SCRANTON – Before the 61st annual Saint Patrick’s Parade took to the streets of downtown Scranton March 11, 2023, hundreds gathered to celebrate their faith and devotion to the patron saint of Ireland at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist for the Parade Day Mass. As he began his homily, the bishop addressed the morning’s weather.

“Not a few of us breathed a sigh of relief this morning as we dodged another proverbial bullet and snowstorm,” Bishop Bambera joked.

Between delays and cancellations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and a nor’easter last year that pushed the parade back a week – coincidentally to the Feast of Saint Joseph – there have been a lot of challenges.

“My theory is the Scranton parade woes made it all the way to the halls of heaven. Neither Saint Joseph nor Saint Patrick were willing to share center stage again, so here we are, just where we belong!” the bishop said to laughter.

Mayor Mark Duffy of Ballina, Ireland, center, participates in the annual Parade Day Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton March 11, 2023. (Photo/Mike Melisky)

During Mass, the bishop also acknowledged two special guests from Ballina, Ireland, in attendance at the Parade Day Mass. Ballina is Scranton’s sister city in Ireland.

“It is incredibly heartwarming to see the welcome that we’ve been given. We’re following the same tracks that our ancestors would have travelled in much more difficult times so it’s a privilege to be here in times of celebration,” Ballina mayor Mark Duffy said.

As the second youngest of 13 kids, Mayor Duffy explained the importance of Saint Patrick in his life. He attended Mass at Saint Patrick’s Church growing up and his home address is Saint Patrick’s Way in Ballina.

He said attending Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter before the parade was “very emotional.”

“Coming in the doors of the church, you see the colors and the life and the vibrancy of this building. It is breathtaking. When you come into this church, to hear the quality of the music and the service and the welcome that the Bishop gave us, it is really a lifetime memory being created,” Mayor Duffy added.

Bishop Bambera also reflected on the importance of Saint Patrick and the legacy he left.

“By his work, Saint Patrick fathered a people and a culture. From a little green island on the edge of the Atlantic, the message of God’s mercy and love was generously shared,” Bishop Bambera stated. “Countless numbers of lives have been touched. Our nation has been blessed. And we are all richer in our faith because of God’s gift of Saint Patrick to our Church and to our world.”

DALTON – Teddy Novak, a senior at Holy Cross High School, first experienced the International Student Leadership Institute (ISLI) as a freshman right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in February 2020.

He had such a good time he knew he wanted to go back. He was thrilled that ISLI was able to make its triumphant return after a three-year hiatus last month.

High school students participate in a small group activity as part of the International Student Leadership Institute on Feb. 17, 2023.

“I had to come back and re-experience it,” he said.

ISLI is a peer-facilitated, faith-based leadership retreat designed by Fr. Thomas Chambers, C.S.C., at the University of Notre Dame. The retreat is designed to help high school students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in both the leadership and membership roles of task-oriented groups.

“We break up into small groups and form circles and have reflective conversations,” Novak explained. “We reflect on who we are right now, who we have been and who we want to be.”

Annie Reilly, a parishioner of Saint Paul Parish in Scranton and freshman at Scranton Preparatory School, attended ISLI for the first time this winter.

“We did a lot of group projects,” she said. “We had a lot of tasks around five main ideas that included support, awareness, self-confidence, positive thinking and values.”

Reilly said the weekend retreat helped her grow in her leadership abilities.
“I came in personally knowing absolutely no one so they really helped me make friendships and meet new people,” she said. “I watched my facilitators and how they led our group. I feel like I’ve grown as a person and definitely as a leader too.”

During the weekend, the students participate in activities that help them learn about positive communication, develop self-motivational skills, learn problem solving, and examine different leadership styles.

The students also celebrate Mass together and participate in Adoration.

“I’m planning on coming again in the summer and coming back next year,” Reilly added. “I’ve already recommended it to multiple friends to come with me during the summer so I definitely recommend it for other people.”

The next ISLI retreat is scheduled to take place from June 20-23 at Marywood University in Lackawanna County.

SCRANTON – As hundreds of people gathered to begin the Lenten season at the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Ash Wednesday, they were reminded of their need for God and encouraged to trust more deeply in God’s merciful presence.

