Category: News

 

The replica icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa will be brought to the Catholic Church of St. Luke in Stroudsburg and venerated at all the parish’s liturgies on Saturday and Sunday, February 26^th and 27^th. The original icon has a legendary past that led in the 14^th century to its housing at the Jasna Góra monastery near the town of Czestochowa. Under this title, the Blessed Mother has been considered the protector of Poland through centuries of invasions and wars. Devotion to the Madonna has flourished among Polish-American Catholics and efforts to build a shrine in her honor began in the 1950s. Finally, in 1966, a new and spacious church was erected in Doylestown, Pennsylvania to service the growing numbers of pilgrims.

The replica icon will be brought to the Poconos from that Doylestown National Shrine at the request of the Catholics who celebrate Sunday Mass in the Polish language at St. Luke’s. As explained by Deacon Phil Zimich, himself of Polish ancestry, “This veneration will be in two languages to join our Polish worshippers with the rest of our parish in a testimony to our one faith.” The visit has special meaning this February when the threat of invasion and war are growing near the Polish homeland. St. Luke’s Church is located at the corner of 9^th and Main Streets in Stroudsburg.

Call 570.421-9097 for more information.

 

 

 

On Monday, February 14 at 8 p.m., CTV will debut the special on Rev. Jeffrey J. Walsh’s appointment as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.  Entitled “Bishop-elect Walsh: Living the Call to Servant Leadership”, the special will look back on Fr. Walsh’s early years growing up in Scranton and how his parents and grandparents played a critical role in nurturing his Catholic faith.

We’ll see how the seed for Fr. Walsh’s priestly vocation was planted during a retreat he attended his junior year at the University of Scranton.

Fr. Walsh reflects on how blessed he has been over his 27 years of service to the Church of Scranton and how his varied experiences across the Diocese of Scranton have prepared him for the next chapter in his life.

Fr. Walsh talks about the phone call he received from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States when he first learned that he was appointed as the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.

We’ll talk with several of Bishop-elect Walsh’s parishioners at Saint Rose of Lima and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Carbondale regarding their excitement over his appointment as Bishop.

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and brother priests share their own thoughts on what makes Bishop-elect such a special priest and why they feel is well prepared to take on his new role as Bishop of Gaylord.

We’ll look back on the many ways that Bishop-elect Walsh has used his love for the outdoors to benefit the many parishes he has served here in the Diocese of Scranton.

And finally, Bishop-elect Walsh reflects on God’s divine providence and how it has lead him to this moment in his life where he will soon share the Gospel message with the faithful of Gaylord.

“Bishop-elect Walsh: Living the Call to Servant Leadership” will also air on February 15 at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.; February 21 at 10:30 a.m.; February 24 at 2 p.m. and February 25 at 10:30 a.m.

 

 

They come for a hot, nutritious daily meal. Some return for a supper served three nights a week. All enjoy a friendly atmosphere and socialization with their fellow guests, and being treated with dignity and respect by staff and volunteers.

Many visit the Client-Choice Food Pantry and Free Clothing Store, getting what they need for themselves and their families.

Approximately 200 men, women and children of all ages benefit from these services provided by Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton each day. This includes those who are offered meals through the Mid Valley Outreach Program at parish locations and high-rise housing buildings in Carbondale and Olyphant.

Founded in 1978, the Kitchen has been able to do all of this due to the dedicated service of staff and volunteers, and with financial support from the community – primarily through the annual Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign. The 2022 campaign is now underway.

For a donation of $100 or more, an individual, family, business, community organization or faith-based group can help to sponsor the day’s meal. Recognized sponsorships begin at the $500 contribution level.

In effect, each contributor becomes a “host” for a day. Contributors may then select a date on which they, or someone they designate or memorialize, will be recognized as the provider for that meal.

Through its partnership with the Kitchen, lunch is provided each Wednesday at Holy Cross Parish in Olyphant, where Father Scott Sterowski serves as pastor. Frank Marek is among those who is grateful for this service.

“This is a great opportunity for those in our area to receive a well-balanced meal, especially now, during these financially challenging times,” he said, adding that donations to the Host-for-a-Day campaign are “greatly appreciated and go directly toward providing a hot, nourishing meal to anyone who could use one.”

