homiletic practicum for seminarians could help them realize the impact of their words upon those struggling with mental illness.

“You give a homily,” she imagined, “and in your assembly is someone who’s suicidal; someone who’s manic depressive; someone who’s been abused — a variety of individuals who represent the people you will have in your parish one day. And after you give your homily, you sit down and hear from each one of those people what they heard,” said Sister Hermes. “How do you hold together the truth, and the pastoral reality?”

The goal, said Sister Hermes, isn’t for everyone to become a therapist, but to realize the impact language and actions can have for those struggling with mental health issues.

“Does the parish even see them?” Sister Hermes asked. “People are putting on their Sunday clothes and going to Mass, and they’ve got it together for the time they’re in public — but has anyone touched the depth of the pain? They don’t even realize how much this is needed.”

18 August 2023
Mass of Christian Burial
Ellen Harding Casey
(1932-2023)
Cathedral of St. Peter
Funeral Homily of Msgr. Joseph G. Quinn

            The closing words of the Gospel you just heard proclaimed are indeed a succinct statement of the lifetime philosophy of the ever amazing and truly remarkable Ellen Harding Casey.

            First spoken by Jesus to His original disciples some two thousand years ago …. and to us, His current day disciples… listen to those words again as we all reflect upon the life of the good woman whose extraordinary ways bring us all together this day: “Rejoice And Be Glad, For Your Reward In Heaven Will Be Great.”

            Ellen Casey knew the truth of those divine words … and she lived them out each and every day of her life over the course of her ninety-one year journey homeward.

            And because she did that …. and did it so graciously, kindly and compassionately, we come together this day to mourn her death, pray for her eternal peace and perhaps most importantly, reflect upon the wisdom of her heart and the countless lessons to be learned from her blessed and graced life.

            Before we proceed and do that, however, I just wanted to let you know that our dear shepherd, Bishop Bambera, deeply regrets not being able to be present for today’s funeral Mass. He is recovering from a medical procedure and asked that I share these, his words, with you:

“To Mrs. Casey’s beloved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren … as well as her relatives and friends… please know of my sympathy and prayers. You lost the heart of your family and we lost a devoted public servant, a gracious presence in our community, a defender of human life and a woman of deep faith. May God give her rest and may you, her dear family, know God’s peace.” 

            And then there are the words of the President of the United States…. Scranton-native Joseph Biden … who so kindly made his way to this very Cathedral yesterday to express his heartfelt sympathy.  In his own words, he noted:

            “I’ve often said that everything important I learned in life I learned in Scranton and you don’t have to look any further than Ellen Casey to know why. To spend just a few minutes with Ellen was to get a lifetime’s education in Scranton values: Honesty. Decency. Integrity. Character.  They were non-negotiable. It was who she was.

            Kindness was not a sign of weakness. It was a sign of strength. And no one was more kind (… than Ellen.)  …  Family always came first. But life was about serving others. …  She and Bob raised their eight children with these values passing along a (spirit of) devotion to family and (of always) serving others.” 

            And when one does truly live one’s life in that spirit  – as both Ellen and her beloved Spike always did – one can indeed “Rejoice And Be Glad”….Confident That “Your Reward In Heaven Will Be Great.”

            Some five centuries before Christ would walk the face of the earth, a young writer now simply known as “David” gave us the Old Testament “Book of Psalms” with its 150 psalms or prayers  reflecting upon many of the same issues that all of humanity has always struggled with in the course of our journey of life. Wrestling with issues re the ultimate meaning of life. Pondering how it is we are to deal with each other. Prayers that focus on the issues and concerns we all have in one way or another in our often restless search for the inner calm we all need… that which is called “God’s Peace.”

            Perhaps the 90th Psalm sums it up best of all when these words were written down: “Lord… maybe you give us 70 years. 80 if we are strong. And many of these are filled with emptiness and pain. So, Lord, teach us the shortness of our days that we might live them with wisdom of heart.”

            And isn’t that what we all find ourselves pondering this morning as we reflect upon the life of this ever kind and modest, gracious ad elegant, pleasant and selfless woman of God?  Isn’t our time together this morning intended by God for all of us to pause and remember how she made it through all the many chapters and challenges of her life’s journey?  Shouldn’t we all be thinking right now about the genuine “Wisdom of Heart” that was seen consistently in the life and love that marked her long earthly pilgrimage homeward?

            And if we did indeed do that, I think that with God’s graces at work in our lives, we would readily conclude that for Ellen Harding Casey:

  • Coming to know God and learning to live one’s FAITH really does matter;
  • Discerning one’s true purpose in life and committing oneself to intentionally fulfilling it does make a real difference;
  • Remaining genuinely HOPEFUL in what one believes to be God’s purpose for your life DOES aid one in finding the inner calm and joy we all need to move forward one day at a time:
  • And, finally, selflessly sharing one’s LOVE with and for others….. does help to rise to new life and truly understand the “shortness of our days” so as to live them humbly and honestly as did our beloved Ellen Casey.

            Perhaps the great St. Augustine said it best of all when some 1,700 years ago when he noted that “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in you.”

            Said even more succinctly by Ellen’s famous husband, the original Robert P. Casey, in his noteworthy autobiography appropriately entitled “Fighting for Life” when speaking about his remarkable wife and the extraordinary mother of their eight children:

            “It’s amazing to think back on our life and recall how little real planning went into it. (Ellen and I)  never set out with any grand plans for the future. … After the birth of our first child we didn’t say, “Okay, seven more to go.”…  From the start, the only real plan Ellen and followed was that whatever came our way – whatever joys and whatever troubles – we would live them together…”

            And they did. Accepting the many twists and turns of life. Changing what they could and learning to live with the rest.  Always remaining upbeat and hopeful…. Regardless of what happened along the way. Bearing the many crosses in their own lives… but never really complaining. Doing their best to treat everyone equally. They were blessed with good instincts… common sense and genuine humility.  With God’s plentiful graces at work in their lives, they never lost hope nor did they ever allow their great smiles to fade.

            Saint Paul could well have been speaking of Ellen Casey when he said: “Your kindness should be known by all….. Have no anxiety at all. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with a grateful heart, make your requests known to God… and then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

            Bravely, courageously and amazingly they both faced overwhelming health challenges in the course of their lives, but never gave up without extraordinary efforts. They loved life and both did all they could to respect it, protect it and help others persevere. And with their unshakable faith, neither of them ever feared death. Throughout it all, they did indeed “rejoice” and did remain both “grateful and glad” ….. which will always happen when, as they both did, one realizes that we are not here for ourselves…. but here to live our lives in generous fashion “with and for others.”

            On that note, allow me to close with the inspired and challenging words of St. Ignatius of Loyola…. the founder the of the Society of Jesus…. better known as “The Jesuits” who once wrote:

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve You as You deserve;
to give and not count the cost,
to fight and not heed the wounds.
to toil and not seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
except that of knowing that I do Your will. 

            Throughout all of her life, Ellen Harding Casey did precisely that. She lived her life with an endlessly generous heart.

            May she now be reunited with her beloved husband and her ancestors and friends as together they all celebrate the eternal peace and joy of heaven.

Rejoice And Be Glad, Ellen, For Your Reward in Heaven Will Be Great.