“Saint Matthew, in today’s Gospel, reinforces the words of the prophet Joel and sets forth in practical terms the lifestyle that we are called to embrace as authentic disciples of the Lord Jesus,” the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, said during his homily. “Pray, fast, and give alms in support of the poor. But do so not because such behavior will make us appear to be righteous. Do so because such acts for a Christian are the consequence of faithful lives rooted in Jesus, who teaches us how best to live.”

Bishop Bambera told those who had gathered for the rite of the imposition of ashes that the Lenten journey draws each one of us to the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.

The faithful receive ashes during the 12:10 p.m. Daily Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton
on Feb. 22, 2023. (Photos/Mike Melisky)

“Through baptism, we are brought into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which, in turn, invites us to trust in the power of God more deeply and equips us for mission – the proclamation of the “Good News” of Jesus – and the service of our sisters and brothers,” the bishop explained.

As Pope Francis marked the beginning of Lent at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Sabina, he told the faithful that Lent is the time to let go of the frivolous.

Lent is the time, Pope Francis said, “to proclaim that God alone is Lord, to drop the pretense of being self-sufficient and the need to put ourselves at the center of things, to be the top of the class, to think that by our own abilities we can succeed in life and transform the world around us.”

“How many distractions and trifles distract us from the things that really count? How often do we get caught up in our own wants and needs, lose sight of the heart of the matter, and fail to embrace the true meaning of our lives in this world!” he added.

The faithful receive ashes during the 12:10 p.m. Daily Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton
on Feb. 22, 2023. (Photos/Mike Melisky)

“Lent is a time of truth, a time to drop the masks we put on each day to appear perfect in the eyes of the world,” he said, and to “reject lies and hypocrisy. Not the lies and hypocrisies of others, but our own.”

Pope Francis also asked that the faithful use the 40 days of Lent to: “rediscover the joy, not of accumulating material goods, but of caring for those who are poor and afflicted”; to put God at the center of one’s life and pray and dialogue with him from the heart; and to become free “from the dictatorship of full schedules, crowded agendas and superficial needs, and choose the things that truly matter.”

ROARING BROOK TWP.– Saint Eulalia Parish and Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen are joining forces to make sure no one in the North Pocono area goes hungry.

Starting Feb. 7, 2023, a free community meal is now being hosted in the parish hall of the Roaring Brook Township parish every Tuesday from noon until 12:30 p.m.
The warm, nutritious meal is prepared by Saint Francis Kitchen in Scranton and served by parish volunteers. Each week the meal includes meat, vegetables, fruit salad, garden salad, lemonade and dessert.

“It’s local people serving local people. The kitchen provides the food, the van and the driver and a lot of the material things,” Rob Williams, Executive Director of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, explained. “We send one person from Scranton but they provide 10-12 local volunteers to serve the meal. All of the hospitality and all the meal service happens with local people serving local people.”

Volunteers from Saint Eulalia Parish serve a free, nutritious meal to people in the community on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.

More than sixty volunteers from the parish have stepped forward to help.

“I have been very blessed in my life. Right now is my time to give back,” Donna Caputo, a volunteer from Saint Eulalia Parish, said. “We don’t realize that there are people in our own community who need help and I never really saw that until now.”

The idea for the partnership started when Saint Eulalia parishioners realized that the nearby North Pocono food bank served more than 200 local families a month and nearly 30 percent of students in the public school system receive free or reduced lunches.

“There was just a desire to serve and give,” Rev. David Cramer, Pastor of Saint Eulalia Parish, explained.

Dozens of people have taken advantage of the free meal each Tuesday since the effort launched. Some people come out to help them stretch their food budget while others just enjoy the hospitality and camaraderie.

The free community meal at Saint Eulalia Parish is open to everyone in the community. It is held every Tuesday from noon to 12:30 p.m.

“I think it’s wonderful. It is very kind of the parish to put this on for the people,” Cathy Manley said. “They can’t do enough for you. It is unbelievable. You walk in the door and they greet you. They can’t help you enough.”

“The meals are so great. They are full servings of chicken parmesan. I have never eaten so well,” Katie Babilon added. “The volunteers are really friendly. They really help out. They fill your plate.”