Sue Ann Edmunds, a resident of the Carbondale Housing Authority North High Rise, loves the meals provided by the Kitchen “because they are tasty and convenient. My income is limited and this is a big help!”

In addition, she is a member of the Housing Authority Team that helps to deliver the meals to other residents. And when she recently had an extra $20 she donated it to the Kitchen “because it’s a great cause!”

While many are familiar with how the Kitchen provides these meals, they might not be aware of just how important the Client-Choice Food Pantry is.

According to Kitchen Executive Director Rob Williams, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals and families who take advantage of the pantry in recent months – well over 1,000 individuals and 503 family servings in January alone. He noted that pantry offerings have expanded to include cleaning supplies and ensure fresh produce each day of operation.

“We see individuals and people with children coming to our food pantry every week,” he said. “They need these items to help feed their families. They are so grateful that we offer this service.”

Maria McCool, a member of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board, is chairing the Host-for-a-Day campaign and leading the effort with her fellow board members.

“We are fortunate to be able to help our sisters and brothers in need even with all the challenges of the pandemic,” she said. “And we are truly blessed by so many in our community who continue to support our mission.”

Past contributors to the campaign are receiving an appeal directly from the Kitchen through the mail or will be contacted by members of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board.

Anyone who does not receive an appeal through the mail can make a Host‑for‑a‑Day gift by calling the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556, or sending a check to Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton PA 18509. Donations can also be made online at: www.stfranciskitchen.org or facebook.com/stfranciskitchen.

Also, out of continuing concern for the health and safety of benefactors and board members, the typical Appreciation Reception that concludes the campaign will not be held in a gathered way again this year. Instead, the culmination of the campaign will be marked with a Virtual Celebration consisting of a pre-recorded program. The release date will be Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. on www.facebook.com/stfranciskitchen.

This year the Virtual Celebration will honor Monsignor Constantine V. Siconolfi, founder of the Kitchen, and Toyota of Scranton for outstanding support.

Those who would like to sponsor the Virtual Reception are asked to call the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556.

 

Reverend Leo J. McKernan of West Wyoming, died on Jan. 23, 2022, at Sacred Heart Hospice, Dunmore, having faithfully served as priest and spiritual director in the Diocese of Scranton for many years.

Father McKernan, son of the late John McKernan and Marjorie Franchi McKernan, was born in Wilkes Barre on September 17, 1953. He was a graduate of St. Leo School and Hanover Memorial High School and attended King’s College earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975. Father attended Villanova University earning a Master’s degree in 1977. He received his seminary education at St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton; Pontifical North American College, Rome, Italy; and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy (Angelicum) earning both a Bachelor and Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1983. Father McKernan was ordained to the priesthood in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton, on November 5, 1983 by the Most Reverend John O’Connor, late Bishop of Scranton.

Father McKernan was appointed Assistant Pastor at St. Mary’s, Wilkes-Barre, in 1983 and Director of Religious Formation at Bishop O’Reilly High School, Kingston, in September 1985. In June 1986, he was appointed Assistant Pastor at St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton, and in September 1987 was appointed to serve on the faculty at St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton.

Father attended Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska earning a Master’s in Christian Spirituality in 1990.

Father McKernan received his first pastorate in June 1992 at Holy Name of Mary, Montrose. In April 1996, Father was appointed Administrator pro tem at Ascension, Williamsport, and in July 1996, was appointed Pastor at St. Mary, Avoca.  Father was appointed Assistant Pastor at Our Lady of the Snows, Clarks Summit, in July 1998, and Assistant Pastor at Holy Name and St. Mary’s, Swoyersville in August 1998.

Father accepted an appointment as Chaplain at Gonzaga University and Bishop White Seminary, Spokane, Washington, in July 2000. Upon his return to the Diocese of Scranton in July 2001, Father was appointed Pastor at Christ the King, Dunmore.  While remaining Pastor at Christ the King, he was also appointed Pastor at Immaculate Conception, Scranton in July 2002. Father was next appointed Administrator at Our Lady of Lourdes, Montoursville, in August 2002 and was appointed Pastor in July 2006. He served as Pastor at St. Elizabeth, Bear Creek, from 2007 to 2008 and Diocesan Preacher for called to Holiness and Mission from 2008 to 2009.  He was assigned to a six month ministry at St. Joseph Hermitage, Laceyville, from December 2009 to July 2010 when he was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, West Wyoming and St. Joseph, Wyoming, which became St. Monica’s, West Wyoming.