Saint Eulalia Parish is the newest stop for the Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen Community Outreach Program. On Wednesdays, the Kitchen provides 130 meals to Holy Cross Parish in Olyphant and on Thursdays, it provides 170 servings to Saint Rose of Lima Parish and the nearby high rises in Carbondale.

“I love these collaborations with the parishes because it helps us to extend our reach and multiply the impact that we can have,” Williams said.

Saint Eulalia Parish is located at 214 Blue Shutters Road in Roaring Brook Township. If the North Pocono School District cancels or delays classes on any given Tuesday, there will be no meal served.

SCRANTON – Christina Mueller of the Mueller Family McDonald’s presented an $11,500 check to the Diocese of Scranton Scholarship Foundation on March 2, 2023.

The donation was a result of the sixth annual Fry Fundraiser that kicked off National Catholic Schools Week Jan. 29 and ended Feb. 19, 2023. All nineteen Mueller Family McDonald’s participated by donating a portion of every large order of french fries sold during that period. 

The Mueller Family McDonald’s presented a check for $11,500 to the Diocese of Scranton Scholarship Foundation on March 2, 2023. Pictured are, from left: Kristen Donohue, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Superintendent of Catholic Schools; Christina Mueller, Mueller Family McDonald’s; Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.

“We are so happy to be able to partner with the Diocese of Scranton to provide scholarship money for Catholic schools. We couldn’t be happier to be participating. We really enjoyed all of the Activity Nights and the engagement of our restaurants with the schools,” Christina Mueller said.

The Diocese of Scranton Scholarship Foundation helps students in our 19 schools experience a Catholic education and achieve their God-given potential in an academically excellent, safe, and spiritual environment.

With restaurants located in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Shavertown, Mountain Top, Old Forge, Clarks Summit, Dickson City, Eynon, Carbondale, Tunkhannock, Honesdale, Allentown and Bethlehem, the Mueller Family McDonalds restaurants are deeply invested in their communities.

March 15, 2023

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

Reverend Siby John Padinjaredath, C.P., from Parochial Vicar, St. Ann Basilica Parish, Scranton to Ministry with the Passionist Congregation, effective March 3, 2023.

Reverend Brian J.T. Clarke, from Pastor, Christ the King Parish, Archbald to leave of absence due to reasons of health, effective March 14, 2023.

Reverend Seth D. Wasnock, to Administrator pro tem, Christ the King Parish, Archbald.  He will remain Pastor, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Carbondale and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Carbondale,  effective March 14, 2023.

 

Members of Knights of Lithuania Council 143, Pittston, celebrated the feast of St. Casimir with a Mass held on Sunday, March 5 at St. John the Evangelist Church.

A luncheon and Amber District meeting in the Monsignor Bendik Center followed the service.

Pictured are Council 143 members, Amber District officers and clergy, front row, from left to right, Tom Wierbowski, Judy Stodolny, Mary Claire Voveris, Marilyn Fitzgerald, Dennis Palladino, Janet Palladino, Eileen Kelly, Jean Mihalick, Barbara Miller. Second row, from left to right, John Kovaleski, Irene Kovaleski, Mike Loncoski, Cathy Talarico, Rob Kiska, Mary Portelli, June Supey, Sylvia Waxmonsky, Don Waxmonsky, Reverend Joseph Elston, Deacon David Marx, Tom Miller. Third row, from left to right, Greg Wolovich, Jr., Bill Sodnik, Joe Francik. Absent from photo was Camille Stanis.

 

The annual Saint Patrick’s Parade Day Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. All are welcome to attend.

The liturgy is traditionally held in conjunction with the city of Scranton’s annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Following the Mass, the Saint Patrick’s Parade is expected to take to the streets of the Electric City beginning at 11:45 a.m.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will serve as principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass. The Mass will be concelebrated by Rev. Jeffrey D. Tudgay, V.E., Episcopal Vicar for Canonical Affairs and Pastor of the Cathedral of Saint Peter; Rev. Daniel R. Sweeney, S.J.; and priests of the Diocese of Scranton.

The Mass will be broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and will be rebroadcast on Tuesday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, March 15, at 10:30 a.m. It will also be available for viewing on the Diocese of Scranton’s YouTube Channel.

This year marks the 61st Anniversary of the Saint Patrick’s Parade in Scranton.