In January 2017, Father McKernan was appointed Senior Priest at St. John the Evangelist, Pittston.  In June, he was appointed Pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola, Kingston.

Father retired for reasons of health in November 2018.

Father McKernan also served the Diocese teaching at various Catholic High Schools and Colleges, Religious Education Institute and Veteran Teachers Program. He served as Director of the Diocesan Commission on Ecumenism and Inter-Faith Affairs; Spiritual Director at St. Pius X Seminary and Bishop White Seminary; Chaplain for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and for the People of God Community and the Neo Catechumenal Way.  He served as Chaplain and Program Director for JMJ Catholic Radio Station and Chaplain for Catholic Men’s Conference.

Father McKernan is survived by three sisters; Kathleen (Harry) Miller of Sarasota, Florida, Alice (Reg) Jones of Lido, NY and Mary (Vinny) Appello of Media, PA.  He is also survived by two brothers; Mark McKernan of Grove City, Ohio and Michael McKernan of Kingston, PA, and nieces and nephews.                                               .

Viewing will take place at St. Leo Church, Ashley on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday, January 29, 2022 9:30 a.m.  A Vesper Service will be celebrated at 6:00 p.m. at St. Leo Church, Ashley.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Reverend Gerald W. Shantillo, V.G., S.T.L., Vicar General of the Diocese of Scranton, on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at St. Leo Church, Ashley at 10:30 a.m.  Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre.

 

Thank you to the Diocese of Scranton
from Bishop Walsh

 

I would like to offer one great big “WORD OF THANKS” to the Diocese of Scranton! These past weeks have been somewhat overwhelming, but made bearable by equally overwhelming displays of kindness and generosity, most especially the ‘Mass of Thanksgiving and Sending Forth’ held at St. Peter’s Cathedral on February 15. I want to thank Bishop Bambera for giving me the opportunity to gather with brother clergy, family, friends and faithful from the diocese whom I have come to know over the years. Thank you to the Office of Parish Life, Msgr. Rupert, Cathedral staff, music ministry, and anyone who helped plan and participated in the Mass. My family and I also want to extend warm thanks to Dan Gallagher and CTV for the special biography they produced.

I will dearly miss being a priest in the Diocese of Scranton and feel sad to leave NEPA, but my heart swells with gratitude to God for all I have and will experience in His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!

In Christ our Life!
+Bishop Walsh

                          Episcopal Ordination & Installation March 4, 2022

 

 

Solemn Vespers on the Eve of Bishop-elect Jeffrey J. Walsh’s Episcopal Ordination and Installation as Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord March 3, 2022

 

Mass of Thanksgiving and Sending Forth for Bishop-elect Jeffrey J. Walsh
February 15, 2022

 

Mass of Thanksgiving Program

 

On Tuesday, December 21, 2021, the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan hosted a live press conference at St. Mary Cathedral to announce the appointment of Reverend Jeffrey J. Walsh as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord.  You can watch that press conference in the link provided below.

 

SCRANTON – On December 21, 2021, Pope Francis appointed the Reverend Jeffrey J. Walsh, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Carbondale, as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.

Bishop-elect Walsh succeeds Most Reverend Steven J. Raica, J.C.D., D.D., who was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, on June 23, 2020. Since that time, Bishop Walter A. Hurley has been serving as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Gaylord.

Bishop-elect Walsh’s episcopal ordination and installation as Bishop of Gaylord are scheduled for March 4, 2022, at 2 p.m. in Saint Mary Cathedral, Gaylord.

“With gratitude to our Holy Father Pope Francis, and joy in the Lord, I am eager to begin a new chapter in my life of discipleship among the good people of the Diocese of Gaylord! I am also most grateful to God for 27 years of priestly ministry in the Diocese of Scranton. I have been inspired and challenged to grow in faith through various diocesan assignments and will forever prayerfully remember all the lay faithful, religious, deacons, priests and bishops with whom and for whom I have served,” Bishop-elect Walsh said. “In particular, I would like to acknowledge the kind support of Bishop Joseph C. Bambera. The most important act of gratitude I can offer is for my parents, Jerome and Nancy (Doud) Walsh. They, as well as my deceased grandparents, have been the most significant formators of my life. I have been blessed with a solid, but by no means ‘perfect,’ family that also includes my two brothers, two nieces, one nephew, aunts and uncles and many close first cousins. Looking forward, I hope to bring a missionary spirit to my episcopal ministry under the mantle of Divine Providence. From ‘Penn’s Woods’ to the land of ‘Great Lakes,’ I trust God’s loving plan.”

Bishop-elect Walsh was born on November 29, 1965. The son of Jerome and Nancy Walsh, he is a native of Scranton, Pa., and is a graduate of Scranton Central High School. He is one of three children, with brothers, James and Joseph Walsh. He graduated from the University of Scranton in 1987 with a degree in Health and Human Resources. He went on to complete his priestly studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., earning a Master of Divinity Degree.

Bishop-elect Walsh received a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in 1999 and a Master of Social Work Degree from Marywood University in 2010.

Bishop-elect Walsh was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Scranton by Bishop James C. Timlin at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton, Pa., on June 25, 1994. After ordination, Bishop-elect Walsh served as assistant pastor at Saint Rose of Lima Church, Carbondale, and the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton. In July 1999, he was appointed to his first pastorate at Saint Mary of the Lake Church, Lake Winola, as well as Director of Spiritual & Liturgical Formation at Saint Pius X Seminary. From July 2004-July 2006, he served as pastor at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Tunkhannock, until being appointed to serve as Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Pastoral Region of the Diocese of Scranton. In 2008, Bishop-elect Walsh became administrator of Saint Rita Church, Gouldsboro, and in 2009 was appointed administrator of Saint Anthony, Saint Bridget and Saint John the Baptist parishes in Throop. In July 2010, Bishop-elect Walsh was appointed to serve as pastor at the Church of Saint John, East Stroudsburg. In January 2015, he was appointed Episcopal Vicar for Clergy by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera. While serving in that role, Bishop-elect Walsh also served as Sacramental Minister for Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish, Pittston. In July 2020, he was appointed pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Carbondale. As Bishop-elect Walsh departs for Gaylord, Saint Rose of Lima Parish just completed a large-scale renovation project on its nearly 150-year-old building.

During his years of pastoral ministry, Bishop-elect Walsh also served in a variety of Diocesan positions, including Director of Religious Formation at the former Sacred Heart High School in Carbondale and the former Bishop Hannan High School in Scranton. For five years he was chaplain at Saint Michael’s School and for 12 years (1995-2007) he served as chaplain to the Deaf Community. Bishop-elect Walsh has also served as Diocesan vocations director, was director of youth and young adult retreats at Fatima Center, and served for one year as the Diocesan Deputy Secretary for Catholic Human Services. In 2007, he was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Notre Dame Regional School System.

In reaction to Pope Francis’ appointment, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, commented, “With pride and gratitude to God, we celebrate Pope Francis’ appointment of Father Walsh to serve as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord. This announcement brings great joy in the Diocese of Scranton as the Holy Father has chosen a native son, nurtured and formed locally, to the office of episcopal leadership and service in the Church. Having known and served alongside Father Walsh for many years, he has shown himself to be a caring, compassionate and skilled pastor. His deep love for the Lord is evident in the loving service that he has shared with the flock of Christ entrusted to his care in a wide range of parishes, ministries and apostolates. Father Walsh has generously shared his talents and his love for the Church in so many ways, especially with our youth, elderly, the poor, sick and those on the periphery. While this appointment is somewhat bittersweet for many of us in the Church of Scranton, especially those of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Rose of Lima Parish, where Bishop-elect Walsh currently serves as pastor, we are grateful to God that he has chosen Father Walsh to serve the broader Church and particularly our brothers and sisters in the Church of Gaylord as bishop. Please join me in giving thanks for the years of priestly service that Father Walsh has shared so generously with the faithful of our Diocese and in asking the Lord Jesus to fill his heart with joy as he begins his episcopal ministry among the good people of Michigan.”

 

Diocese of Gaylord Overview

The Diocese of Gaylord is one of seven Roman Catholic Dioceses in the state of Michigan. His Holiness Pope Paul VI established it on July 20, 1971. The 11,171 square miles of the diocese includes the 21 most northern counties of Michigan’s lower peninsula, which are mostly rural in nature. The total population of the Diocese exceeds 506,000, of which more than 44,000 are Catholic. The Diocese of Gaylord consists of 75 parishes, 16 Catholic schools and many closely related institutions.