Saturday’s Mass is being offered in memory of the Most Rev. John M. Dougherty, D.D., Patty Bianche, Michael (Mikey) Castaldi Sr., James Connor, Tom Conway, Bob Foley, Anthony F. (Botch) Hughes, Marty Judge Sr., James “Kuch” Kuchwara, James “Red” McAndrew, Fergal O’Brien, Kathleen Kelly O’Hara, Mary Louise Ruane, Tom Scanlan, Bobby Timlin and Tony Walsh.

Michael J. Cummings, President, Saint Patrick’s Parade Association of Lackawanna County, will serve as lector for the Mass and Gina Pascolini will serve as cantor.

The Offertory gifts will be presented by Dorothea Crowley, President, Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Lackawanna County; Al O’Donnell, President, Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Lackawanna County; Conal McHugh, President, Ancient Order of Hibernians of Lackawanna County; Jack McIntyre, President, Irish Cultural Society; and Lori Wagner, President, Society of Irish Women.

(OSV News) – A new study cites trusted relationships with parish priests as a deciding factor in cultivating vocations and reducing the priest-to-parishioner ratio as essential for making such encounters possible.

The 2023 “State of Priestly Vocations in the United States” by Texas-based Vocation Ministry concludes that “the overall role of priests in fostering vocations is significant,” with “around 70% of those ordained” reporting that they were invited by a priest to consider the calling.

“We know the priest is the number one factor for a young man saying ‘yes’ to the priesthood,” Vocation Ministry founder Rhonda Gruenewald told OSV News.

But as ordination numbers decline while many parishes close or merge, priests are becoming responsible for a greater number of parishioners, Gruenewald said. With increased administrative and pastoral responsibilities, clergy often have little time and energy to mentor teens and young men who might be interested in religious life.

Seminarians chat in front of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit Oct. 5, 2021. A new report from Vocations Ministry “looks at the vocations crisis under the microscope” to understand the “severe lack of priests most dioceses experience, and how to fix the problem,” says Rhonda Gruenewald, founder of the Texas-based ministry focused on creating a culture of vocations in Catholic parishes and education. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Marek Dziekonski via Detroit Catholic)

“If that (priest-to-parishioner) number is lower, then priests can create relationships that foster vocations,” said Gruenewald, whose report draws on data from the Official Catholic Directory along with input from vocation directors and seminarians from around the country.

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA), in 2022 there were 34,344 priests (24,110 diocesan, 10,234 religious) and 452 priestly ordinations in the U.S., serving 16,429 parishes and 66.5 million “parish-connected” Catholics. Just 66% of the diocesan priests were in active ministry, with an average of one active diocesan priest per parish.

The Vocations Ministry study grouped the nation’s Catholic dioceses into four tiers based on the size of their Catholic population, and then calculated how many replacement priests, seminarians and ordinations are needed in each diocese for pastoral viability, based on current conditions.

Gruenewald, who has conducted training sessions for thousands of priests, catechists, Catholic school educators and laity in more than 50 dioceses, concluded that the 2021 vocation data showed only 33 dioceses ordained enough men to satisfy a “base need ordination rate,” while 17 were meeting their “base need seminarian rate.” Another 42 dioceses had no ordinations during that period.

She admits that the data “might be difficult for some to digest.”

CARA executive director Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt, who reviewed the Vocations Ministry report, told OSV News the study did not account for shifts in the Catholic population across the U.S., which have led to a “massive movement of Catholics out of the cities and into the suburbs, and from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West” of the nation.

However, Father Gaunt noted the report was correct in its “overall contention on targeting the importance of relationships in encouraging vocations.”

Of the four population tiers in the Vocations Ministry report, the highest-performing group was that with the lowest population and the lowest priest-to-parishioner ratio. Dioceses in this tier — which included Lincoln, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Reno, Nevada — typically ordain six times as many men as do the nation’s most populous dioceses.

Gruenewald stressed that Catholics have plenty of options for countering the declines in priestly vocations — such as regular prayer, education about vocations and how to foster them, affirmation of current priests and seminarians, and youth ministry.

“Priests and parishioners need to find those pockets where young people are and bring the vocations message to them,” she told OSV News. “Instead of throwing our hands up and saying, ‘Oh well,’ we need to be intentional and strategic. Vocations can happen if you believe. Let’s get to work.”