 

The Bishops of Gaylord:

Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, 1971-1981

Bishop Robert J. Rose, 1981-1989

Bishop Patrick R. Cooney, 1990-2009

Bishop Bernard A. Hebda, 2009-2013

Bishop Steven J. Raica, 2014-2020

Bishop-elect Jeffrey J. Walsh, 2022-

 

BRODHEADSVILLE — It was two years ago The Catholic Light first reported of the incredible ministerial journey of Sandie Flannery of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Brodheadsville, which began in 2009 when she accompanied friends to the Ukraine to adopt three children with Down syndrome.

Six years later, Flannery established the Orphan Outreach Ministry at her parish in the Poconos that continues to provide much-needed aid to destitute Ukrainian orphan children and young adults — many with severe disabilities and often subjected to deplorable conditions.

The hallmark of the support effort is an ambitious fundraiser Queen of Peace hosts to coincide with worldwide “Orphan Sunday” each November, as it collaborates with the DePaul Society of Ukraine which provides trained staff to serve the orphans’ needs.

A retired special education teacher and the mother of a daughter with special needs, Flannery routinely traveled two to three times a year to Ukraine to help provide educational, therapeutic and sensory materials.

For the first time since the pandemic lockdown in 2020, Flannery was allowed to visit two orphanages in August. Not surprisingly, the global health crisis has gravely affected the residents.

“The conditions of the orphans had declined,” Flannery related. “The DePaul staff were not allowed to work during that time due to COVID and the children really missed their attention and activities. Regular staff was reduced to a minimum, and there was not enough time for the extra love and attention they so sorely need.”

Compounding the program, Flannery said, are the country’s new orphan reform policies which have relocated and centralized the orphaned charges of the state. According to Flannery, the radical changes and disruptions have caused great distress and confusion among the orphans.

“Zulachchia is now the regional orphanage for all disabled children,” she said, “and many of the older men were transferred to the men’s Boarding House (institution in Synatyn) after living their entire lives in Zulachchia.”

Flannery had the opportunity to visit the Boarding House where many of the men recognized her. “It was so sad to see how very distressed they were and want to be transferred back,” she related. “Also, new children with lesser disabilities were placed with more disabled and these children want out!”

In Synatyn, Flannery noted, more than 300 men often spend their days sitting idly and “staring into space.” Due to these stark conditions, the Orphan Outreach Ministry has begun collecting soft “fidget toys,” such as poppits, to keep the orphans’ hands and minds busy.

Collection boxes for the fidget toys are located in Queen of Peace Church, with the goal being to amass 500 of the popular gadgets to provide for all children and adults in both settings.

In November, the annual parish Tricky Tray/Basket Raffle raised more than $10,000, which helped supplement DePaul’s budget and pay for a heated tile floor, in additional to crucial educational, therapeutic and medical equipment.

Despite the onset of the pandemic last year, the Orphan Ministry contracted to have two gazebos built on orphanage grounds, along with helping to pay for an industrial washing machine.

Most recently, Flannery spearheaded the packaging of essential supplies that were transported by United Ukrainian Relief Committee in Philadelphia to be shipped overseas in a cargo container.

“Some equipment will go to a rehabilitation center run by the Sisters of Mercy,” she explained. “Another cargo container will go out in January with more equipment currently in storage!”

Flannery emphasized donations of all kinds are accepted, suggesting that accessories no longer needed or outgrown by a loved one are most welcomed — especially good electric beds, wheelchairs, scooters, cell phones and tablets.

For more information, contact Sandie Flannery at (570) 350-9652, or the parish office at (610) 681-6137.

 

 

SCRANTON – As we move into 2022, the Vision 2020 Blueprint Process, launched in 2019, will now be known as the Vision 2030 Blueprint Process.

The goal of Vision 2030 remains the same. The long range planning process aims to look proactively at the realities of our local Church in the present moment while striving to meet the opportunities and challenges of the coming decade.

Put simply, Vision 2030 will assist the diocese in creating and sustaining vibrant parishes rooted in the life of Jesus Christ that are able to respond to the needs of as many members of the Christian faithful as possible.

“Our ongoing pastoral planning process in the Diocese is both important and necessary to have vibrant parishes and rich participation in the sacraments,” the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, has said about the process. “At its very core, (this process) is about putting our relationship with Jesus first in our own lives and in the life of our Church. We must desire to help all people meet Christ and build God’s Kingdom – not our own.”

Bishop Bambera first introduced the pastoral planning process to every parish in the Diocese through a video homily played at all Masses on Dec. 8, 2019. Since that time, a lot of work has taken place. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bishop led several regional sessions with parishioners and provided a video presentation to other parishes that were not able to gather in large groups because of the coronavirus.

In 2021, the blueprint process was utilized to help bring together the parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Weston with the parish of Saint John Bosco, Conyngham, upon the retirement of the pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. Likewise, the blueprint process was also utilized to help Holy Family Parish in Sugar Notch consolidate with Saint Leo the Great Parish in Ashley upon the retirement of the pastor at Holy Family Parish.

The blueprint process has also assisted with parish linkages in the two largest cities of the Diocese of Scranton. Saint John Neumann Parish and Saint Paul of the Cross Parish have been linked in South Scranton under the pastorate of Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, and Saint Nicholas Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Parish have been linked in Wilkes-Barre under the pastorate of Father Joseph D. Verespy.

In January 2022, the diocese plans to release updated data and information regarding the number of faithful who are supporting the mission of the Church locally as well as information on the decreasing number of priests that will be available in the next decade because of retirements. This information will

provide all the faithful with facts as we best determine how to plan for the future. By the essence of our Baptism, each person is called to take an active role in realizing the mission of the Vision 2030 Blueprint process.

The Diocese of Scranton is not alone in undertaking pastoral planning efforts. Diminishing and aging populations in some sections of the country impacting the number of men pursuing a priestly vocation in the Church, among other factors, have many other Dioceses and Archdioceses undertaking similar measures.

Over the past half century, the number of priests across the U.S. has dropped by about 40 percent — from nearly 60,000 priests in 1970 to 35,513 in 2020, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

 

SCRANTON – With Christmas quickly approaching, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera reminds the faithful about the COVID-19 protocols that remain in place for parishes throughout the Diocese of Scranton. Christmas often brings many visitors to churches throughout the Diocese, so the bishop has encouraged parishes to share the protocols in bulletins and via other communication methods.

While all of the protocols have been in place since August, in recent weeks the number of new, daily COVID-19 infections throughout the 11 counties of the Diocese of Scranton has continued to be high.

The bishop encourages everyone to remain vigilant and not let their guard down, using our best judgment to protect our own health and the health of our neighbors.

COVID-19 Protocol Reminders for Christmas 2021

• The Diocese of Scranton strongly recommends that all parishioners wear a mask while attending Mass, regardless of vaccination status. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to protect our friends and neighbors and mask wearing remains an important mitigation tool against community spread.
• Parishes should post signs strongly recommending the use of face masks by all parishioners, especially for those individuals who may be visiting for Christmas or have not attended Mass in-person recently. Bulletin announcements and announcements prior to Mass are also ways that can be used to help communicate this message.
• Anyone who is sick should stay home and participate in the celebration of Mass through Catholic Television or a parish livestream Mass. In addition, anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, headache, or muscle pain) should not attend Mass in-person.
• Altar servers need to wear a mask while performing their duties.
• Priests, Deacons and other ministers involved in entrance/exit processions are strongly encouraged to wear masks.
• Priests, Deacons and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must wash or sanitize their hands prior to the distribution of Holy Communion. All ministers should put their mask on BEFORE going to wash or sanitize their hands.
• Priests, Deacons and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must wear a mask during the distribution of Holy Communion. All ministers should sanitize their hands immediately if they come into contact with a recipient’s tongue.
• At no time should church leaders demand information about vaccination status (or any other protected health information), request vaccination cards be shown on admittance, or pressure attendees in any way to show proof of vaccination. When in doubt, parishes should continue to plan their gatherings with the caution that some participants may be unvaccinated.
• Parishes should continue to be vigilant in the planning of any Christmas events that might bring together a large number of people from various households. Masks would be strongly recommended for any such indoor events.

Guidelines for Christmas 2021